Missouri Driver Point System

By Javier Marín, Editor·Last reviewed September 2026·How we check this

The Missouri Department of Revenue assigns points to most moving violations at the time of conviction. Missouri's point structure is more aggressive than most states at the lower thresholds — just 8 points within 18 months triggers a 30-day suspension — but points roll off the active record relatively quickly, with two-thirds of them gone after one violation-free year.

How Missouri points are assessed

Each moving violation conviction adds a fixed number of points to the driving record. Common point assessments:

Speeding (state highway): 3 points.
Speeding (city or county road): 2 points.
Speeding 20+ mph over the limit: 4 points.
Failure to obey traffic signal: 2 points.
Failure to yield right-of-way: 2 points.
Improper passing: 4 points.
Following too closely: 2 points.
Careless and imprudent driving: 4 points.
Leaving the scene of an accident (no injury): 6 points.
Leaving the scene with injury: 12 points (immediate revocation).
DWI conviction: 8 points (plus the suspension and other sanctions on the DWI laws page).
Driving under suspension or revocation: 12 points.
Failure to stop for a school bus: 4 points.

Non-moving violations such as parking tickets, registration issues, and equipment failures do not add points. A complete schedule is published in the Missouri Driver Guide.

Point thresholds and consequences

Missouri's point thresholds are set in § 302.302:

4 points within 12 months: point advisory letter from the DOR.
8 points within 18 months: automatic 30-day license suspension for the first occurrence, 60 days for the second, 90 days for the third or subsequent.
12 points within 12 months: 1-year license revocation.
18 points within 24 months: 1-year revocation.
24 points within 36 months: 1-year revocation.

Suspensions are temporary loss of driving privileges; revocations cancel the license entirely and require the driver to reapply, retake any required tests, and post SR-22 insurance before reinstatement.

Point reduction over time

Missouri reduces points on the active driving record automatically as long as no new convictions occur:

After 1 year with no new violations: total points reduced by one-third.
After 2 years with no new violations: total points reduced by one-half of the original total.
After 3 years with no new violations: all points removed from the active record.

The underlying convictions remain on the lifetime Missouri driving record even after points are removed, and may still affect insurance underwriting and employer hiring decisions for several years. DWI convictions remain on the active record for 10 years and on the lifetime record permanently.

Driver Improvement Program

Missouri does not offer a points-removal credit for completing a defensive driving course (unlike Indiana, Illinois, and many other states). The Substance Abuse Traffic Offender Program (SATOP) is required after a DWI conviction but does not reduce points — it satisfies a separate court mandate. A few Missouri municipal courts offer traffic safety school as part of a deferred prosecution agreement, in which case the citation may not be reported to the DOR at all (no points assessed, no driving record entry).

Habitual offender designation

Missouri designates drivers as habitual offenders when they accumulate three or more major traffic convictions within 7 years (DWI, leaving the scene with injury, vehicular manslaughter, etc.) or 12 or more moving convictions during the same period. The habitual designation triggers a 5- or 10-year license revocation and limits Limited Driving Privilege availability significantly. Reinstatement requires DOR approval, completion of any required treatment, and a fresh skills test before driving privileges are restored.

A points-related suspension or revocation is reinstated by paying the reinstatement fee, filing SR-22 insurance, and (for revocations) retaking the written, vision, and skills tests at a fee office. See the suspended license page for the full reinstatement steps and the traffic tickets page for ways to keep a citation off the record entirely.