The Traffic School Option

Almost every state allows a person ticketed for some types of moving violations to attend a 4-to-8 hour course in traffic safety in exchange for having the ticket officially wiped from their record. Often, attending traffic school is your best choice, even if you think you have a watertight defense. After all, while a trial is always something of a gamble, traffic school is 100% reliable in keeping the violation off your record.

Policies on allowing you to eliminate a ticket from your record by going to traffic school vary from state to state. (They can also occasionally vary within a state, where local courts have some discretion to set their own policies.) For example, in some states you can attend traffic school once a year, while in others you must wait 18 to 24 months before you can eliminate a new ticket with a new trip to traffic school. In some states, you aren't eligible for traffic school if you're ticketed for exceeding the speed limit by more than 15 or 20 miles per hour.

Procedures for getting into traffic school also vary from place to place. Most courts allow you to sign up through the court clerk, but a few require that you appear before a judge to make your request. How a traffic school attendee's ticket is handled is also different in different areas. For example, in some states, courts dismiss your case when proof is received that you've completed traffic school. In other states, courts require you to pay your fine (forfeit bail) with the understanding that the conviction will not be placed on your record if you complete traffic school by a prearranged deadline. Under this system you must pay twice -- once for the fine and again for the school.

In some states, erasing a ticket through traffic school may be accomplished while sitting at home. For example, California is just one of a number of states where traffic courts authorize Internet-based traffic schools (they use tests and other devices to be sure you are paying attention). But be sure to check with the court in your particular area to make sure that an Internet-based program is acceptable. Do not pay any money to the traffic school unless you are sure that the court accepts that particular school's program.

Jail

In every state, only those convicted of the more serious traffic violations -- such as drunk or reckless driving -- face the possibility of going to jail. State laws do not allow a judge to impose a jail sentence for speeding or failure to stop at a signal. Even where laws do give judges the discretionary power to jail traffic offenders (such as a repeat offender), they very rarely choose to exercise it.

If a driver accumulates a certain number of points within a given time frame, his or her driving privileges can be suspended. Insurance companies also have access to this information and may use it as a basis to raise insurance premiums.