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South Carolina Traffic Fines


A Brief Introduction to South Carolina Traffic Fines

South Carolina traffic fines are not especially severe judged relative to other states, but to the individuals who have tickets to pay, the amount is certainly far more than they’d like. Such individuals may be served by remembering that there are options to avoid paying a South Carolina traffic fine, specifically fighting the charge in court, but such a fight can be costly, and it won’t necessarily benefit you to engage in one. Therefore, you would best serve your own interests by reading more about South Carolina traffic fines and the disciplinary point system.

A Sampling of South Carolina Traffic Fines

South Carolina traffic fines can get very expensive and difficult to deal with, but before giving in to panicking, individuals should call their county clerk to find out what they typical South Carolina traffic fine is for their particular situation. It is your local court that ultimately prescribes how great each South Carolina traffic fine is, so only that court can give you a good idea of what yours will be.  The numbers below are the state-mandated ranges for different South Carolina traffic fines and may be of some assistance as well: 

• Speeding, driving 1 to 10 miles per hour above the speed limit: $15 to $25

• Speeding, driving 11 to 15 miles per hour above the speed limit: $25 to $50

• Speeding, driving 16 to 25 miles per hour above the speed limit: $50 to $75

• Speeding, driving more that 25 miles per hour above the speed limit: $75 to $200

• Speeding in a work zone or a construction zone: $75 to $200

• Drag racing on a highway: $200 to $600

• Reckless driving: $25 to $200

The Disciplinary Point System

Ultimately, individuals pay much more for their South Carolina traffic fine than the number value on the fine itself. That is because fines come with a point value that affects your car insurance premium. The points signal to your insurance company that you are a riskier individual to insure, so they up your premium to cover their risk. The more points you have, the more your insurance costs.

Further problems come for offenders with many points on their license because the state of South Carolina will begin to restrict their driving. For instance, individuals with 12 to 15 points on their license are subject to a 3 month suspension. Individuals with 16 or 1 get a 4 month suspension, 18 or 19 points get a 5 month suspension, and 20 points or more get a six month suspension. 

Here are some point values typically assigned alongside South Carolina traffic fines:

• Speeding, driving 1 to 10 miles per hour above the speed limit: 2 points

• Speeding, driving 11 to 25 miles per hour above the speed limit:4 points

• Speeding, driving more that 25 miles per hour above the speed limit: 6 points

• Reckless driving: 6 points

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