Frequently Asked Questions

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ABOUT TRAFFIC SCHOOL

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Are You DMV Licensed and CA Court Approved?

Our online traffic school course is licensed by the California DMV (License #E0543) and our course Completion Certificate is accepted by all 58 California county traffic courts. Our license can be seen by clicking here.

Which Courts Accept Your Certificate?

All California traffic courts, all Federal courts, and some out-of-state courts accept our traffic school certificate. The course meets the requirements for an 8-hour California DMV-licensed course.

How Long Does The Course Take?

Because there are no timers to slow you down, you finish the course as fast as you can read. On average people finish in 4 to 5 hours or faster. 

Can I Stop and Start the Course?

Yes.  You can start and stop the course as many times as you’d like. Your progress is automatically saved. The final test is the only part of the course that you must take all at once. You have 60 minutes to answer all 25 multiple-choice questions and have two chances to pass.

I Already Paid The Court For Traffic School. Why do I have to Pay You?

You paid the court's traffic school administration fee. This is the fee they charge you to process the certificate we send them. You still have to pay for our traffic school course.

How Do I Know If I'm Approved To Take Traffic School?

You will receive a courtesy letter from the court approximately 2 or 3 weeks after you get your ticket.  This letter will inform you if you are court-approved to take traffic school and when your traffic school due date is.

Letters from the court are poorly written. If you see an additional court fee for Traffic School Administration it means you are approved to take traffic school. Note that this fee is for the court to process the certificate we send them after you pass. It does not include our traffic school course fee.

If your letter does not mention traffic school, your ticket may not be eligible for traffic school (i.e., took traffic school within the past 18 months, excessive speed, fix it ticket, seat belt, texting, insurance, carpool lane violations). Contact the court to find out if you are eligible.

Do I Pay The Court First?

We recommend that you pay the court their traffic school administration fee and the bail amount due on your ticket first.  This ensures nothing stops the court from processing your certificate once they receive it and it doesn’t get lost in their system.

Be certain to pay the court's traffic school administration fee!  Non-payment of this fee is the #1 reason why courts reject certificates. This does not cover the cost of our traffic school course.

When Is My Traffic School Due Date?

Your traffic school due date will be stated in the letter you receive from the court. If it is not stated in the letter, you may not be eligible to take traffic school. Check with the court.

Some courts require that you pass traffic school by their due date. Other courts require that they receive your certificate by their due date. Your due date information is in the letter you received from the court.

If you're past the due date, the court will reject your certificate. If you are less than 30 days late, you can sometimes request an extension from the court.

Court and DMV processing time are not counted towards your traffic school due date

I’m In A Rush. Do You Send Certificates To The Court The Same Day?

Yes. Our optional Same Business Day Express upgrade sends your certificate to the DMV the same day.  You must pass by 4:30 p.m.  California time (Monday - Friday).

How Do I Reset My Password?

If you forgot your password, you can reset it by Clicking Here

    • You will be asked for the email address you used to register for the course with
    • You will be sent an email within a few minutes
    • Follow the instructions in the email and Click on the link to reset your password
    • You will be asked to create a new password

Please remember to write down your new password.

How do I check to see if the court received my certificate?

Once you pass our course, it can take the court up to 30 days to review and close your citation with traffic school credit.  In order for you to check if they have processed your certificate, you must contact the court directly by:

  • Going to their website and checking the status of your ticket (not all courts offer this capability)
  • Calling the phone number on the letter the court sent you; or
  • Visiting one of their locations personally

If your ticket is from Los Angeles County, please read the below information.

Be advised that LA county courts have a long history of losing and not processing certificates. To assist people with issues of non-processed traffic school certificates, the LA Traffic Advisory Service was created.

If your ticket is from an LA County Court:

  1. Do NOT waste your time calling or going to an LA court
  2. Go to the LA County Superior Court's website (click here)
    • Enter your information on the bottom left of the page
  3. If your ticket does not show 'Closed' on the court's website after 30 days - contact the Los Angeles Traffic Advisory Service.
  • Tel: 800-555-4452 (Los Angeles Traffic Advisory Service)
  • Email: TrafficSchoolinfo@lacda.org
  • Note: This is ONLY for Los Angeles County tickets

Who Can Take Traffic School?

