It’s hard to control every single element flying your way out on the road. Sometimes, accidents happen, distracted driving leads to injuries, and fender-benders unfold as a result of careless driving. It’s all part of being on the road and accepting that not everyone is a perfect driver.
That’s why traffic school exists. In almost every state in the U.S., there is a form of traffic school where certain traffic violations can be removed from a driver’s license if an educational course is completed. Typically, 6-8 hours in length, this course proves to law enforcement that the person is serious about their driving status and determined to keep their record clean.
There are many other factors that go into this kind of easy-fix traffic solution, which is why we’re going to give you a traffic school 101 overview below.
So, What is Traffic School?
Traffic school, at its most basic level, is a way for drivers to learn the laws of the land and improve their driving knowledge so they can become safer and more effective drivers. Not everyone received the same driving practice and teaching while they were growing up, so for some people, this kind of education is critical.
As a reward for completing the educational course, participants are then able to remove the offense from their license. It’s a great way to avoid potential license revocation in the future, if you elect to use it sparingly.
What are some of the biggest benefits of completing a traffic school?
- Safer Driving Knowledge: Most traffic schools are based on the premise of rehabilitating drivers with safe driving knowledge. For many drivers, this might be the first time they are learning about this kind of driving practice. Courses will help drivers to drive more efficiently and be aware of common traffic signs, customs, etc. At the end of the day, it makes the roads safer for everyone on them.
- Lower Insurance Rates: Traffic-ticket fines can be expensive, but the real money drain happens when insurance-rate hikes kick in. These can be long-term, and there can be nothing you can do to avoid them if they deem you to be a risky driver. Fortunately, with traffic school, insurance companies will take that effort into account and resist raising insurance premiums so that you can still afford your monthly payment.
- Wiped Out Traffic Offense: The best part of all is that you will receive a brand new record that does not take into account the traffic offense that landed you in traffic school in the first place. These have to be non-criminal traffic violations that resulted in property damage, injury, or failure to stop at a stop sign, red light, or for a school bus. Since traffic offenses can stack up points on your license, removing them will prevent you from facing license revocation in the future.
When is Traffic School a Good Option?
How do you know if you should sit for a traffic school? There aren’t generally letters that are mailed out telling you when it’s time, which is why it’s important that you do your research. If you get a traffic ticket, there are several options for dealing with it, which include contesting it or admitting culpability and paying the fine. These options, however, can result in permanent points on your license.
Therefore, traffic school is often the best option for dealing with a traffic offense. If you want to sit for a traffic school, you need to know a little more about eligibility.
What Are Traffic School Requirements?
- You can
only sit for traffic school once every 12 months, unless overridden by a judge.
- States don’t want traffic school to be this easy option everyone can elect to use if they cause 6 accidents in one year. The line needs to be drawn somewhere, which is why depending upon the state, traffic school eligibility is only available every 12 to 18-months. For states like Florida, the number is a firm 12-months, unless a judge makes a new call.
Judges are allowed to override the system if they feel like it’s fair to let you take the course twice in one year. This can be due to circumstances out of your control, or other instances the judge knows was not necessarily your fault. However, don’t bank on judges ruling in your favor every single time. That’s why you want to drive in a way where you are not “relying” on taking a traffic school.
- Commercial
drivers are not eligible to sit for traffic school.
- In most states, individuals holding commercial driver’s licenses are not permitted to sit for a traffic school. Regardless of the vehicle you were operating when the incident occurred, if you are a commercial driver, you need to answer to a different system of remediation to get back on the road.
- You are
required to sit if you cause more than 2 accidents in one calendar year.
- If you are a frequent causer, or participant, in accidents, you might be required to sit for traffic school. Again, there are things out of your control, which is why judges might intervene on your behalf.
How Do I Request a Traffic School?
Procedures vary by state, but generally, you simply need to tell the judge or county clerk that you are intending to take a traffic school course. In some states, you can send in a request via the mail, or file something online to communicate your intent. In other states, you need to show up to court, in person, and make a request to attend traffic school before a judge.
Depending upon how frequently you are registering for traffic school, which in states like Florida, can only be completed 5 times in one lifetime, you will need to pay a fine to register for the course. However, you have options today, which means you don’t necessarily need to register for a state-sanctioned in-person course that is expensive and stressful. You can consider online traffic schools, made with you in mind.
Florida Traffic School Online
There are online courses that will help you achieve completion in just 4-6 hours, right from home. With unlimited testing options and open-book formatting, this is the kind of rehabilitation course that will make you relaxed and excited to learn more about traffic laws.
With our course, we can guarantee resources and materials you need to pass the open-book tests, on-hand instructors that will answer any questions you might have, and a guarantee to pass at a 99.9% rate today. We have set up the course to be the “fastest training possible” so that you can complete it in just one day. But, if you don’t have time for that, you can access it over a multi-day period to ensure your offense is wiped.
Our course is a state-approved Florida traffic school course that will help everyone with non-criminal minor traffic ticket issues, court-appointed traffic school, at-fault vehicle accidents with injuries, associations with two crashes per year, and intentional course selection for insurance purposes.
Getting Your Certification
Once you have passed our course, you will be rewarded a certification of completion that you can then present to the necessary personnel to prove that you have done what you needed to do. This certificate can be downloaded and printed right from our site, so that in the exact same day, you are equipped with a certificate that will help you wipe the offense from your license.
Hopefully, after reading this guide, you are no longer asking yourself: what is traffic school? Rather, you are asking yourself how quickly can I register for a traffic school that will get me my certificate in just 4-hours?
If you find yourself in an automotive accident and are at-fault, know that you have options. Don’t accept points on your license when you can be proactive and keep your record clean for all future incidents or run-ins.