The Official Jonny Driving School Blog

I just got into a bad accident? Will I lose my license?

Elliot Asks: I got into an accident in Los Angeles where I ran a red light and creamed another car. Totaled both cars. Will I lose my license?

Good gravy Elliot, that sounds pretty darn nasty - I hope nobody was hurt. Whether or not you will lose your license will depend on your driving record. In the state of California, you want to avoid becoming what is called a "Negligent operator" and losing your license. According to the CA DMV Official Website, you are negligent when your driving record has any of the following:

• 4 points in 12 months, or
• 6 points in 24 months, or
• 8 points in 36 months

Your running the red light incident counts for at least one point if it was your fault. Also, most traffic violations count as one point. The two point offenses are things like hit and run, reckless driving, and drunk driving.

So in short, if your record was clean before, I don't think your accident will cost you your license. However, check your driving record to see how many points you have to get the definitive answer.

Hope that helps.

Until next time Elliot, quit running red lights, quit crashing into other cars, and keep your license!

Jonny Driving School
DrivingSchoolProgram.com

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