Missouri Traffic Law

If you think you are not guilty of the offense for which your ticket was issued, you may choose to appear in court to explain your actions, called protesting your ticket. If you choose to protest your ticket, you should study the Missouri Vehicle Code for your offense. The specifi code section should be at the top of your ticket.

After you receive a traffic ticket, you have several options. You can simply accept the points and pay the ticket. Most tickets for routine traffic violations do not require you to appear in court, and can simply be resolved by signing the ticket and paying the fine detailed on the ticket. Another option available is to attend a qualified driving school. Missouri State Approved Traffic Schools let you practice your driving techniques, and can result in the ticket being removed or reduced.

Finally, you can hire an attorney to represent you to the prosecutor. In most jurisdictions in Missouri, the prosecutor is able to change the ticket. Typically, the charge is changed from a violation which results in points on a driving record to one without points.

Missouri traffic law is based on a point system, with violations worth a varying number of points. In general, most routine traffic tickets are worth 1-4 points. The Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR) has detailed the point system in Missouri. Point System Violation Description Table. Points are cumulative, and can impact your auto insurance rates.

• 4 or more points in a 12-month period, the Driver Licensing Division will send you a warning letter stating that you are in danger of losing your driving privileges.
• 8 or more points in an 18-month period, your driver’s license will be suspended for 30 days. If you’ve previously had your license suspended for
• 8 or more points in an 18-month period, your driver’s license will be suspended for 30 days. If you’ve previously had your license suspended for accumulating too many points, you’ll lose your driving privileges for 60 days on the second suspension and 90 days on any subsequent suspensions.

• 12 or more points in 12 months, 18 or more points in 24 months, or 24 or more points in 36 months, your Missouri driver’s license will be suspended for one year. How can I reduce the points on my driving record?

  Each year, some points are removed from an individual’s driving record.
  Each year you drive without getting new points your points are reduced

• After 1 year — Remaining points will be reduced by one-third.
• After 2 years — Remaining points will be reduced by one-half
• After 3 years — Points reduced to zeroMost insurance companies will raise your insurance rates if you receive points on your driving record. As a result, most individuals are eager to have their ticket changed to one without points, as the insurance savings often pay for the legal fees and increased fine. By submitting your routine traffic ticket to Traffic Counsel, we will represent you to the prosecutor, and hopefully receive a recommendation to a no-point violation.

You can find information on driving, points and the traffic ticket system at the Missouri Department of Revenue website (dor.mo.gov), specifically the Missouri Driver Guide.

If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.