Page 49 - FINAL GA Drivers Manual Updated July 2021

SECTION 10 : LOSING YOUR DRIVING PRIVILEGES

The Points System Safety Responsibility Law pension period. A limited driving permit would
allow you to only:
The Department is required by law to sus- The purpose of this law is to remove irre- • Drive to your place of employment;
pend the Georgia license of an individual for an sponsible drivers from Georgia highways and
accumulation of points resulting from certain to protect insured motorists from uninsured • Receive scheduled medical attention or ob-
convictions. Points are assessed against Georgia motorists. In the event you should fail to sat- tain prescribed drugs;
residents for out-of-state violations which would isfy a claim for damage resulting from a motor • Attend classes at a college or school in which
be assessed points if committed within Georgia. vehicle crash, and a claim is filed against you you are enrolled as a student;
Georgia licenses will be suspended as follows: under the Safety Responsibility Law, you will
receive an order suspending your license. • Attend regularly scheduled sessions or meet-
• For any person who accumulates 15 or more
points within 24 months; To avoid the suspension, you may: ings of support organizations for the treat-
• Have your insurance carrier file Form SR-21 ment of alcohol or other drugs;
• For any person under the age of 21 with a with the DDS if you were covered by liability • Attend a driver education program or alco-
conviction for any 4-point violation;
insurance at the time of the crash; or hol/drug assessment and treatment program;
• For any person under 18 years of age with
an accumulation of 4 points within twelve • File either a general or a conditional release • Attend court, report to a probation office or
months. that has been signed by the claimant (injured officer, or perform community service;
party in the crash) with the DDS; or • Transport unlicensed immediate family
Points are accumulated on a person’s driving • Post security to cover the damages with the members to work, medical care and to obtain
record as a result of certain convictions. The DDS, which may be a cashier’s check, certi- prescriptions, and to school.
adjacent chart lists these convictions and the fied check, money order, real property bond
number of points associated with each. The date or surety bond, in addition to posting of fi- The Department may also specify the places
the violation occurred is used as the basis for nancial responsibility, Form SR-22A. you may travel to, specific routes of travel, times
determining the 24-month period (or 12-month of travel, and indicate vehicles, or other restric-
period for persons under age 18). When a license Any security or bond posted with the Depart- tions deemed necessary. Limited driving permits
is suspended due to an accumulation of points, ment will be held for one year and thereafter are not valid for driving a commercial vehicle.
the point total is restored to zero. until proof is furnished to the Department that A limited driving permit will be revoked by
In the case of a person age 18 up to 21, the you have not been sued as a result of the crash. the Department if you are convicted of violating
suspension of the license for a single 4-point You are entitled to a hearing, if desired, and any state law or local ordinance relating to the
offense is determined by the date the convic- if requested within ten (10) days of the receipt movement of vehicles or if you are convicted
tion occurred. A plea of nolo contendere is con- of the order of suspension. of violating any of the conditions or restric-
sidered a conviction for purposes of imposing tions of your permit. In addition, a conviction
suspensions that apply to persons under age 21. Mandatory Revocations will extend the underlying suspension of your
driving privilege for an additional 6 months.
Points Reduction Your driver’s license will be revoked in Geor- Limited driving permits are not available for
Licensed Georgia residents may request that gia if any of the following occur: convictions of the following offenses or in the
DDS reduce the number of points assessed following situations:
against their Georgia driver’s license up to 7 • You are declared a Habitual Violator based • Implied Consent refusal (may be available if
points once every 5 years. upon the third conviction of any combination no prior DUI conviction within past 5 years);
To qualify for a points reduction, you must of these offenses within 5 years:
successfully complete a certified 6-hour driver » Driving under the Influence (DUI); • No Insurance convictions;
improvement (defensive driving) course and » Homicide by vehicle; • Driving while license suspended convictions;
present the original certificate o f c ompletion » Feticide by vehicle;
to the DDS by mail or in person at one of our » Serious injury by vehicle; • Failure to pay super speeder fee;
Customer Service Centers. » Hit and run or leaving the scene of a crash; • Failure to pay child support;
If you request a points reduction by mail, » Racing;
please mail the original driver improvement » Using a motor vehicle in fleeing or at- • Failure to appear in court or respond to a
(defensive driving) certificate o f c ompletion tempting to elude an officer; citation;
to the Georgia Department of Driver Services, » Reckless Stunt Driving • Medical revocation;
P.O. Box 80447, Conyers, Georgia 30013. A list of » Operating a motor vehicle with a sus-
certified driver improvement (defensive driv- pended, canceled, or revoked registration; • Safety responsibility;
ing) courses can be found at the following link: » Any felony in the commission of which a • Parent requested revocation;
https://online.dds.ga.gov/ddsgeorgiagov/ motor vehicle is used; or
locations/driver-improvement-schools. aspx. • Refusal to submit to a re-examination of driv- • DUI Drugs
ing skills or knowledge of driving rules after • DUI convictions prior to age 21; and
Points Avoidance receiving notice giving reasonable grounds
A defendant may successfully complete a for such a request; • Refusal to weigh (CMV).
certified 6-hour driver improvement (defensive
driving) course after the issuance of a citation • If you have been declared incompetent or if A limited driving permit may be available
for a moving violation and prior to the court there is sufficient evidence that you are un- in the following situations, depending on your
age and the number of convictions on your
appearance, or as ordered by the court. When safe to drive, due to mental health or physical driving record:
the original certificate of completion is pre- disability or disease, or by alcohol or drug
sented to the court, the court shall reduce the addiction. • 1st DUI (non-drugs);
fine assessed by 20 percent and no points shall If you are declared a Habitual Violator, you may • 2nd DUI conviction in 5 years;
be assessed against the driver. This plea may be eligible for a Probationary License after serving
be accepted by the court once every five years. two years of the revocation period. • DUI ALS;
Limited Driving Permits • Under 21 speeding violation but only if age
18 or older, speeding was 24-33 mph over
the posted speed limit, and approved by the
In some situations, a limited driving permit sentencing court judge;
may be available for a fee of $25 during the sus-

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