Traffic Fines and License Points
Traffic Fines and License Points
Traffic penalties use the offense grade listed in Penal Code Title 9. A fine is capped by the grade’s standard maximum unless the statute or an approved economy schedule sets a lower amount. License points are collateral administrative consequences and do not replace the underlying citation or criminal count.
Standard point guide
| Violation | Points or action |
|---|---|
| Minor moving infraction | 1 point |
| Speeding 16–30 mph over | 2 points |
| Excessive speed, careless driving, or move-over violation | 2 points |
| Reckless or aggravated reckless driving | 4 points |
| Street racing | 4 points |
| Hit and run involving property damage | 4 points |
| DUI, felony fleeing, or hit and run involving injury | Immediate suspension pending court |
Equipment, registration, insurance-document, parking, and other nonmoving violations ordinarily carry no points unless a statute or licensing order states otherwise.
Point accumulation
| Accumulated points | Administrative response |
|---|---|
| 6 points in the review period | 24-hour suspension or remedial driving course |
| 10 points in the review period | 72-hour suspension and court review |
| 14 points in the review period | Revocation until reinstated by a court or licensing authority |
The review period and real-time duration may be adjusted by server policy. Only a court or licensing authority imposes an accumulation-based suspension unless the Penal Code expressly authorizes immediate administrative action.
Common traffic grades
| Conduct | Typical grade |
|---|---|
| Minor speeding, signal, lane, yield, restraint, or equipment violation | I |
| Excessive speed, careless driving, or repeated licensing offense | M3 |
| Driving while suspended, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, or property-damage hit and run | M2 |
| Reckless driving, street racing, first DUI, or failure to stop for police | M1 |
| Aggravated reckless driving, aggravated DUI, injury hit and run, or felony fleeing | F5 or higher |
Always use the precise Title 9 section. The table is an index, not an independent charging source.
Roadside procedure
For an ordinary traffic stop:
- identify the observed violation and safe stopping location;
- notify dispatch according to policy;
- approach and communicate professionally;
- request the documents reasonably related to the stop;
- check license, registration, insurance, warrants, and vehicle status as authorized;
- address impairment, weapons, medical needs, or vehicle hazards;
- issue a warning, citation, summons, or arrest based on supported facts; and
- explain the disposition and allow a safe departure when the scene is complete.
A stop must not be prolonged solely to search for unrelated wrongdoing. Any search, frisk, vehicle impound, or arrest requires its own lawful basis under server policy.
Multiple violations from one act
Do not stack every possible traffic section when one provision fully describes the act. Distinct conduct may support multiple counts—for example, felony fleeing, a separate collision followed by hit and run, and DUI supported by independent evidence.
Reckless driving should not be automatically added to every speeding charge. Document the additional danger, such as extreme speed, crowded conditions, wrong-way travel, repeated dangerous maneuvers, or conscious disregard of a known risk.
Immediate suspension cases
Document the basis for immediate suspension, give the driver available notice, and arrange vehicle disposition. “Pending court” is not a fixed sentence. The court or licensing authority determines duration and reinstatement conditions.
Refusal of a lawful chemical test requires a valid DUI arrest and the required implied-consent warning. A refusal does not itself prove impairment, and a warrant may still be sought where authorized.
Citation documentation
Record the statute, location, direction of travel, observed conduct, speed-measurement method when relevant, traffic and weather conditions, collision information, license status, points assessed, and vehicle disposition. For camera or radar evidence, identify the device or recording according to agency policy.
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