Online Traffic School

Online Traffic School FAQs

• Do I have to sign up for an online traffic school course?

  Unless ordered by court, in most states attending an online traffic school is by choice and is offered to you so you could remove the points on your driving record due to traffic violations.

• How can I check to see if my online traffic school is approved by the court?

  Each of the above online traffic school providers have a list of approved states and counties that are approved by the court. You could simple check and see if your location is in their lists. However, you should ALWAYS verify with your traffic court before completing your online traffic school course. Just be sure to take care of it BEFORE your assigned court date or due date.

• Do I have to complete my online traffic school in one day?

  Unlike regular traffic school classes, the nice thing about taking an online traffic school course is that you don’t have to complete it all in one day. You can go with your own pace whenever you have free time.

• How long does it take to complete my online traffic school?

  Your online traffic school course lengths vary from state to state; courses are usually 4-6 hours in length. You can start and stop the course as much as you would like to.

• What happens if I fail my online traffic school test? Can I take it again?

  Depending on your state or court's regulations, you may have the opportunity to take your final exam if you fail. The regulatory agency in your state mandates how many attempts you will have to take the final exam.

• How often am I eligible to take online traffic school?

  For most states you are eligible to take an online traffic school course every 18 months. Please contact your local traffic court for additional information.

• Does the court check if you did 2 online traffic schools in the last 18 months?

  While the court does not check if you attended two traffic schools in the last 18 months, the DMV is notified if you have been told to attend traffic school. The DMV will only count one of the results and discard any additional results. So, you can always take traffic school for a second time but it will not count toward anything.

• How long do I have to complete my online traffic school course once I’ve paid for the traffic ticket?

  You must complete the course within 180 days of your online traffic school registration. Any student who has not successfully completed the online traffic school course within 180 days will be terminated without notice and will not be eligible for a refund. NEW YORK DRIVERS PLEASE NOTE: NY state DMV requires you complete your course within 30 days of registration. Therefore, no refunds will be given to New York drivers 30 days after they've registered for their online traffic school course — You may also contact your online traffic school provider for additional details based on your state’s regulations.

• What happens if I miss my online traffic school due date?

  In most cases you will not be able to request a refund or a new due date. You should consider contacting the court or seeing a judge if you have a valid case.

• How do I sign up for an online traffic school?

  After you have successfully processed your request to attend an online traffic school with the court, signing up with an online traffic school is generally very straight forward and simple. Most sites have a sign-up form directly on their site that will ask you to input your information including the state in which you live and your name and address.

• How fast after registering can I start on my online traffic school course?

  You may start your online traffic school course once you have successfully completed your online registration.

• If my traffic school’s due date is tomorrow can I still take an online traffic school course?

  Some online traffic school company will process and fax your traffic school certificate to the traffic court on the same day. The amount of time taken for the courts to process the submission varies from each court. We urge you to contact your court for this information to avoid taking this course and not receiving credit from the court.

• What are my online traffic school certificate delivery options?

  Most online traffic schools will either mail your or the court the certificate (express delivery available for additional cost) or also offer faxing services.

• Do I need a special computer to start my online traffic school?

  You do not need a special computer to start on your online traffic school course. If your computer has an internet connection and enough processing power for you to view this page then you should be all set to start taking your online traffic school course.

• What languages can I take my online traffic school course in?

  Online traffic school courses are offered in many languages such as English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese. Check with your online traffic school company for additional details.

• Can I get an extension to complete my online traffic school course?

  Depending on the court you might be able to request (1) 30 days extension. Please contact or visits your local traffic court for additional details.

• How long is my online traffic school’s final exam?

  The length of the final exam on your online traffic school course will vary and is determined by the state and county that issued your traffic violation. Usually the final exam consists of 25 questions, but could be longer depending on your state's requirements.

• What if I don’t have access to my own computer, can I still take my online traffic school course?

  Since you don’t have to complete your online traffic school in one day, you can sign up and start taking your online traffic school course from any computer that has an internet connection. This includes computers available at your local school or library.

• What if I don’t have a credit card or don’t want to use my credit card online, can I still sign up for my online traffic school course?

  All of the above online traffic school companies have live operators stand by to answer any additional questions that you might have and to also process your payment over the phone.

Online Traffic School Glossary

• APPEAL

  The act of removing a case to a superior Court to evaluate and potential revision of the inferior Court’s judicial act.

