Protect Your Georgia Driving History: What to Know About Reportable Citations, Points, and How Long Tickets Remain on Your Georgia Driving History
Most of my calls regarding Georgia traffic citations focus on clients who want to prevent their insurance rates from increasing. People ask me what they should do and I find a lot of people don’t really understand how a citation may impact them know and in the future. This blog aims to help people understand what the goals are in navigating traffic citations in Georgia courts and how an attorney may be able to assist in that process.
Before we start it is important to know that this advice is qualified upon two important pieces of information: 1) That the citation happened in Georgia, and 2) That the person who received the citation has a Georgia drivers license. Some advice may be able to be given to those who do not have a Georgia drivers license, but this information only applies Georgia citations and Georgia drivers license holders. Please feel free to call or text me at 678-753-6431 if you have questions and do not have a Georgia drivers license. I cannot provide any information for citations that are issued outside of Georgia.
Georgia citations are generally classified in two types of categories: 1) Citations that report on your driving history and 2) Citations that carry points. Citations that are reported on your driving history may or may not carry points as well, but it is the general rule that citations that do not report on your driving history do not carry any points. This is where a lot of the confusion comes in with my potential clients. They believe that avoiding points is the way to keep their insurance rates low, but that is not the case.
Points are issued by the Department of Driver Services to prevent dangerous drivers from being able to drive on the roads. Every driver over 18 can accumulate up to 15 points in any rolling two year period. Once 15 points are accumulated your license is suspended for six months. Points are only important in determining license suspensions. Points are not reported to insurance. Your insurance rates are determined by whether the offense is a reportable citation that will go on your driving history. Citations can be reported on your driving history and not carry any points, and as a Georgia driver you are entitled to plead nolo contendere (no contest) on one points based citation every five years to prevent the points from going on your drivers license. If that is a four point speeding violation, the speeding offense will still go on your driving history, but the points will not be assessed against your drivers license. An insurance company that runs your driving history will still see the speeding ticket even though you plead no contest to avoid the points.
And this is where an attorney may be able to help you. I tell potential clients every day that the most important thing you can do from the first citation you are issued in your life is to protect your driving history. When a solicitor looks at your driving history in making a recommendation on resolution of your citation, they see every citation that is ever reported on your driving history. People think citations only stay on your history for two or seven years, but your driving history holds every citation you’ve ever had in Georgia (and maybe other states) that is reported. If you can prevent that first citation from being reported, you have a better opportunity at preventing future citations being reported. Consulting with an attorney with every traffic citation is in your best interest. Because once a citation is closed and reported, it is near impossible to change that outcome. An attorney may be able to assist you and help you understand how a citation may impact your driving history.
If you have any questions about a metro Atlanta traffic citation, please call or text 678-753-6431 today.
