Oklahoma facts

Information on Oklahoma driving law and Oklahoma traffic laws...

If your license is suspended or revoked, you can’t apply for a new license until you are reinstated and you can't legally drive until your license is restored. Under Oklahoma driving law, driving with a suspended or revoked license is a serious crime and the punishment can be severe.

If you drive carelessly, if you disobey Oklahoma traffic laws, or for any other reason you are not driving safely, you may be required to appear for a Driver Improvement hearing.

The Driver Improvement Bureau

In accordance with Oklahoma driving law, the Driver Improvement Bureau of the Department of Public Safety was created to work with drivers who won’t or don’t know how to drive in a safe manner.

The program is designed to provide self-improvement and safer driving techniques to Oklahoma traffic law violators and people involved in collisions.

People with physical conditions that affect their driving may be required to obtain Driver Improvement approval to get or retain a driver license. Oklahoma law authorizes a Medical Advisory Committee, composed of medical doctors, to recommend standards for the physical, emotional, and mental capacity of license applicants and licensed drivers.

A Driver Improvement Course can include activities such as meeting with others for instruction or counseling, defensive driving techniques, identifying collision traps, how we increase the risk of a collision, and the importance of a proper attitude.

Under Oklahoma driving law, when self-improvement does not occur or can't be achieved, the Department of Public Safety must suspend or cancel driving privileges for the safety of the individual and all other drivers on Oklahoma’s streets and highways.

Probationary License

Under Oklahoma traffic laws, a license issued to drivers under 18 is considered probationary: You are on a trial period to show you can drive safely and legally. The Department of Public Safety can, at its option, cancel or suspend your license for any moving traffic violation.

Mandatory Revocation of Your License

Oklahoma driving law requires that the driving privilege be revoked (withdrawn) for six months to three years for a conviction of any of the following violations of Oklahoma traffic laws:

v      Driving or being in actual physical control of a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicants. (No additional suspension will be made if the driving privilege has already been revoked under the Implied Consent Law for the same incident.)

v      Any felony in which a motor vehicle is used.

v      Failure to stop and render aid if you are a driver involved in a collision resulting in death or personal injury (leaving the scene of a collision/hit-and-run).

v      Perjury or making a false statement under oath to obtain a license or for any other legal matter relating to the ownership or operation of a motor vehicle.

v      If under age 21, driving or being in actual physical control of a motor vehicle with any measurable quantity of alcohol.

Oklahoma Mandatory Point System

The Mandatory Point System is a method by which the Department of Public Safety monitors your driving. Under Oklahoma driving law, you start with a clean record - no points. Each time you are convicted of a pointable violation of Oklahoma traffic laws, you are assessed one or more points on your driver's record. If you accumulate 10 or more points within five years, your license will be suspended.

Points can be reduced as discussed below.

In accordance with Oklahoma driving law, a driver convicted of these offenses, in any court, anywhere, having authority over these violations, will be assessed as follows:

Offense - Points

v      Violation of license restriction - 2

v      Reckless driving - 4

v      Careless driving - 2

v      Speed - 2

v      Speed in excess of 25 mph above posted limit - 3

v      Failure to stop or remain stopped for a school bus loading or unloading - 4

v      Following too close or improperly - 2

v      Failure to obey stop sign or traffic light - 2

v      Failure to yield right of way - 2

v      Left of center or wrong way on one way - 2

v      Operating a defective vehicle - 1

v      All other violations (excluding the violations requiring suspension or revocation action) - 1

Point Reduction

Under Oklahoma driving law, two (2) points are deducted for each 12-month period in which there are no convictions of any pointable violations of Oklahoma traffic law. Points are reduced to zero if there are no traffic violation convictions for three consecutive years.

Two (2) points are deducted for successful completion of a DPS-approved Driver Improvement or Defensive Driving Course. Under Oklahoma driving law, credit for completing the course can be given once every 24 months. The point total can't go below zero.