Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > South Carolina > Charleston area
 [Register]
Charleston area Charleston - North Charleston - Mt. Pleasant - Summerville - Goose Creek
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 08-26-2009, 08:20 AM
 
Location: Goose Creek, SC
870 posts, read 1,979,839 times
Reputation: 396

Advertisements

Points-In SC you start at 0 and lose your license at 12. Most ticketable infractions (speeding, running a stop sign etc) carry points. If your insurance company bases your premium on number of points then you will want to take the $237/0 point option as that will save you money in the long run.

I could be wrong but I think points get cut in half after one year and go away completely after 2 but that is on the DMV side, insurance companies have a different system which allows them to bleed you for years to come.

Moving violations-ticketable offenses. Speeding, rolling through a stop sign etc are all moving violations. If they base your premium on number of moving violations then taking the no point option won't save you anything since they will now show one moving violation on your record either way.

Some insurance companies may overlook your first offense. I would call your agent or the company directly and explain the situation in detail and ask what you should do to keep your premium down.

Jamestown is a speedtrap from hell. There are only 3 things I have ever seen occupied by people in Jamestown (and I drive through it at least once a week) and that is the gas station, the post office and the cop car. I tend to set my cruise control around 38 when going through just to be safe
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 08-26-2009, 10:09 AM
 
5,938 posts, read 4,668,305 times
Reputation: 4629
I'd find out what exactly the infraction on your record will be if you go with the 0 points option. In the shortrun, $237 is going to hurt. But in the long run, the increase to your insurance payments will easily surpass the fine. If the judge will change it to something like... "parking illegally" or "obstruction of view" then it is probably a good deal.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-26-2009, 08:54 PM
 
Location: SC
9,101 posts, read 16,389,298 times
Reputation: 3619
Quote:
Originally Posted by SCBeaches View Post
I just got my first ticket in 20 years last month. I got 2 points, which does not affect my insurance - I called about it. Paid an $81 fine. I had planned on going to court to fight it due to the tree branches hiding the speed limit sign and that there isn't another one for several miles...but DUMB ME misread my trial date and missed it. (yes, I looked at the "time" 8 30, instead of the date 8 20 ) so didn't get to go plead my case. So, I called the court, explained why I missed my trial and sent in my money order. At least now I know that the speed limit is 40 mph and not 45mph (even though everyone else now flies around me)...learned my lesson.
Sounds like what happened to me recently SCBeaches. I got the ticket when approaching Walterboro (I guess) on Rte 17. They REALLY have a nerve giving people tickets when they post a single sign at the beginning of when the speed limit changes and that is it until the next speed change which could be 30 minutes down the road.

I don't know how they found me. I didn't see any traps or hidden police cruisers. I thought it might be a citizen's arrest where someone told someone in the Waterboro Police station they saw me speeding and 10 minutes AFTER I had been speeding, a police cruiser comes up behind me.

Of course with no breakdown lane, there was nowhere to pull over except in the tall grass-- which the officer motioned me to do. Glad I wasn't the one that had to get out in the tick infested grass. He said I was going 85 in a 55 mile an hour zone but said I wasn't engangering anyone but myself and lowered the fine to $82 and points down to 2. Needless to say, I didn't see the sign and thought others in front of me were going as fast or faster. I also haven't gotten a ticket that stayed on my record for over 20 years. Rhode Island had a good driver program where you could get a ticket thrown out if you hadn't had one in 5 years (I think it was). So the last one I got a few years ago was thrown out.

I guess there is no such thing as a good driver program in SC but it would be nice if there was.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-27-2009, 11:40 AM
 
110 posts, read 564,477 times
Reputation: 32
Okay so they told me if I paid $237 to reduce it to 0 points it would go on my record as disobeying or disregarding a traffic law. Is that still a moving violation? They said no and they don't have problems with it in SC...only with people form NC. Guess it's common practice! I don't want to call my insurance again. I don't have an agent and the system forces me to enter my policy number to talk to someone. I have Travelers.

emilybh my experience was very similar. The cop literally came out of nowhere and it's like he didn't even know where I was coming form. He kept asking me! Then he said he turned around to pull me over. Still think I wasn't speeding but I hear you...there's a shortage of speed limit signs! It makes it tough if you're not familiar with the area and don't already no the speed limit. Of course the more my husband and I think about it the whole situation doesn't add up. I don't think I was speeding and if I was I wasn't going 18mph over the speed limit! Guess the town of Jamestown needs the money more than I do...as I charge food!!!

Expensive DAY trip to Myrtle Beach!!!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-27-2009, 04:26 PM
 
36 posts, read 105,851 times
Reputation: 27
Take the 0 points. I've had a lot of friends get major tickets in the upstate (Racing, +40mph, etc) and they've all been converted to Negligent Driving, no points but a biiiiiig fine.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:




Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > South Carolina > Charleston area
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top