South Carolina S 705: Disobedience of any official traffic-control device

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 705 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 10, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 705

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING 
SECTION 56-5-950, RELATING TO OBEDIENCE TO INSTRUCTIONS OF OFFICIAL 
TRAFFIC-CONTROL DEVICES, SO AS TO PROVIDE A PENALTY PROVISION; AND BY AMENDING 
SECTION 56-1-720, RELATING TO SCHEDULE OF POINTS ASSESSED AGAINST PERSONS' 
DRIVING RECORDs FOR MOTOR VEHICLE VIOLATIONS, SO AS TO PROVIDE SIX POINTS MUST 
BE ASSESSED AGAINST PERSONS' DRIVING RECORDs FOR DISOBEDIENCE OF ANY OFFICIAL 
TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICE.

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 56-5-950 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
56-5-950. (a) The driver of any 
vehicle shall obey the instructions of any official traffic-control device, 
applicable thereto placed or held in accordance with the provisions of this 
chapter, unless otherwise directed by a police officer, subject to the 
exceptions granted the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle in this 
chapter.

 (b) 
No provision of this chapter for which official traffic-control devices are 
required shall be enforced against an alleged violator if at the time and place 
of the alleged violation an official device is not in proper position and 
sufficiently legible to be seen by an ordinarily observant person. Whenever a 
particular section does not state that official traffic-control devices are 
required, such section shall be effective even though no devices are erected or 
in place.

 (c) 
Whenever official traffic-control devices are placed or held in position 
approximately conforming to the requirements of this chapter, such devices 
shall be presumed to have been so placed or held by the official act or 
direction of lawful authority unless the contrary shall be established by 
competent evidence.

 (d) 
Any official traffic-control device placed or held pursuant to the provisions 
of this chapter and purporting to conform to the lawful requirements pertaining 
to such devices shall be presumed to comply with the requirement of this 
chapter, unless the contrary shall be established by competent evidence.

 (e) A person who violates a provision 
contained in subsection (a) must be fined two hundred dollars and court costs, 
and must have six points assessed against his driving record pursuant to 
Section 56-1-720.

SECTION 2. Section 56-1-720 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 Section 
56-1-720. There is established a point system for 
the evaluation of the operating record of persons to whom a license to operate 
motor vehicles has been granted and for the determination of the continuing 
qualifications of these persons for the privileges granted by the license to 
operate motor vehicles. The system shall have as its basic element a graduated 
scale of points assigning relative values to the various violations in 
accordance with the following schedule:

VIOLATION POINTS

Reckless driving 6

Passing stopped school 
bus 6

Hit and run, property 
damages only 6

Driving too fast for 
conditions, or speeding:

 (1) 
No more than 10 m.p.h. above the posted limits 2

 (2) 
More than 10 m.p.h. but less than 25

 m.p.h. above 
the posted limits 4

 (3) 
25 m.p.h. or above the posted limits 6

Disobedience of any 
official traffic control device 46

Disobedience to officer 
directing traffic 4

Failing to yield right of 
way 4

Driving on wrong side of 
road 4

Passing unlawfully 4

Turning unlawfully 4

Driving through or within 
safety zone 4

Shifting lanes without 
safety precaution 2

Improper dangerous 
parking 2

Following too closely 4

Failing to dim lights 2

Operating with improper 
lights 2

Operating with improper 
brakes 4

Distracted driving 
(second or subsequent offense) 2

Operating a vehicle in 
unsafe condition 2

Driving in improper lane 2

Improper backing 2

Endangerment of a highway 
worker, no injury 2

Endangerment of a highway 
worker, injury results 4

SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval 
by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on December 10, 2025 at 02:24 PM