New Jersey’s Point System: A Guide

If you are a licensed New Jersey driver, you are undoubtedly aware of the point system. The point system is a way that the state holds drivers accountable for any moving violations they commit by adding “points” to an individual’s driver’s license when he or she receives a traffic citation.

Familiarize yourself with New Jersey’s point schedule to avoid facing penalties for traffic violations that result in points. If you are issued a traffic citation, it is possible to fight the citation in court with help from an experienced criminal defense attorney. If you choose to take this route, be proactive and contact an attorney soon after receiving your citation.

Different Violations Have Different Point Values

The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission lists all point-bearing traffic offenses on its website. The number of points an individual may face for committing a moving violation range from two, which is the value for a significant portion of the offenses listed, to eight, which a driver may face if he or she is convicted of leaving the scene of a car accident where an injury occurred.

Once a driver accumulates six points on his or her driver’s license, he or she may face a yearly surcharge from the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.

Twelve Points Mean A Driver’s License Suspension

If you acquire 12 or more points on your driver’s license, your license may be suspended for one year. Every year, three points are deducted from a driver’s license as long as the driver does not commit further violations.

Reducing Your Points

It is possible to reduce the number of points on your driver’s license without waiting a year for them to come off automatically. This can be done through taking driver education courses. An individual can not take a driver education course every year.

Every five years, a driver may complete a defensive driver program to deduct two points from his or her license. Every two years, he or she may complete a driver improvement program to deduct three points from the license.

Work With A New Jersey Criminal Defense Attorney

Having points on your driver’s license can lead to increased insurance premiums, surcharges, and a potential license suspension. You can defend yourself against traffic citations to have the number of points you receive lowered to having no points added to your license at all. To explore these options, contact our team at The Law Office of Eric B. Hannum Esq., LLC. today. We are a team of experienced New Jersey attorneys serving clients in Mercer, Middlesex, Ocean, Burlington, and Monmouth counties.