According to Vehicle Code section 42005 and California Rules of Court rule 4.104, you are generally eligible to attend traffic school if the following criteria are met.

    • You have a valid driver’s license

    • Your ticket is for an infraction that is a moving violation

    • The violation(s) on your ticket must be an eligible one-point Vehicle Code infraction. See the list of one-point violations here.

    • You have not attended traffic school for an eligible violation that occurred within the last 18 months

    • You cannot go to traffic school for any:

    • Speeding tickets where the alleged speed was more than 25 mph over the speed limit.

    • Equipment or non-moving violations. For more information regarding eligibility, see California Rule of Court Rule 4.104.

    • Misdemeanor

    • A violation that has a mandatory Court appearance

    • Alcohol or drug-related violations

    • Citation/ticket that has defaulted to a failure to appear unless the failure to appear charge has been adjudicated and any fine or civil assessment imposed has been paid.

Commercial Drivers

The California Vehicle Code (see section VC42005 on this state code page ) states that drivers with a commercial driver's license can only attend traffic school if they were not driving a commercial vehicle. Upon completion, the record of conviction will not be held confidential, but the conviction will not add a point count to the DMV record.

Drivers with a commercial driver's license are responsible for contacting the DMV Driver Safety Unit at (916) 657-6452  after completion of traffic school, to ensure that the DMV does not assess the point against their record.

Will Points Show On My Driving Record After I Complete Traffic School?

According to California Vehicle Code 1808.7, Section 1803.5, California courts must report traffic safety violations as convictions. If you’re eligible and complete a licensed traffic school course, however, your violation will be kept confidential and no violation points will show on your driving record.  

Commercial Drivers

The court may approve traffic school for a driver with a commercial driver’s license if the eligible offense occurred in a non-commercial vehicle. After completion of traffic school by a driver with a commercial driver’s license, a conviction will still appear on the driving record at the DMV, but a point will not be counted towards a person's total negligent operator point count. 

Drivers with a commercial driver's license are responsible for contacting the DMV Driver Safety Unit at (916) 657-6452. This is required so that the DMV does not assess the point against your record.

Why Should I Take Traffic School?

The cost of taking traffic school is small compared to the hundreds of dollars in increased auto insurance premiums a ticket could cost you over the three years it says on your driving record. According to a 2012 analysis of over 490,000 policy quotes conducted by Insurance.com, getting a single ticket can boost an average policyholder’s auto insurance premium by as much as 22 percent.

Other reasons for taking traffic school include keeping your driving record clean for employment reasons, and when you already have some existing tickets on your record.

How Many Times Can I Take Traffic School?

According to California Vehicle Code (Section 1808.7), you can only take traffic school and have one ticket masked in an 18-month period.   

What's The Deadline For Taking Traffic School?

Once the court receives your intent to attend traffic school along with the required fees, they will give you a date by which you need to complete traffic school.  Look closely at the documents you receive for a date and contact the court using the phone number on your ticket if you do not see one. Some courts require you to finish by a certain date, and other courts require that they receive your certificate by a certain date.  Make certain to look at the information the court sends you carefully.

If the deadline for you to take traffic school has passed, you’ll need to contact the court listed on your ticket to see if they will give you an extension.

How Do I Receive Credit For Completing Traffic School

To receive credit for completing Traffic School you must have:

1. Pleaded guilty and paid the bail/fine amount due to the court

2. Paid the court's traffic school administration fee (this is the fee they charge to process the certificate we send them)

3. Paid for and passed our California DMV Licensed traffic school course by your due date

Once you pass our traffic school course, we electronically submit your Completion Certificate directly to the DMV and Court for you. We also immediately email you a Certificate of Completion for you to keep for your records.

How Long Does Traffic School Take?

