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North Carolina driving lesson · Your Driving Privilege

The driver license point system

A 3-minute lesson from the North Carolina course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Your Driving Privilege
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
19

When you're convicted of certain moving violations, DMV puts points on your driving record. Points add up, and enough of them within three years can cost you your license.

Point thresholds

Point thresholds
PointsWhat can happen
7You may be assigned to a driver improvement clinic
12 within 3 yearsYour license may be suspended
8 within 3 years after reinstatementA second suspension
Handbook p. 19 ↗
$83.50

Driver improvement clinic fee; finishing it deducts three points

Handbook p. 19 ↗

Regular license points: 5 and 4 points

Regular license points: 5 and 4 points
ViolationPoints
Passing a stopped school bus5
Aggressive driving5
Reckless driving4
Hit and run, property damage only4
Following too closely / wrong side of road4
Illegal passing4
Not yielding to a pedestrian (G.S. 20-158(b)(2)b)4
Not yielding to bicycle, motor scooter, motorcycle4
Handbook p. 19 ↗

Regular license points: 3, 2 and 1 points

Regular license points: 3, 2 and 1 points
ViolationPoints
Running a stop sign or red light3
Speeding in excess of 55 mph3
Failure to yield right of way3
No license, or license expired over one year3
Failure to stop for siren3
Speeding over posted school zone limit3
Not properly restraining a child; other moving violations2
Littering involving use of a motor vehicle1
Handbook p. 19 ↗

Know the rule

When your driving privilege is reinstated after a point suspension, all previous driver license points are canceled. Insurance points are not affected.

Handbook p. 19 ↗

Put it into practice

You have 5 points and get convicted of following too closely (4 points). At 9 points you're past the 7-point mark, so DMV may send you to a driver improvement clinic. Finishing it takes 3 points off, bringing you to 6.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

How many driver license points can trigger assignment to a driver improvement clinic?
  1. 5 points
  2. 7 points
  3. 10 points
  4. 12 points

Answer: 7 points

If you accumulate seven points, you may be assigned to a driver improvement clinic.

Handbook p. 19 ↗
Completing the driver improvement clinic removes how many points from your record?
  1. 7 points
  2. 1 point
  3. 3 points
  4. 5 points

Answer: 3 points

Upon satisfactory completion of the clinic, three points are deducted from your driving record.

Handbook p. 19 ↗
How many points, accumulated within a 3-year period, can lead to a license suspension?
  1. 7 points
  2. 8 points
  3. 10 points
  4. 12 points

Answer: 12 points

If you accumulate as many as 12 points within a three-year period, your license may be suspended.

Handbook p. 19 ↗
How many points does passing a stopped school bus carry on a regular license?
  1. 5 points
  2. 3 points
  3. 4 points
  4. 2 points

Answer: 5 points

Passing a stopped school bus carries 5 points, one of the highest values on the regular schedule.

Handbook p. 19 ↗
How many points does reckless driving carry on a regular license?
  1. 5 points
  2. 4 points
  3. 3 points
  4. 2 points

Answer: 4 points

Reckless driving carries 4 points on the regular license point schedule.

Handbook p. 19 ↗
What happens to your accumulated points once your driving privilege is reinstated after a suspension?
  1. All previous points are canceled
  2. They carry over and double
  3. Half of the points carry over
  4. They remain permanently on your record

Answer: All previous points are canceled

When your driving privilege is reinstated, all previous driver license points are canceled.

Handbook p. 19 ↗
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