Arizona Driver License Point System: Assessments, License Suspensions, and Defensive Driving School Diversion.

The Arizona Department of Transportation’s motor vehicle division (MVD) can suspend your driver’s license for a variety of reasons. One of the more common reasons for an automatic suspension of your Arizona driver’s license is the accumulation of too many points for moving violations. Under Arizona’s license points system, once you accumulate a certain number of points during a designated time period, your Arizona drivers’ license is automatically suspended by Arizona’s MVD.

How many points are accessed for each type of moving violations in Arizona?

• Speeding = 3 points
• Driving or parking in the gore area = 3 points
• Causing Serious Injury by failing to stop or yield = 4 points
• Leaving the Scene of an Accident (Hit and Run) = 6 points
• Causing death by failing to stop or yield = 6 points
• DUI = 8 points
• Reckless Driving = 8 points
• Aggressive Driving = 8 points
• Any other moving violation = 2 points

How Many Points Does it Take for Arizona MVD to Suspend My License?

• 8 to 12 points within 12 months = *3 month suspension OR traffic school*
• 13 to 17 points within 12 months = 3 month suspension
• 18 to 23 points within 12 months = 6 month suspension
• 24 points or more within 36 months = 12 month suspension

*8 – 12 points* If you’ve accumulated between 8 and 12 points in a 12 month period, you can avoid the 3 month license suspension by attending Traffic Survival School. While it doesn’t delete points you’ve already accumulated, it allows you to keep your license despite having between 8 and 12 points. You’re only eligible for traffic survival school, if you haven’t already attended the previous 24 months.

How do I check how many points are on my Arizona driver’s license?

Request copy of your driving record through “Service Arizona” of the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Can I avoid the assessments of driver’s license points by taking Arizona’s Defensive Driving School?

Yes, so long as it’s an eligible moving violation, AND you are eligible for defensive driving. If eligible, you can get a traffic citations dismissed by completing a four hour defensive driving diversion class. Defensive driving is offered in many locations and can be completed online.

Defensive driving is a great option because you can avoid the points on a driving violation and avoid increases to your insurance premiums. Once you complete the course, the traffic case is dismissed.

Am I eligible for Defensive Driving?

In order to be eligible for defensive driving diversion, you must not have attended defensive driving for a citation issued in the previous 12 months of the current violation date. In addition, you can only take defensive driving for one traffic offense at a time. If cited with multiple moving violations, you can only take defensive driving for one of them. Logically, you’ll want to take defensive driving for the most serious citation. You also cannot take defensive driving if the moving violation involved a serious injury accident or fatal accident.

Lastly, if you have a commercial driver’s license, you’re not eligible for defensive driving diversion, regardless of whether or not you were driving commercially at the time of the violation.

If you are in need of an experienced Mesa DUI lawyer or have any questions regarding your driver’s license points contact us today. Tobin Law Office has been providing legal DUI representation and defense services for many years.