Our online traffic school course is considered to be an 8-hour DMV course. On average, it takes our students between 4-5 hours to complete the course but largely depends upon how fast you can read.  Some people finish it much much quicker and some take longer. Since the course is self-paced, how fast you complete the course is completely under your control. Finish it all in one sitting or over multiple sessions.  

With our online course, you can take traffic school using your smartphone, tablet, or internet-connected computer at any time or any place.  Even use different devices throughout the day to log in and out.  We make it convenient for you to take the course whenever you have the time.

In-Classroom Traffic School
The DMV mandates that in-classroom instruction be a minimum of 340 minutes plus 60 minutes for the final test. This means you’ll spend 6+ hours of your day attending an in-classroom traffic school course. Traffic School 4 Busy People does not offer in-classroom courses.

Can I Take Traffic School If I Have A Commercial Driver's License?

Yes. You can take traffic school but the point will still appear on your driving record. The point will not, however, count towards your total negligent operator point count. Once you complete traffic school, you are responsible for contacting the DMV Driver Safety Unit at (916) 657-6452. This is required so that the DMV does not assess the point against your record.

I Received My Ticket From Out of State. Can I Take Your Traffic School?

If you have a California driver’s license but received your ticket while driving in another state, you must contact that court and find out if they will accept a certificate from a California traffic school.  If they do, you will need to print out your certificate after it is emailed to you and send it to the court.  We only electronically send certificates to California courts.

What Kind Of Payments Do You Accept?

We accept all major credit and debit cards and PayPal.

Payment is only accepted on our secure website and phone orders are not accepted.

Sorry. We do not accept checks or money orders.

What Information Do I Need To Register?

In order to register for traffic school you will need: 

      • To be court approved to take traffic school
      • Your Ticket Information 
      • Driver's license information
      • Email address
      • Computer, tablet, or smartphone with internet access
      • Credit Card, Debit Card, or PayPal account

Is Your Website Secure And Safe?

The security of your information is a priority for us.  As such, our secure website uses the latest encryption and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to protect the security of your online order information. We do not store any of your credit card information and when your transaction is transmitted, your credit card information is encrypted and replaced with numbers that mean nothing to anyone except your credit card company. You can check the security status of our website by clicking on the GoDaddy banner in the bottom right corner of our website.

Do You Share Or Sell My Information?

We do not share or sell your personal information. This would be against DMV regulations and we do not do it.

What Kind Of Computer Do I Need To Take The Course?

You can use any internet-connected computer (PC or Mac), tablet, or smartphone to take the course. Your web browser, i.e., Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari, etc. must be up to date for security reasons.

Do I Need To Install Special Software or a Mobile App?

No. Unlike some of our competitors, we do not require that you install any special software or download mobile apps.  Just navigate to our website www.trafficschool4busypeople.com on your device and sign in to take the course.

Is Your Course Mobile Friendly?

Yes. You can use any internet-connected computer, tablet or smartphone with an updated web browser. You can even use a combination of all three to complete the course. 

How Do I Change Information On My Certificate?

If the information on your certificate is incorrect and your certificate has not been sent to the DMV or Court yet, you can edit the information by going to your My Account page by logging into your account. If your certificate has already been sent, you must email the correct information to support@trafficschool4busypeople.com. A $7.95 reprocessing fee will be charged to correct and resend your certificate. 

How Fast Do I Receive My Certificate?

Once you successfully pass the final test, we immediately send you an email with your Completion Certificate as proof that you’ve passed our traffic school. Please be certain to check your SPAM folder if you do not see it in your regular email inbox.

How Do I Know The Court Has Received My Certificate

We send your completion certificate and the information you entered during registration to the court and DMV electronically. Since it is sent electronically, it can't get lost in the mail and all of your information is received just like you entered it. 

Unless you requested express delivery, your completion certificate will be processed and sent to the court within 3 business days.

If you want to see if the court has cleared your ticket, you need to contact them directly.  Please note that it can take a court a few weeks to process everything and you must have paid all of your court fees and fines.

