How Traffic School Keeps a Point Off Your California Record

What Traffic School Does to Your DMV Record

Attending traffic school in California does not erase a conviction from your driving record. Instead, when you complete a DMV-licensed traffic school course for an eligible ticket, the DMV keeps the conviction confidential and assesses no point for it (Vehicle Code 1808.7). The DMV still has a record of the conviction, but it does not disclose that record to anyone except a court, so insurance companies do not see it when they check your driving record.

This distinction is important. The conviction still exists on your confidential DMV record, and the court retains its own record of the conviction. However, because the DMV does not disclose a confidential conviction to insurers, your insurance company will not see it when it reviews your driving record.

Eligibility Requirements for Traffic School

Not every driver or every violation qualifies for traffic school. California law (Vehicle Code 41501 and 42005 and California Rules of Court, rule 4.104) sets the eligibility requirements a court clerk applies before granting traffic school. A judge can also grant or deny traffic school in an individual case.

• The violation must be an infraction reported to the DMV that carries no more than one point.
• You must have a valid driver license. Commercial license holders face extra limits, explained below.
• The violation must not have occurred within 18 months after an earlier violation for which you attended or chose to attend traffic school.
• The violation must not involve alcohol or drugs.
• The violation must not have occurred in a commercial vehicle.
• The violation must not be a misdemeanor or a speeding violation more than 25 mph over the speed limit.

How to Request Traffic School

In most cases, you must specifically request traffic school from the court handling your citation. The process varies slightly by county, but generally follows these steps:

1. Receive your traffic ticket and check the court appearance or payment deadline on the citation.
2. Contact the court (online, by phone, or in person) before the deadline and request traffic school eligibility.
3. Pay the court a fee equal to the full bail, plus a $49 fee and smaller added fees (Vehicle Code 42007.1). The traffic school charges separately for the course.
4. The court gives you a deadline to complete the traffic school course.
5. Enroll in and complete a DMV-licensed traffic school course (classroom, internet or home study).
6. The school reports your completion to the court through an online course completion database run by the DMV (Vehicle Code 11200(d)). The court then reports the conviction to the DMV, which keeps it confidential and assesses no point for it (Vehicle Code 1803.5 and 1808.7).

It is critical to complete the course and ensure the school reports your completion before the court deadline. If you miss the deadline, the conviction is not kept confidential and any point for the violation is added to your driving record. The court cannot add other penalties just because you did not complete traffic school (Vehicle Code 42005(e)).

Online vs. In-Person Traffic School

DMV-licensed traffic schools offer classroom, internet and home study courses, and completing any licensed course has the same effect: an eligible conviction is kept confidential and carries no point. You can choose the school, and the court must give you the list of licensed traffic schools kept by the DMV (Vehicle Code 42005(d)). The DMV also has an online traffic school search where you can filter by type of instruction, language, city, ZIP code and county.

Online courses let you complete the coursework at your own pace from any location. Classroom courses are taught in person at a set location and time.

Limitations of Traffic School

Traffic school has important limitations that every driver should understand:

• Traffic school does not dismiss the ticket — you still pay a fee equal to the full bail, plus a $49 fee and smaller added fees (Vehicle Code 42007 and 42007.1).
• Traffic school does not erase the conviction; it stays on your confidential DMV record and can still be disclosed to a court.
• Only one traffic school conviction in any 18-month period is kept confidential.
• Two-point violations (DUI, reckless driving, etc.) are not eligible for traffic school.
• Traffic school is not allowed for a ticket received in a commercial vehicle.
• If you hold a commercial driver license, a court can allow traffic school for a ticket received in a vehicle that needed only a regular class C or M license, but the conviction is not kept confidential (it still does not count toward negligent operator status).

Traffic School vs. Contesting the Ticket

Many drivers face a choice between accepting the ticket and attending traffic school, or contesting the ticket to seek a full dismissal. Each approach has trade-offs worth considering.

If the court grants traffic school and you complete it, the point is masked from your insurance company, but you still pay a fee equal to the full bail plus the traffic school fees. Contesting the ticket through Trial by Written Declaration or at trial asks the court to decide the charge. If you are found not guilty or the charge is dismissed, you pay no fine, any bail you deposited is refunded and no point is added, but there is no guarantee of that result. Contesting is not risk-free. If the judge finds you guilty, you have the same conviction and the same DMV points as if you had paid, and your bail deposit is applied to the fine, but the judge can set a fine higher or lower than the bail. Going to trial does not make you ineligible for traffic school, but after a guilty finding it is up to the judge.

Learn how Trial by Written Declaration works and whether it could help you. What Is Trial by Written Declaration? →

Upload your ticket to see your options for contesting or attending traffic school. Upload Your Ticket →