A reckless driving conviction in South Carolina sits on your record at three different levels, each with its own clock. The six points the SCDMV assigns affect your license for two years on a sliding scale. The conviction itself appears on your three-year driving record and your ten-year driving record. And because reckless driving is a misdemeanor, the criminal conviction is permanent unless the case ended without a conviction. So the honest answer to how long reckless driving stays on your record in SC is: two years for point purposes, three and ten years for driving record purposes, and forever on your criminal history.
How Long the Points Count
South Carolina uses a sliding scale to decide how much weight your points carry at any given moment. Points from a violation in the last 12 months count at full value. Points from a violation between 12 and 24 months old count at half value. After 24 months, they don’t count at all.1South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-1-750 – Computation of Points
Reckless driving is a six-point violation, one of the heavier single-violation values in the state’s system.2South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-1-720 – Point System Established; Schedule of Points for Violations For the first year after the conviction, all six points are active. During the second year, only three count. After the second year passes, the points drop out of the calculation entirely.
Why this matters: 12 active points triggers a license suspension. Starting at six puts you halfway there from day one, so a moderate speeding ticket during that first year can push you over. The suspension lengths are:
- 12 to 15 points: three-month suspension
- 16 to 17 points: four-month suspension
- 18 to 19 points: five-month suspension
- 20 or more points: six-month suspension3South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-1-740 – Suspension of Driver’s License or Nonresident’s Privilege to Drive; Special Restricted Driver’s Licenses
Points falling off after two years is often described as “the reckless driving coming off your record,” but that only means the SCDMV stops using it to calculate suspensions. The conviction itself is still on the record the department maintains.
How Long It Shows on Your Driving Record
The SCDMV maintains a three-year driving record and a ten-year driving record, and they get pulled for different reasons.4SCDMV. Get My Driving Record
Insurance companies almost always use the three-year record when they set premiums or decide whether to renew you. A reckless driving conviction visible on that record will raise your rates significantly for the full three years. Industry data suggests premium increases of roughly 80 to 100 percent, though the actual number varies by insurer and your overall driving history.
The ten-year record has a heavier purpose. It’s what the SCDMV reviews for habitual offender determinations. South Carolina defines a habitual offender as someone with three or more convictions for serious driving offenses within a three-year period, and reckless driving is one of the qualifying offenses.5South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-1-1020 – Habitual Offender and Conviction Defined If you meet the definition, the SCDMV must revoke your driving privileges.6South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-1-1030 – Habitual Offender Determination; Revocation of License; Notice of Determination and Appeal The revocation runs five years from the determination date, though it can sometimes be reduced to two.7South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-1-1090 – Request for Restoration of Privilege to Operate Motor Vehicle; Conditions; Appeal of Denial of Request
The practical takeaway: even after the points stop counting, the underlying conviction can still contribute to a habitual offender finding for a full decade.
How Long It Stays on Your Criminal Record
Reckless driving in South Carolina is a misdemeanor that carries potential jail time, so it gets logged on your criminal history the same way any other misdemeanor conviction does.8South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-5-2920 – Reckless Driving; Penalties; Suspension of Driver’s License for Second or Subsequent Offense There is no automatic expiration. It shows up on standard background checks indefinitely.
The reach is broader than most people expect. Employers running background checks will see it. Landlords reviewing applications will see it. Professional licensing boards in healthcare, education, and finance may flag it. For any job that involves driving, the conviction is an obvious concern, but even office employers sometimes treat any misdemeanor as grounds for a closer look.
Getting a Reckless Driving Charge Off Your Record
South Carolina’s general first-offense misdemeanor expungement statute explicitly excludes offenses involving the operation of a motor vehicle.9South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 22-5-910 – Expungement of Criminal Records Reckless driving is a motor vehicle offense by definition. The South Carolina Judicial Branch confirms that the only traffic-related conviction eligible for expungement is a first-offense failure to stop when signaled by law enforcement.10South Carolina Judicial Branch. FAQ About Expungements and Pardons
Two narrow paths still exist, and both require that you were never actually convicted:
- If the charge was dismissed, the prosecutor entered a nolle prosequi, or you were found not guilty at trial, you can apply to expunge the arrest and charge records. There are no fees for this type of expungement.10South Carolina Judicial Branch. FAQ About Expungements and Pardons
- If the charge was diverted into a Pretrial Intervention program and you completed it successfully, the charge is dismissed and becomes eligible for expungement.11South Carolina Judicial Branch. Expungement Application Process for General Sessions
If you pleaded guilty, were found guilty, or forfeited bail, the conviction stays on your criminal record permanently. A pardon from the governor is the only remaining option, and pardons are rare and discretionary.
Extra Timelines for CDL Holders and Out-of-State Drivers
If you hold a commercial driver’s license, federal law adds its own clock on top of the state consequences. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration classifies reckless driving as a serious traffic violation.12eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers A single conviction alone doesn’t trigger federal action, but a second serious traffic violation within three years brings a mandatory 60-day CDL disqualification, and a third within three years brings 120 days.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 31310 – Disqualifications That three-year lookback applies regardless of which state the later violation happens in.
If you were licensed in another state when you were convicted in South Carolina, the conviction follows you home. South Carolina participates in the Driver License Compact, which requires member states to report convictions involving out-of-state drivers back to the driver’s home state, with reckless driving specifically named as a covered offense.14American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. Driver License Compact The National Driver Register also tracks drivers convicted of serious traffic offenses, and any state issuing or renewing a license can check it.15National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. National Driver Register (NDR) How long the conviction affects your record in your home state depends on that state’s own rules.