No doubt, receiving a speeding ticket or traffic ticket can be a huge and expensive hassle. It should not be taken lightly. Often times it can cause you to miss work or school to appear in court. Depending on how it is resolved, it can lead to expensive increases in your insurance costs or even the suspension or revocation of your North Carolina driver's license.
Before you handle your speeding ticket or traffic ticket yourself, relying on information from a friend or family member (or, even worse, the officer who gave you the ticket) you should consult with a knowledgeable and experienced lawyer. You may be wondering....
I received a traffic ticket, what does this mean?It means that you have been cited for a traffic infraction or a traffic related misdemeanor. You have been given a court date at which time you must appear before the court. If you plead guilty or are found guilty of a traffic infraction or misdemeanor, you will likely receive driver's license points, insurance points, and/or insurance rate increases. Common driver's license point penalties are:
| Conviction | Point Value |
| Passing a stopped school bus loading or unloading children | 5 |
| Aggressive driving | 5 |
| Reckless driving | 4 |
| Hit and run, property damage only | 4 |
| Following too closely | 4 |
| Driving on wrong side of road | 4 |
| Illegal passing | 4 |
Failure to yield right-of-way to pedestrian pursuant to GS 20-158(b)(2)b | 4 |
Failure to yield right-of-way to bicycle motor scooter, or motorcycle | 4 |
Running through stop sign | 3 |
Speeding more than 55 mph | 3 |
Speeding through a school zone | 3 |
Failure to yield right of way | 3 |
No driver's license or license expired more than one year | 3 |
Running through red light | 3 |
Failure to stop for siren | 3 |
Speeding through safety zone | 3 |
Failure to report accident where such report is required | 3 |
| No liability insurance | 3 |
| All other moving violations | 2 |
| Littering involving a motor vehicle | 1 |
I have a Commercial Driver's License (CDL), what impact does that have?
The driver's license points which are assigned for a traffic violation increase and many employers won't hire driver's who have active points on their licenses. Here are the points assigned for violations if you have a CDL.
| Conviction | Point Value |
| Passing a stopped school bus loading or unloading children | 8 |
| Rail-highway crossing violation | 6 |
| Careless and Reckless driving in violation of G.S. 20-140(f) | 6 |
| Speeding in violation of G.S. 20-141(j3) | 6 |
| Aggressive driving | 6 |
| Reckless driving | 5 |
| Hit and run, property damage only | 5 |
| Following too closely | 5 |
| Driving on wrong side of road | 5 |
| Illegal passing | 5 |
Failure to yield right-of-way to pedestrian pursuant to GS 20-158(b)(2)b | 5 |
Failure to yield right-of-way to bicycle motor scooter, or motorcycle | 5 |
Running through stop sign | 4 |
Speeding more than 55 mph | 4 |
Speeding through a school zone | 4 |
Failure to yield right of way | 4 |
No driver's license or license expired more than one year | 4 |
Running through red light | 4 |
Failure to stop for siren | 4 |
Driving through safety zone | 4 |
Failure to report accident where such report is required | 4 |
Possessing alcoholic beverage in the passenger area of a commercial motor vehicle | 3 |
| All other moving violations | 3 |
| Littering involving a motor vehicle | 1 |