How Does the Connecticut DMV Point System Work?

When a person is pulled over and issued a traffic ticket in Connecticut, they must navigate two separate systems: the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the Connecticut legal system. While these two systems are separate and distinct, they can significantly affect the outcome of your Connecticut traffic case and should be considered together to obtain an optimal outcome.
Many people who receive a traffic ticket plead guilty, pay the fine, and move on with their life. But this is not always the best option. Under the Connecticut DMV point system, a traffic ticket will result in points being assessed against your driver’s license. Your insurance premiums could increase and, if you accumulate too many points, you could lose your driver’s license.
An experienced Connecticut traffic violation attorney can work to resolve your traffic ticket with minimal frustration and aggravation, and usually on better terms than you could negotiate on your own.
Stephen Lebedevitch is a Connecticut motor vehicle infraction attorney serving Fairfield and New Haven counties. He can work to help you avoid some of the most severe penalties associated with a traffic ticket, such as a driver’s license suspension, increased insurance premiums, and accumulating points on your license.
Contact The Lebedevitch Law Firm, LLC, today to schedule an appointment to discuss your situation and how we can help.
What Is the DMV Point System in Connecticut and How Does It Work?
The DMV point system in Connecticut is intended to promote safe driving and deter traffic violations. Every traffic violation is assigned a specific point value. If you accumulate too many points within a given time frame, you face penalties, including a mandatory driver retraining course or a driver’s license suspension. Many traffic offenses also lead to increased insurance rates.
The DMV point system in Connecticut functions separate from but parallel to the criminal legal system, which can impose fines, a driver’s license suspension, and other penalties, including jail time for severe offenses.
How Does the Connecticut DMV Calculate Points?
Once you are convicted of a traffic offense (not just charged or ticketed) by entering a plea or being found guilty, points will be added to your driver’s license.
Each traffic offense is assigned a point value depending on the severity of the infraction. The driver’s license point values for some of the most common traffic offenses include:
- Speeding: 1 point
- Failure to obey a traffic signal, failure to yield: 2 points
- Driving Under the Influence (DUI): 3 points
- Passing a stopped school bus: 4 points
What Happens When You Receive Points on Your Driver’s License?
The consequences of receiving points on your license vary based on the number of points you accumulate within a 2-year period.
- 6 points: warning letter from the DMV
- 7 points: mandatory driver retraining class
- 10 points: 30-day driver’s license suspension
- 12 points: 60-day driver’s license suspension
- 15 points: 90-day driver’s license suspension
- 18 points: 120-day driver’s license suspension
How Long Do Points Stay on Your License?
Points stay on your driver’s license for 24 months. The points “fall off” your license two years after the date of the offense. For example, suppose you receive a speeding ticket on October 14, 2024. One point would be added to your license. That point remains on your driver’s license for 2 years, or until October 14, 2026.
Now, suppose you received a second speeding ticket on September 10, 2025, resulting in an additional point being added to your driver’s license. You would now have 2 points on your license, which would remain on your license until the first point “falls off” on October 14, 2026.
Can a Traffic Defense Attorney Help Reduce or Eliminate Points on My License?
An experienced traffic defense attorney can help you avoid having points added to your license. Stephen Lebedevitch is experienced and well-versed in Connecticut traffic ticket defense. He has helped many people in Connecticut fight traffic tickets and avoid having points added to their licenses.
Contact our office immediately if you were stopped and received a traffic citation. Attorney Lebedevitch can evaluate your situation and provide invaluable advice and legal guidance. He can appear in court to contest the ticket and negotiate with the prosecutor and judge to seek a resolution that avoids many of the harshest penalties.
Contact The Lebedevitch Law Firm Today
To put the expertise of an experienced traffic violation lawyer to work for you, contact The Lebedevitch Law Firm today.