How much any traffic school offers its students in the way of educational benefits depends largely on the course, how much the students already knows, and their willingness to apply what has been taught. I remember them having a mandatory class at work after a particularly horrendous accident left an employee and her family dead. That evening driving home from work I stopped for a yellow light; however, the driver behind me didn’t. I guess he hadn’t had to sit through a defensive driving class.

Advantages of Traffic School

From a purely financial standpoint, in California, the advantage of traffic school to those who have received a first-time moving violation can be tremendous. After completion, a certificate is sent to the DMV and the moving violation is kept confidential from your insurance company so that your premiums do not go up.

Howmuch the average person pays for auto insurance depends on a variety of factors, such as:

· Age and sex, normally younger and older male drivers pay more for insurance. That’s why both younger and older male drivers are more widely targeted for defensive driving courses, even though everyone is entitled the discount, these two groups are made to feel they are getting something special.

· Marital status, those who are married often are offered the lowest premium, then single, and last divorced.

· The amount of deductible, the higher the deductible the lower the premium.

· The type of car and its value, a sports car will pay more than a mini-van and a Ferrari a whole lot more than a Fiat.

· The type of insurance you buy, what you should buy or must buy is dependent on the value of your car and whether you owe the bank. If you owe the bank, they will normally require you to carry full comprehensive and collision insurance on the car. An older car that is paid off, may only require liability insurance. Some of the add-ons are very beneficial and inexpensive, such as Uninsured Motorist/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UI) can be an exceptional value given that nearly 25 percent of CA drivers are UM/UI and medical expenses are very expensive and since they probably couldn’t afford coverage in the first place, suing is probably useless.

· How far you live from where you work or school.

· Where you live.

Many companies offer discounts to drivers who bundle their homeowners with their auto insurance, insure multiple vehicles, and good student discounts for teens and college students. And, some assign a “higher risk” to certain statuses, so shop around. Just because mom and dad have used the same company for 30 years, doesn’t mean you should. But, it may be the most inexpensive.

Eligibility for a State-Approved Course

If you received a moving violation that is normally assessed one Negligent Operator Treatment System (NOTS) point, you were not driving a commercial vehicle, you don’t have a mandatory court appearance tied to your ticket, and you haven’t used traffic school for a traffic ticket in the previous 18 months, you should be eligible to attend traffic school. The court advisory, which is required in CA after 1 May 2017 (although required, it does not relieve you of your duty to appear if you do not receive one) should state whether you are authorized traffic school or you could ask a traffic ticket attorney.

The DMV ca.gov website has a list of state-approved courses that are required to send your certificate to the court and DMV. However, you should print a copy of your certificate for your records.

Bigger & Harman, Traffic Ticket Defense Attorneys

In Kings, Tulare, Kern, Mono or other Central Valley counties and some SoCal counties such as LA, Riverside, and San Bernardino, call Bigger & Harman, 661-349-9300, for a free phone consultation. You can also email attorney@markbigger.com the details of your ticket to get their recommendation.

It is not always financially prudent to hire a traffic ticket attorney, such as when traffic school is authorized. However, for speeding tickets more than 25 mph over the speed limit and other two-point NOTS assessments, you should consult with the Bigger & Harman law firm about possible courses of action.

En español, llame al 661-349-9755.