Driving While Suspended Tickets Reduced From 12 Points To 0 Points

Driving While Suspended tickets can be reduced from a 12-point violation to a 0-point, non-moving violation with the help of an experienced traffic law attorney.

What Does “Driving While Suspended” Mean?

If your driver’s license is suspended and a police officer pulls you over, they could arrest you and take you to jail, in addition to giving you a 12-point ticket for Driving While Suspended.

Many people drive on a suspended license without knowing their license is suspended. Unfortunately, the fact that you didn’t know your license was suspended makes no difference to the court.

If you continue to drive on a suspended license, you could get multiple tickets for Driving While Suspended.

What Happens If You Plead Guilty To Driving While Suspended?

If  you plead guilty to a ticket for Driving While Suspended in Missouri, 12 points will be added to your driving record and your driver’s license will be revoked for 1 year.

Also, a conviction for Driving While Suspended will remain on your driving record forever. Some types of tickets can be removed from your driving record after a certain amount of time, but tickets for Driving While Suspended are on the list of traffic convictions that stay on your driving record forever.

Driving While Suspended Tickets Stay On Your Driving Record Forever

Here is a list of some of the types of tickets that stay on your driving record forever:

• Driving While Suspended
• DWI
• Driving Under the Influence of Drugs
• Excessive BAC (Blood Alcohol Content)
• No Insurance
• No Driver’s License (state, not municipal)
• Leaving the Scene of an Accident (state, not municipal)
• Vehicular Manslaughter
• Felonies
• Any conviction involving a drug- or alcohol-related driving offense or law enforcement contact

How To Find Out If Your Driver’s License Is Suspended

The Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR) Driver’s License Bureau sends drivers a letter notifying them when their license is scheduled to be suspended and also states the reason for the suspension. However, if you didn’t receive the letter, it’s possible you could be driving on a suspended license without knowing it.

You can call the DOR at (573) 526-2407 to ask them about the status of your license.

Here are some questions you should ask the DOR if you suspect your license is suspended:

• Is your license suspended?
• Why is your license suspended?
• When are you eligible for reinstatement?
• What are you required to do to get your license reinstated?
• Which court suspended your license?
• How many outstanding/unpaid traffic tickets do you have?
• What is the ticket number, specific charge, and court name for each outstanding ticket?

Why Is Your Driver’s License Suspended?

Missouri will suspend your driver’s license in the following situations:

• You accumulated too many points on your driving record
• You got into an accident while driving an uninsured vehicle and failed to pay for the damages
• You failed to appear in court or pay the fine for a speeding ticket or other traffic violation
• You have a judgment for unpaid child support
• You were convicted of DWI or other alcohol-related moving violation
• You refused to submit to an alcohol or drug test
• You are under age 21 and were convicted of MIP possession of alcohol or drugs under the Abuse & Lose law
• You failed to file an accident report
• You have a 5-year or 10-year license denial

You can go to the Missouri Department of Revenue website to see a full list of what causes a license suspension.

How Many Points Can You Get Before Your License Is Suspended?

Having too many points on your driving record is a very common reason for a license suspension.

• If you accumulate 8 points on your driving record within 18 months, your license will be suspended for 30 days, if it’s your first suspension
• If you accumulate 12 points within 12 months, your license will be revoked for 1 year

When you plead guilty to a speeding ticket, points are added to your driving record. The number of points depends on what type of ticket it is and who issued it. For example, 2 points will be added to your driving record for a speeding ticket issued by a city police officer; 3 points will be added for a speeding ticket issued by a Missouri State Highway Patrol officer.

In addition, points will be added to your driving record for other types of traffic violations, such as driving a vehicle that is not insured, reckless driving, DWI, running a stop sign, failure to signal, etc. The Missouri Department of Revenue website has a list of all traffic violation points.

How To Get Your License Reinstated After Getting A Ticket For Driving While Suspended

When you discover that your license is suspended, you can contact the Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR) to ask when you are eligible for reinstatement and what you must do to get your license reinstated.

It’s possible that all you need to do is pay the fine for an old speeding ticket that you forgot about and pay the reinstatement fee. Keep in mind that points will be added to your driving record when you plead guilty and pay the fine for a moving violation. If you hire a traffic ticket lawyer to get your old tickets reduced to non-moving, no-point violations, you won’t accumulate more points on your driving record.

Missouri driver’s license reinstatement requirements vary depending on the reason for the suspension or revocation. To get your license reinstated, you may have to do some or all of the following:

• Pay all unpaid traffic ticket fines and court costs (preferably after getting them reduced to non-moving, no-point violations)
• Pay a reinstatement fee to the DOR
• Get a compliance letter from the court that suspended your license and file that with the DOR
• Get an SR-22 form from your insurance agent proving you have liability insurance and file that with the DOR
• File proof that you completed the SATOP class
• File proof of installation of an ignition interlock device on your vehicle

If you are not eligible for reinstatement, you may be able to apply for a Limited Driving Privilege (Hardship License) until you are eligible for reinstatement of full driving privileges.

An Attorney Can Get Your Driving While Suspended Ticket Reduced To A Non-Moving, No-Point Violation

To get your 12-point Driving While Suspended ticket reduced to a non-moving, no-point violation such as “Illegal Parking,” you will need to hire an experienced traffic law attorney to fight your ticket in court.

After your attorney gets your Driving While Suspended ticket reduced to a non-moving, no-point violation, you will have to pay a fine and court costs. (Most courts give defendants at least 30 days to pay.) It is very common for the attorney to be able to take care of everything without you being required to appear in court.

Most experienced traffic law attorneys offer a free consultation to discuss your case. They can give you an estimate of the outcome of your case, including a flat-fee price quote for how much they will charge to represent you and an estimate of the fines and court costs you will have to pay.