How Long Do Traffic Tickets Stay On Your Driving Record?

Tickets for DUI, No Insurance, MIP, Driving While Suspended, and Leaving the Scene of an Accident stay on your driving record forever if you are convicted of the offense.

Some Tickets Stay On Your Driving Record Forever

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

• Driving Without Insurance
• DWI
• DUI
• Excessive BAC (Blood Alcohol Content)
• No Driver’s License (state, not municipal)
• Vehicular Manslaughter
• Vehicular Injury
• Vehicular Homicide
• Violation of Interlock Device
• MIP (Minor in Possession of Alcohol)
• Driving While Suspended or Revoked
• Leaving the Scene of An Accident (State, not Municipal)
• Driving Without a License (State, not Municipal)
• Driving Motorcycle Without Permit/Endorsement

Which Traffic Tickets Stay On Your Driving Record For 5 Years?

Tickets that lead to a suspension or revocation of your driver’s license must stay on your Missouri driving record until 5 years after you get your license reinstated, unless they are the types of tickets (listed above) that must remain on your driving record forever.

FOR EXAMPLE:  A municipal court conviction for “Leaving the Scene of An Accident” stays on your driving record for 3 years. But if that ticket causes a suspension of your license, it must remain on your driving record for 5 years from the date of license reinstatement. (A state court conviction for “Leaving the Scene of an Accident” stays on your driving record forever.)

What Other Types of Tickets Stay On Your Driving Record Forever?

If you are convicted of an additional traffic ticket along with any of the “permanent” tickets (listed above) during the same traffic stop, and that causes your license to be suspended or revoked, both the “permanent” ticket and the additional “companion” ticket will stay on your driving record forever.

FOR EXAMPLE: If you plead guilty to a 12-point ticket for “Driving While Suspended” and a 2-point speeding ticket that you received during the same traffic stop, that accumulation of 14 points will cause your driver’s license to be revoked for 1 year, and both tickets will remain on your Missouri driving record forever.

How To Get Old Speeding Tickets Removed From Your Driving Record

Standard speeding tickets stay on your driving record for 3 years, but they count toward a suspension for only 18 months.

You can contact the Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR) and ask them to purge your driving record of any tickets that are 3 years old or older.

Here’s how to contact the DOR to request the removal of old speeding tickets from your driving record:

• Email your request to [email protected]
• Call the DOR at (573) 526-2407 and ask them to remove all old tickets
• Mail a written request to:

Missouri Department of Revenue
301 West High Street – Room 470
PO Box 200
Jefferson City, MO, 65105-0200

Do You Have To Hire A Lawyer To Keep Points Off Your Driving Record?

In most counties in Missouri, you have to hire an attorney if you want to get a speeding ticket “fixed” (reduced to a non-moving, no-point infraction).

An experienced speeding ticket lawyer can get a traffic ticket reduced to “Illegal Parking” or some other non-moving, no-point infraction, so no points will be added to your driving record and your insurance company will never know you received the ticket.

• You won’t have to appear in court if you hire an attorney to fight your speeding ticket
• Your attorney can give you an estimate of the amount of the fine and court costs
• Most courts give defendants at least 30 days to pay

How To Withdraw Your Guilty Plea After You Paid The Fine For Your Speeding Ticket

If you have already pleaded guilty to a traffic ticket and paid the fine, you can hire an attorney to withdraw your guilty plea and get your ticket reduced to a non-moving, no-point violation.

PLEASE NOTE:  It is much easier to withdraw your plea if 1) you did not have an attorney representing you and 2) not much time has passed since your guilty plea.

How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Lawyer To Fight Your Speeding Ticket?

Hiring an attorney to fight your speeding ticket is more expensive than just pleading guilty. However, if you plead guilty to a speeding ticket, points will be added to your driving record and your car insurance rates may increase.

If you accumulate too many points on your driving record, your license will be suspended or revoked.

You can call around and get price quotes from traffic law attorneys to find out how much they will charge to represent you. Most traffic ticket lawyers can give you a flat-fee price quote for how much they charge, and an estimate of the fine and court costs you will have to pay to the court.

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For a free consultation about your Missouri speeding ticket, contact St. Louis traffic law attorney Andrea Storey Rogers at (314) 724-5059 or [email protected]