Significance & Defense Methods
In the State of Missouri, traffic tickets add points to your driver’s license as a penalty for traffic violations in addition to any fine assessed by the court. A detailed explanation is available at the Department of Revenue Traffic Tickets and Point Assessment FAQs. The Faber Law Firm may be able to litigate your traffic tickets or negotiate an acceptable plea offer with the prosecutor to minimize or eliminate the effect of a ticket on your driver’s record.
Contact us if you are interested in representation on your traffic tickets.
Suspensions & Revocations
The accumulation of 8 points in an 18-month period will result in a 30-day suspension. Second and third suspensions are 60-day and 90-day, respectively. A license revocation will occur if you accumulate 12 points in 12-month period, 18 points in 24-month period, or 24 points in a 36-month period. Different offenses add different point amounts to your license. If your license is suspended or revoked, your points total may decrease to 4 upon reinstatement. Points decrease over time if you are not convicted of any more moving violations. After one full year, your points total decreases by a third. After two full years, your points total is decreased by another half. All points are withdrawn after three years without a moving conviction. If you want to know how many points you currently have on your license, you can call the Department of Revenue License Bureau at (573) 526-2407.
Driver Improvement Program
If you seek prior approval from the court, you may be eligible to complete a Driver Improvement Program (DIP) to remove the points assessed from your last traffic violation. If you are eligible, you can learn more about DIP from the Department of Revenue, or you can see a list of course locations on this page. However, you can only take a DIP class once every three years.
Commercial Driver License (CDL)
There are separate regulations for drivers that carry a Commercial Driver License. While a CDL permits driving of both commercial and private vehicles under one license, any offense that requires suspension or revocation of your license results in the loss of all driving privileges. Also, the CDL holder can only apply for limited driving privilege to operate private vehicles. No Driver Improvement Program may be taken to remove points from a violation if the driver has a CDL. For more information concerning CDL, as well as specific violations and suspensions, please see Department of Revenue website.
Points and Fines
These tables show how many points certain Missouri traffic tickets put on your license and the fine amount for citations in the City of Columbia:
Talk to a lawyer with experience in representing clients in these types of cases. Call our office at (573) 777-9770 or email us at Ben@CoMoCriminalDefense.com to schedule a free consultation.
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If you’re curious about the traffic-related charge of Driving While Intoxicated, check out our separate DWI page, which includes charge, penalty, and license reinstatement information.
If your license is currently suspended, but you have other circumstances that require you to drive, like work or medical reasons, you may be eligible to receive a Limited Driving Privilege (LDP). We might be able to help you apply for a Limited Driving Privilege.
According to Missouri’s Abuse and Lose law, drivers under the age of 21 can lose their license for 90 days up to a year for any alcohol-related traffic offense or drug possession, and adults 21 years old or older can lose their license for a year if convicted of possession or use of drugs while driving.
Read the law
These links take you to several common traffic ticket statutes and ordinances
Ignition interlock:
Improper turn:
Leaving the scene of an accident:
Speeding
Stop sign violation:
Careless and imprudent driving:
Driving while revoked:
Driving while suspended:
Failure to maintain insurance:
Failure to register motor vehicle: