West Virginia Driving Law



Information on West Virginia driving law and West Virginia traffic laws...

Driving a motor vehicle in West Virginia is a privilege and that privilege carries many responsibilities. This privilege must first be earned and then carefully guarded or it may be lost.

The Problem Driver Point System

In accordance with West Virginia driving law, all driver's license applicants are subject to a review of their driving records through the Problem Driver Point System (PDPS), a national driver registry designed to track violations and suspensions from state to state. All drivers who renew their driver's license will be reveiwed through PDPS as well.

If you have previously held a license in another state and had any moving violations, you need to make sure that you satisfy any citations and/or suspensions you may have pending before applying for or renewing a West Virginia driver's license. The DMV is prohibited from licensing any driver whose driving history reflects an unsettled problem in another state.

If you have received citations in another state which you failed to pay, that state may have suspended your privilege to drive, even if your West Virginia driver's license is valid. West Virginia will suspend your driver's license if they receive notice from another state that you have failed to pay a citation.

When other states notify West Virginia of unpaid citations, the DMV will notify you by certified mail at the current address in its system and give you a certain amount of time to address the matter before a suspension action is taken against you. Nevertheless, unpaid citations are your responsibility. Do not expect the court to notify the DMV when you resolve an unpaid citation.

If the DMV has notified you of an unpaid citation or if you suspect that the court has notified the DMV, you must provide the DMV with proof that you have paid the citation or have satisfied the court's order to avoid suspension or to reinstate your driver's license.



West Virginia's Driving Law Point Scale

Below are representative examples of violations of Virginia driving law and the corresponding point values assigned to those violations:

  • Fleeing from an officer 8
  • Speeding in a school zone 6
  • Passing a stopped school bus 6
  • Reckless/careless driving 6
  • Property damage only, hit and run, leaving the scene 6
  • Speeding 15 m.p.h. or more above the speed limit 5
  • Speeding 10 m.p.h. to 14 m.p.h. over the speed limit 3
  • Passing violation 3
  • Failure to yield violation 3
  • Failure to obey traffic light 3
  • Failure to obey stop sign 3
  • Driving left of center 3
  • Driving too fast for conditions 3
  • Failure to maintain control of vehicle 3
  • Hazardous driving 3
  • Driving the wrong way on a one way street 3
  • Littering 3
  • Improper lane violations 3
  • Driving on wrong side of road 3
  • Speeding 5 m.p.h. to 9 m.p.h. over the speed limit 2
  • Following too closely 2
  • More than 3 in the front seat 2
  • Improper turning 2
  • Improper backing 2
  • Improper signal or no signal 2

Points Accumulated and Suspension Time

In accordance with West Virginia driving law, accumulation of points in the amounts shown below will result in a suspension of driving privileges for the time periods indicated:

  • 12-13 - 30 Days
  • 14-15 - 45 Days
  • 16-17 - 60 Days
  • 18-19 - 90 Days

20+ points: License is suspended until accumulated points are reduced to 11 or less.

For more information on West Virginia driving law, please visit the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles website.

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