Top The Oregon System of Tracking

Almost all states try to motivate good driving by punishing habitual bad drivers―those who are repeatedly convicted of traffic tickets or who are involved in accidents. Some states employ a point system, whereby each infraction is assigned a certain number of points. Drivers who accumulate a set total of points in a particular time frame are further penalized (in addition to the traffic fines imposed by the court) by having their driver licenses suspended or revoked.

While the Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division (DMV) of the Department of Transportation doesn't rank traffic tickets according to a point system (meaning that a ticket for failing to yield is just as significant as a ticket for driving on the wrong side of the road), the DMV still takes note of how many tickets you get, and how often. Drivers who rack up numerous tickets or preventable accidents will find themselves subject to license restrictions or suspensions under Oregon’s Driver Improvement Program.

Top Driver Improvement Program

The Driver Improvement Program treats drivers under 18 years old, who have provisional licenses, more harshly than those over 18―but the concept is the same. The more tickets you get for certain infractions, the less driving you'll be allowed to do. Here's how the schedule breaks down, by age group.

Drivers Over Age 18

If you're an adult driver who collects a total of three traffic convictions or preventable accidents, in any combination, within an 18-month period, the DMV will restrict your driver license for 30 days. You will not be allowed to drive between midnight and 5 a.m. unless you are driving to or from work or you're required to be on the road as part of your job.

If you get one more conviction or have another preventable accident in the next six months, the penalty is more severe. So if, within a 24-month period, you manage to total four convictions or preventable accidents (or any combination of the two), your license will be suspended for 30 days. This means you can't drive at all.

Each additional preventable accident or traffic conviction within that two-year period will earn you an addition 30-day suspension.

Drivers Under Age 18

If you're a driver under 18 in Oregon, then you hold a provisional license until you turn 18. For the purposes of the Driver Improvement Program, the time frame during which any tickets or preventable accidents will count against you is for the duration of your provisional license.

If your total of traffic convictions and preventable accidents adds up to two during the time you hold your provisional license, then the DMV will restrict your license for 90 days to allow you to drive only to and from work. Further, you won't be allowed to have any passengers except a parent, guardian, or stepparent.

If you get another ticket or get into another preventable accident, this third offense will result in your license being suspended for six months―even if you turn 18 during this time. Any further convictions or accidents will add six months to your suspension period.

The DMV also reserves the right to interview a minor driver in the Driver Improvement Program to determine whether that driver will need to take a driver improvement course or retake any driving tests to have the restriction or suspension lifted.

Top Check Your Driver's License Status

If you need or want to check the status of your driver’s license, you might want to order a driving record report. This record will spell out if your driver’s license is currently valid. Should your license have been revoked or suspended, the report will indicate that according to what’s on record at the DMV. This report will also show points against your license and, in some cases, information on any accidents you have had.

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