• BAIL

  The surety or sureties who procure the release of a person under detain; by becoming accountable for his appearance at the time and place selected. Those persons who become sureties for the appearance of the defendant in Court. (verb) To free a person arrested or imprisoned, on security being taken for his appearance on a day and a place certain before the Court, which security is called “bail”; to deliver the defendant to persons who become security for his appearance in Court.

• BAIL AMOUNT

  Amount of fines and/or fees that must be paid for the traffic violation or traffic ticket. As required by the court, when using a Trial by Written Declaration, you must pay your bail (the fine of your ticket) up-front when processing your paperwork. When you mail your documents include a check payable to Superior Court for your bail amount. If you do not know the bail amount or if you have not received your courtesy notice from the court, call the court to get the bail amount for your citation. Will you get your bail back if found "not guilty"? Yes. If you are found "not guilty," the court will return the bail to the person that paid it within 60-90 days.

• BAILIFF

  A Court ambassador who maintains courtroom order, security and jury supervision. In Traffic Court, this is the officer who will take any credentials needed from you and provide them to the Judge. Under no circumstances should you ever approach the Judge when providing documents or other proof regarding your traffic ticket, traffic violation or traffic infraction.

• CITATION

  (a) A form of writ issued by a Court commanding the cite to appear in Court in a specific date and time; (b) A reference to a specific code section or case used in support of a legal argument or opinion; (c) A traffic ticket issued to document alleged violation of a Vehicle Code Section.

• CONTEMPT

  A willful disregard of the authority of a Court or judicial or legislative body, or disobedience to its lawful orders.

• DISMISSAL

  An order or judgment finally disposing of an action, suit, motion, etc., without a trial of the issues involved.

• DMV

  Department of Motor Vehicles

• FAILURE TO APPEAR

  If you (1) skip out on your court date, (2) decide not to show up for court, (3) forget to show up for court, or (4) show up on the wrong day, it is considered Failure to Appear on your court date. When you signed your traffic ticket, you made a promise to either go to court or, in some cases, pay the fine. If you do not go to court or pay your fine, your driver's license can be suspended. In addition, you may not be able to renew your car's registration. The judge can also charge you with "failure to pay a fine." If that happens, the court can charge you with a misdemeanor and issue a warrant for your arrest or add an additional fee (called a "civil assessment") of up to $300.

• POINTS

  Points are what show up on your state’s driving record and can cause your license to be revoked or suspended depending on the number you have in a given period of time. If found guilty of your traffic ticket, traffic infraction or traffic violation, after you pay your fine, points may show up on your DMV record unless you can go to traffic school. If the court lets you go to traffic school and you turn in your proof of completion of traffic school to the court before the deadline, the points should not show up on your record. If you get points on your record, your insurance corporation may ask you to pay more for insurance premium because of this, or they may cancel your insurance plan and tell you to find insurance elsewhere. Points can stay on your record for 3 to 7 years.

• SKIPPING OUT ON COURT DATE

  If you (1) decide not to show up for court, (2) forget to show up for court, or (3) show up on the wrong day, it is considered skipping out on your court date. When you signed your traffic ticket, you made a promise to either go to court or, in some cases, pay the fine. If you do not go to court or pay your fine, your driver's license can be suspended. In addition, you may not be able to renew your car's registration. The judge can also charge you with "contempt of court" or "failure to pay a fine." If that happens, the court can charge you with a misdemeanor and issue a warrant for your arrest or add an additional fee (called a "civil assessment") of up to $300.

• TRAFFIC FINES

  The fee that the State’s Vehicle Code has established for your specific Traffic violation.

• TRIAL BY WRITTEN DECLARATION

  Or TR-205. Vehicle Code Section 40902 allows the defendant (you the cited driver) to contest citations in writing, without having to make a personal appearance in court. A Trial by Written Declaration is available in cases involving infractions of the Vehicle Code or of local ordinances of the Vehicle Code. Violations eligible for a Trial by Written Declaration must be infractions only. Misdemeanors and cases involving accidents are ineligible for a Trial by Written Declaration.

• TRIAL DE NOVO

  Or TR-220. Trial De Novo means "all things are new" (Judge, Venue and Evidence) and is in court, in person. Do you need legal representation in court for a Trial De Novo? Once you process the request with the court for a new trial on your own behalf, you will have to make the personal appearance in court yourself. Law firms are available for legal representation in court, but are not mandatory. We are strictly a professional filing agency and not a law firm, so we do not offer representation for you in court.

• VC

  Vehicle Code