Traffic School
Traffic School after a Traffic Violation
Traffic school is the general term for any remedial courses that teach safe driving practices and traffic safety. In the United States, traffic school classes are often offered as a component of pretrial diversion programs to traffic courts to traffic violators, for the purpose of improving general traffic safety.
Some reasons for attending traffic school include:
• Being at fault for a crash that resulted in someone getting transported to a hospital
• Having two or more crashes in a two-year period, resulting in a total property damage which was more than $500.
• Running a red light
• Passed a stopped school bus
• Highway racing
• Reckless Driving
• Other non-criminal moving violations
Deciding to take a traffic safety course usually results in a decrease in penalty for a traffic violation. This can either be a complete removal of the violation from a driving record or a reduced violation placed on a driving record, both of which usually result in a reduced effect on the insurance premium of the driver.
Traffic school can be offered to a traffic violator when the individual has not previously taken the course within a certain time frame of the violation. This policy prevents repeat offenders from taking advantage of the traffic school system in order to avoid or lessen the consequences of their actions. Furthermore, this policy encourages violators from applying the information obtained in traffic school to their driving habits.
Depending on the traffic school and the state it is located in, there can be courses on:
• Defensive Driving
• Aggressive Driving
• Driving Safety
• Driver Improvement
Participating in traffic school can result in:
• Getting points on a driving record reduced or removed.
• Getting a traffic ticket that was issued by highway patrol or a cop dismissed.
• Gaining an insurance discount.
• Learning the technique to drive properly and safely in a specific sate.
Traffic school courses are now provided online, in a classroom, or by a CD or DVD or on demand. All of these courses can be finished within a day. There are many different agencies that offer traffic school courses that are certified by the State. They include:
• The local state and court
• Department of Motor Vehicles
• Department of Transportation
• Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles
• Department of Safety
• Motor Vehicle Commission
• Department of Driving Services
• Highway Patrol
Not only are traffic school services provided by many government agencies, but they can also be found through a local telephone director under either traffic schools or driving instruction. Those that are approved by the state can also be taken.
