How Do I know If I’m Eligible for Traffic School?

“How do I know if I’m eligible for traffic school?” That’s a great question. Chances are good you’re asking that question because you just got a ticket. Getting a ticket is no fun. A ticket not only takes its toll financially and emotionally, but it can also negatively affect your driving record and eventually even your driving privileges if you’re not careful. While keeping a clean driving record and avoiding tickets in the first place is ideal, at some point a ticket may come your way. Traffic school is a way to erase tickets from your driving record. Going to traffic school may also help you avoid paying the full ticket. But, are you eligible for traffic school? Here’s what you should know.

Are you eligible for traffic school?

Location, location, location. When it comes down to it, whether you are eligible for traffic school depends mainly upon where you received your ticket. Unfortunately, the majority of states do not offer a statewide traffic school or defensive driving course. However, just because there isn’t a statewide option doesn’t mean there aren’t county-specific options. The best way to find out if there is a traffic school option for you is simply to call the number of the county court in which you received your ticket. You can likely find this number on the ticket itself. They’ll inform you as to whether or not there is an option within the specific county.

Things to keep in mind

Even when states do have a statewide program, like our defensive driving course in Texas, they may have limits on how often you can take the course. So don’t bank on clearing up every single ticket by merely going to traffic school over and over. Some states won’t dismiss your ticket altogether, but will at least take points off of your driving record. Also, be aware that some states actually require you to go to traffic school if you get a certain number of tickets or commit severe violations.