Points on Drivers license? (Speed: car insurance, school, low cost)

[ryan112ryan]

So the other day I accidentally backed into a car at around 5 MPH in a parking lot. Some damage was done, no one was hurt, but all in all it was very minor and easily described as a fender bender.

Me and the other driver had the police come out and do a formal report. We both had valid drivers licenses, registrations, tags and full coverage for insurance. The officer didn't write a ticket, warning, or anything, he said it was a simple mistake on my part and me and the other driver parted amicably.

I submitted the claim to my insurance and in a week everything was good as new for me AND the other driver.

I talked to them later and they told me I was going to have 3 points on my license!

My questions are:

• Do points go away over time?
• Have can you check if you do have points?
• Can your appeal points?
• How can you get rid of them?

I have never had any points and 3 points seem extreme for this type of accident.


I looked up point values assigned for NC and it says you get 3 points for:

• Running through stop sign
• Speeding more than 55 mph
• Speeding through a school zone
• No driver license or license expired more than one year
• Failure to stop for siren
• Speeding through safety zone
• Failure to report accident where such report is required
• No liability insurance

[MysteryMT]

Originally Posted by ryan112ryan

...I talked to them later and they told me I was going to have 3 points on my license!

Just curious, who were you talking to at this point - the other driver, your insurance company or the officer on the scene?

[ryan112ryan]

Originally Posted by MysteryMT

Just curious, who were you talking to at this point - the other driver, your insurance company or the officer on the scene?

Insurance: they said "you will have three points on your license"

[mullman]

This makes absolutely NO sense.
Who is your carrier and did you have an absolutely spotless record before this fender-bender?
Sounds like you are being quoted INSURANCE points assessed by your carrier which are completely independent of DL points which accumulate to 12 and loss of license.

BUT, if it was the minor fender-bender you describe, why not just pay out of pocket and not file a claim.
Points (Insurance points) will cost you several hundred dollars PER POINT for three years.

You are being gouged.

[lumbollo]

Originally Posted by ryan112ryan

....I submitted the claim to my insurance and in a week everything was good as new for me AND the other driver.
I looked up point values assigned for NC and it says you get 3 points for:

You are confusing "insurance points" with "license points".

You get license points when charged and convicted by the police for having broken a traffic law. For example in NC if you pass a school bus and get caught and plead guilty, this will be 5 points against your license. These are used by the NCDOT to determine if you can have keep your license. From your description you didn't get any license points.

There is also something cause "insurance points". These are used by the insurance companies to add surcharges to your car insurance. You score these points by several methods. One is by getting certain tickets. Getting convicted by a DUI results in a jackpot of insurance points. Another, and this applies to you, is having an accident where you are at fault. If you were backing up and hit someone, then the insurance company automatically assigns fault to you and if they pay to fix your car or the other driver's car, then they will assign insurance points. In fact anytime you use your collision or liability insurance you will get insurance points assigned. Generally these will drop off after 3 years.

[FrankTheTank2]

Call around with some of the other major insurance companies and see what your rate would be with them and compare that to your rate with your current insurance company.

I found that sometimes each company's system takes a while to update so you can get in at a low cost before you accident affects your premium.