If you have been convicted of one or more moving violations that have 4 points associated with them then both the conviction of these offenses and the points will be placed on your South Carolina driving record. The offenses thus can be seen by your insurance company next time they pull your motor vehicle record (MVR). Then depending upon the type of moving violations you have been convicted of and the rating system of your insurance carrier you rates may be raised.
If you are speaking of penalties that the state may place upon your then according to the SC Code of Law, section 56-1-740, states that the Department of Motor Vehicles may suspend, for not more than six months, the driver's license and privilege of a person upon a showing by its records, based on a uniform point system as authorized in this article, that the licensee has been convicted with such frequency of offenses against motor vehicle traffic laws or ordinances as to indicate a disrespect for the laws or ordinances and a disregard for the safety of other persons on the highways.
[Let CarInsurance.com help you find affordable auto insurance now.] For the purposes of this article of law, a total of twelve (12) points assessed against a driver as determined by the values designated in Section 56-1-720 indicates disrespect and disregard.
Section 56-1-740 of SC law goes on to say that periods of suspension of the license or privilege of a person for various accumulation of points must be as follows, with the person having the privilege to request a review of his driving record:
- twelve to fifteen points - three months' suspension;
- sixteen or seventeen points - four months' suspension;
- eighteen or nineteen points - five months' suspension;
- twenty points and over - six months' suspension.
The South Carolina DMV computes the total number of points charged to any person after a particular violation by looking at the points accrued as a result of violations which have occurred during the twelve (12) months' period including and immediately preceding the last violation shall be counted at their full value, those accrued from twelve (12) to twenty-four (24) months preceding the last violation shall be counted at one half their established value and those resulting from violations which occurred more than twenty-four months (24) prior to the last violation shall not be counted.
Section 56-1-185 notes that if a person while operating a motor vehicle under a beginner's permit or a conditional or a special restricted driver's license who is convicted of one or more point-assessable traffic offenses totaling six or more points, as determined by the values contained in Section 56-1-720, shall have his license suspended by the Department of Motor Vehicles for six months. This suspension shall not preclude other penalties otherwise provided for the same violations.
So if you have a beginner's permit, restricted or conditional driver's license then the SC DMV does not appear to suspend or take action against your license until you have 6 points. If you have a South Carolina driver's license then action is not taken against your driving privileges until you accumulate 12 points.
Section 56-1-770 of SC law notes that points can be reduced for completing a defense driving course. Here it states that any driver who has accumulated points shall have the number of his points reduced by four (4) upon proving to the satisfaction of the Department of Motor Vehicles that he has completed the National Safety Council's "Defensive Driving Course" or its equivalent, if the course is completed after the points have been assessed.
The course must be taught by an instructor accredited by the National Safety Council whose procedures for accreditation are set forth in "Manual of Rules and Procedures" published by the National Safety Council or equivalent accreditation procedures. No person's points may be reduced more than one time in any three-year period by the method provided for in this section.
So if you have not taken the state authorized defensive driving class in the last 3 years then you should be able to take this course to reduce your DMV point total by 4. However removing points from your driving record does not mean that your insurance premium would be reduced. Insurance companies look at the offenses on your driving record, not really the points that the DMV has assessed to these violations.
Some insurance providers offer discounts if you take a driver improvement class, defensive driving course, etc however since you would be doing this for points reduction as well an insurer's discount may not apply. You would need to discuss this with your insurance agent and find out about your carrier's guidelines.
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According to the SC Department of Insurance discounts you can ask your agent about include:
- Multiple cars on a policy
- Completion of driver education courses
- Good student drivers under age 25
- Mature driver (between 50 and 65 years of age)
- Airbags and other safety equipment
- Anti-theft devices
- Good driver
- Low mileage accident-free record
- Multi-policy, having both auto and home insurance with same company
You can contact the SC DOI, the insurance regulator for South Carolina, for more consumer advice on how to get more affordable auto insurance. You can also contact us for low cost car insurance quotes. | 
