South Carolina defensive driving course rules
In South Carolina an 8 hour defensive driving course takes 4 points off; the ticket stays. It applies once every 3 years.
Rules checked
In South Carolina a course does not dismiss a ticket through the DMV. After points are on your record, an 8-hour National Safety Council Defensive Driving Course or an approved equivalent, taken in South Carolina, takes 4 points off, no more than once in any 3 years. Separately, each circuit solicitor runs a Traffic Education Program for offenses worth 4 points or less: if the solicitor accepts you, you pay the fees, do the class and community service, and the offense gets a noncriminal disposition. You can use it only once.
- What a course does
- Points taken off; the conviction stays
- Speed limit for the course
- Not published
- How often
- Once every 3 years
- Deadline to ask
- Not published
- Speeding points
- 2 to 6 points
- Points count for
- 2 years
The South Carolina rule
Every field of the rule. The number points to its source at the foot of the page.
- The program
- Defensive Driving Course point reduction (S.C. Code 56-1-770)
- What it does
- Points taken off; the conviction stays
- Set by each court
- YesEach court decides part of the rule.
- Speed limit for the course
- Not published
- Bar at double the posted limit
- Not published
- Open to CDL holders
- Not published
- Open to tickets in a commercial vehicle
- Not published
- Open to learner and provisional licenses
- Not published
- Open to drivers licensed in another state
- Not published
- How often
- Once every 3 years, the rule does not say what the window counts from
- Lifetime limit
- Not published
- Deadline to ask
- Not published
- Court fee for the course
- Not published
- Course length
- 8 hours
- Course price the rule publishes
- Not published
- Crashes
- Not published
Who qualifies
- Not published for CDL holders. Ask your court.
- Not published for tickets written in a commercial vehicle.
- Not published for drivers licensed in another state.
- Speed limit for the course: not published. Your court decides.
- Once every 3 years, the rule does not say what the window counts from.
Deadline and how to ask
- Ticket writtenDay 0
- Deadline to askBy the date on your citation
The state rule names no day count. The date on your citation or notice applies.
Points in South Carolina
| Violation, as the state lists it | Type | Points |
|---|---|---|
| No more than 10 m.p.h. above the posted limits | Speeding | 2points |
| More than 10 m.p.h. but less than 25 m.p.h. above the posted limits | Speeding | 4points |
| 25 m.p.h. or above the posted limits | Speeding | 6points |
| Disobedience of any official traffic control device | Red light or stop sign | 4points |
| Turning unlawfully | Lane change or turn | 4points |
| Shifting lanes without safety precaution | Lane change or turn | 2points |
| Driving in improper lane | Lane change or turn | 2points |
| Following too closely | Following too closely | 4points |
| Distracted driving (second or subsequent offense) | Phone use or texting | 2points |
| Operating with improper brakes | Equipment or registration | 4points |
| Operating with improper lights; operating a vehicle in unsafe condition | Equipment or registration | 2points |
| Reckless driving | Other moving violation | 6points |
| Passing stopped school bus | Other moving violation | 6points |
| Hit-and-run, property damages only | Other moving violation | 6points |
| Failing to yield right-of-way | Other moving violation | 4points |
| Driving on wrong side of road; passing unlawfully | Other moving violation | 4points |
Source: South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 56 Chapter 1 (Sections 56-1-720 to 56-1-770) (opens in a new tab)
Your court
Courts in this state set part of the rule, and we hold no court records here. The court named on your citation decides.
Courses and South Carolina
- Aceable lists a course for South Carolina. We do not link it. The South Carolina course is a 4 hour court course, not the 8 hour DMV point reduction course.
What we could not confirm
- A second programEach circuit solicitor also runs a Traffic Education Program. It is described in the summary above and is not part of the checker, which follows the DMV point course.
Check a South Carolina ticket
The form opens the checker with South Carolina filled in. Add the violation and the date from your ticket.
South Carolina traffic school questions
Can a defensive driving course take points off in South Carolina?
In South Carolina an 8 hour defensive driving course takes 4 points off; the ticket stays. It applies once every 3 years. The program: Defensive Driving Course point reduction (S.C. Code 56-1-770). Each court decides part of the rule, so confirm with the court on your citation.
How often can you take traffic school in South Carolina?
Once every 3 years, the rule does not say what the window counts from.
How many points is a speeding ticket in South Carolina?
South Carolina gives 2 points for 1 to 10 mph over (No more than 10 m.p.h. above the posted limits); 4 points for 11 to 24 mph over (More than 10 m.p.h. but less than 25 m.p.h. above the posted limits); 6 points for 25 mph over or more.
How long do points stay on your license in South Carolina?
Points count for 2 years in South Carolina.
Sources
Checked against these pages in .