Traffic School Info

Traffic School Information - California

You are allowed to do an 8-hour traffic school once every 18 months and you can do it online.

Successful completion of a California DMV-approved Traffic School program:

Masks or hides your traffic ticket from your license
Masks or hides the point from your license

- so your insurance company will never find out about this ticket.

Note: the 18-month eligibility period is determined from violation date to violation date and not from when you attended traffic school.

Pay your fine before attending Traffic School

Taking traffic school does not mean you won't have to pay your traffic ticket fine to the court. Before you enroll in a traffic school course, make certain you pay all that is owed to the court in order to be eligible for traffic school.

Am I eligible for traffic school?

Pursuant to Vehicle Code section 42005 and California Rules of Court rule 4.104, court clerks are only authorized to grant traffic school requests if the following criteria are met:

You must currently possess a valid California driver’s license.
The violation(s) on your ticket must be an eligible Vehicle Code infraction. (Note: your ticket must be for an infraction, not a misdemeanor.) Any violation that carries a negligent operator point count of more than one point under VC 12810 or one and one-half points or more under VC 12810.5(b)(2) is not eligible. Seat belt, mechanical or equipment violations, failure to have insurance and other certain specified violations are not eligible for traffic school.
You may not have attended Traffic School for a previous violation committed within the last 18-months. The 18-month eligibility period is determined from violation date to violation date and not from when you attended traffic school.
If cited for speeding, the alleged speed cannot be more than 25 mph over the speed limit.
Your citation/ticket must not have defaulted to a failure to appear unless the failure to appear charge has been adjudicated and any fine or civil assessment imposed has been paid.
Your citation/ticket must not be for a violation of Vehicle Code section 22406.5 (tank vehicles)
Your citation/ticket must not be related to alcohol use or possession.
Your citation/ticket must not be related to drug use or possession.
If you were cited while driving with a Class A, B or Commercial Class C driver’s license, on or after January 1, 2013, but you were not driving a commercial vehicle at the time of the violation, you may attend traffic school, if eligible. Although the DMV will not assess the point count on your driving record, they will not hold the conviction as confidential and therefore your insurance may be adversely affected.

Your Insurance

NOTICE: If you are eligible and decide NOT to attend traffic school, your automobile insurance may be adversely affected.

If you DO complete a a California DMV-approved Traffic School program, one conviction in any 18-month period will be held confidential and will not show on your driving record and will not affect your insurance.

Situations where you are not allowed to do traffic school

The Judge can deny you traffic school:-
- If you are speeding 25 mph over the speed limit
- If you have a commercial license.
You cannot do traffic school for Misdemeanor charges such as DUI and Hit & Run.

Commercial Drivers License Holders

If you hold a commercial driver’s license you may be eligible for traffic school if you were cited on or after January 1, 2013 and were NOT driving a commercial vehicle.

If you hold a commercial driver’s license and attend and successfully complete traffic school:-

The conviction will be reported to the DMV with no point count
The DMV will NOT mask the conviction and it WILL appear on your driving record. This may adversely affect your insurance.

Please note, any person driving a commercial vehicle regardless of the class of their license is NOT eligible for traffic school.

We can help in Los Angeles County

Call to speak with a Los Angeles Traffic Ticket Attorney for a Free Legal Consultation to discuss how we can help (310) 285-1516.

Search