Following too closely tickets: points and traffic school by state
Points for a following too closely ticket in every state and DC, the variants a state scores apart, and what a course does for it, under each state's published rule.
Rules checked
- States with a point value
- 34 of 51
- No point system
- 11 states
- Dismissed or points kept off, no court check
- 0 states
- Points off, no court check
- 14 states
- A course helps once your court confirms
- 18 states
Following too closely points and traffic school, state by state
The course column is the checker's answer for a first ticket, a regular license from that state, no earlier course and no crash. Your own ticket may differ: open the state for its full rule.
| State | Points | What a course does |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 3 | No program found |
| Alaska | 4 | Points off |
| Arizona | 2 | Eligible, confirm with your court |
| Arkansas | 3 | No program found |
| California | 1 | Eligible, confirm with your court |
| Colorado | 4 | No program found |
| Connecticut | 3 | Insurance only |
| Delaware | Not published | Points off |
| Florida | 3 | Eligible, confirm with your court |
| Georgia | 3 | Points off |
| Hawaii | No point system | Not eligible |
| Idaho | 3 | Points off |
| Illinois | 25 | Eligible, confirm with your court |
| Indiana | 6 | Points off |
| Iowa | No point system | Not eligible |
| Kansas | No point system | No program found |
| Kentucky | 4 | Eligible, confirm with your court |
| Louisiana | No point system | Insurance only |
| Maine | 2 | Points off |
| Maryland | 2 | Not eligible |
| Massachusetts | Not published | Not eligible |
| Michigan | Not published | Eligible, confirm with your court |
| Minnesota | No point system | Insurance only |
| Mississippi | No point system | Eligible, confirm with your court |
| Missouri | Not published | Points off, confirm with your court |
| Montana | 2 | Insurance only |
| Nebraska | 1 | Points off |
| Nevada | 4 | Points off, confirm with your court |
| New Hampshire | 3 | Points off |
| New Jersey | 5 | Points off |
| New Mexico | 3 | No program found |
| New York | 4 | Points off |
| North Carolina | 4 | Points off, confirm with your court |
| North Dakota | Not published | Points off, confirm with your court |
| Ohio | Not published | Points off |
| Oklahoma | 2 | Points off |
| Oregon | No point system | Insurance only |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | Insurance only |
| Rhode Island | No point system | Eligible, confirm with your court |
| South Carolina | 4 | Points off, confirm with your court |
| South Dakota | 2 | Not eligible |
| Tennessee | 3 | Not eligible |
| Texas | No point system | Eligible, confirm with your court |
| Utah | 60 | Eligible, confirm with your court |
| Vermont | 3 | Not eligible |
| Virginia | 4 | Points off, confirm with your court |
| Washington | No point system | Eligible, confirm with your court |
| Washington, DC | 2 | Points off, confirm with your court |
| West Virginia | 2 | Points off |
| Wisconsin | 3 | Points off |
| Wyoming | No point system | Not eligible |
Utah counts on a 100 point scale. Massachusetts counts insurance surcharge points. Iowa, Oregon and Washington count offenses instead of points.
Where a following too closely ticket scores differently
Rows each state's points table keeps apart from an ordinary a following too closely ticket, in the table's own words. The table above leaves them out.
- Connecticut
- Sec. 14-240a, Failure to drive reasonable distance apart, intent to harass: 4 points
States that leave following too closely tickets out of the course
- Tennessee: The course covers speeding tickets only.
Check a following too closely ticket
Pick the state on your ticket. The violation is filled in.
Following too closely ticket questions
How many points is a following too closely ticket in each state?
34 states publish a value for a following too closely ticket. Among the states that count on the usual scale, the lowest is 1 point (California and Nebraska) and the highest is 6 points (Indiana). Utah counts on a 100 point scale and gives 60. Illinois counts on its own scale and gives 25. 11 states keep no point record for drivers. The table lists every state.
Can traffic school help with a following too closely ticket?
For a first ticket with a regular license, the published rule lets a course dismiss it or keep its points off with no court check in no state, and take points off with no court check in 14 states. In 18 states a course can help once your court confirms part of the rule. In 19 states a course does nothing for it, or the state runs no program.
Which states leave following too closely tickets out of traffic school?
Tennessee. In that state the published rule leaves this ticket out of the course.
Does a crash or a school zone change the points for a following too closely ticket?
In 1 states the points table scores some following too closely tickets apart, for example Connecticut: Sec. 14-240a, Failure to drive reasonable distance apart, intent to harass, 4 points. The list on this page gives every one, in each state's own words.