How does the “points” system work and how does it affect my driving privilege?

Anyone that has a Utah driver’s license should be aware of Utah’s points system. When you first get your license, your driving record has zero points—this is the starting value. If you get a traffic ticket, points will then be added to your driving record according to the following schedule* (see http://publicsafety.utah.gov/highwaypatrol/faq/faq1.html#Points%20System):

Action Points
Reckless Driving 80
Careless Driving 50

Speeding
1-10 MPH Over
11-20 MPH Over
21+ MPH Over

 35
55
75
Failure to Yield Right of Way 60
Following Too Close 60
Wrong Way on a One-Way Street 60
Impeding Traffic 50
Red Light 50
Stop Sign 50
Improper Lookout 50
Improper Passing 50
Improper Turn 50
Negligent Collision 50
Texting While Driving 50
Other Moving Violations 40


*These are the general value of points for each violation, but the points may vary plus or minus 10% depending upon the facts of the case. The Driver License Division keeps a record of the number of points that you receive for any traffic violation and will suspend your license if you receive too many points in a certain period of time. For drivers under the age of 21, accumulating 70+ points in three years may result in the suspension of a license for anywhere between one month to a year. For drivers age 21 or older, accumulating 200+ points in three years may result in the suspension of a license for anywhere between three months and a year. Is there any way to clear these points? Yes! For every year that you drive without a moving traffic violation, one-half of the accumulated points will be removed from your driving record. After two years without any violations, all points will be removed. If you are facing a suspension due to points, the Driver License Division does allow you to take a driver improvement course once in any three-year period, completion of the course results in 50 points being removed from your record.