How Long Does It Take The Court To Close My Ticket?

The court receives your certificate the same day we electronically send it to them. It is time and date stamped by the court.  This date along with the date you completed traffic school lets the court know if you have met their traffic school deadline requirement. 

Once the court receives your certificate in its main database, each local court must have a court administrator download it for your certificate to show up in their system.  Depending on how backlogged the court is, this can take a few days to a few weeks.

Do not expect your certificate to show up immediately as the court system can be 30 years old! We recommend that you follow up with the court 30 days after you have passed traffic school to be certain the court has processed your certificate.

What Should I Do After I Receive My Certificate?

Your certificate is proof of traffic school completion. We electronically send it to the court and DMV within three days for free, or the same business day if you have purchased this upgrade. The court will only accept our electronically sent version as official proof of course completion. You do not need to bring it to the court.

I Did Not Receive My Certificate

Your Certificate is emailed to you immediately after you pass the course. If you use multiple email addresses, be certain that you are checking the email address you used to register with. You will also want to check your SPAM folder.  You can also download a pdf of your certificate by logging into your account and going to the My Account page.

Do I Need To Take My Certificate To The Court?

No. The court will only accept the electronic version we send them as official proof of traffic school completion. We send your certificate to the court electronically so you do not need to send it to the court. If your ticket is from an out-of-state or a federal court you will need to print out the certificate we email you and send it to the court.

How Long Does The Course Take?

Because there are no timers to slow you down, you finish the course as fast as you can read. On average people finish in 4 to 5 hours or faster. 

Do I Have To Take The Course All At Once?

No. Our course is self-paced and has no time limit. You can start and stop the course as many times as you'd like. Your progress is automatically saved. Just be certain that you pass by your court due date.

Can I Stop and Re-Start The Course Later?

Yes. To stop the course, simply “log out” by clicking the link at the top of the course. Your progress is automatically saved. To re-start the course, sign in using the Student Login link at the top of the homepage.

How Many Chances Do I Get To Pass The Final Test?

You have 2 chances to pass the final test of 25 multiple-choice questions with a score of 70% or more.  This means you can miss 7 questions and still pass.  There are no trick questions and over 99% of people pass on their first try.

If you don’t pass we email you a promotion code so you can retake the course for free. 

How Many Chapters Are There?

The course consists of 12 chapters and meets the DMV's minimum course length. On average, people finish our course in 4 to 5 hours.

Is The Course Narrated?

Yes. You can either follow along and have the course read back to you, or read the course without narration. The choice is up to you.

How Much Time Do I Have To Finish The Course?

You have an unlimited amount of time to complete the course but must pass by your court due date.

When Can I Take The Course?

You can start taking the course after you finish registering.  You have access 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.  You can stop and start the course as many times as you need.  Your progress is automatically saved.

Do You Have A Course Taught In A Traditional Classroom?

No. We do not have a course taught in a classroom. Our course is only taught on our website from the comfort of your office or home.  Our online course provides the most flexibility by giving people the ability to take it whenever and wherever they are, any time of day or night.

What Happens After I Pass The Course?

1) Your certificate is electronically sent to the California DMV/Court Central Traffic School Database.

2) A court administrator from your court downloads your certificate from the central database to their local database; this is when your certificate shows up in a local court system. This can take one day or a few weeks.

3) The court administrator determines if you have met all of their requirements (paid all fines, met due date, approved to take traffic school, etc.). 

4) If you have met all of the court requirements, they electronically inform the DMV to mask your ticket and not show it on your public driving record.

5) If the court rejects your certificate, they may or may not inform you or us! We do not have access to this private information and that is why we recommend you follow up with the court 30 days after you pass (look on the court's website or call) to ensure they have processed your certificate and have masked your ticket on your driving record. 

Which Courts Accept Your Certificate?

All 58 California County Traffic Courts, all Federal courts, and some out-of-state courts accept our traffic school certificate as proof of successful course completion.

I Already Paid The Court For Traffic School

You paid the court's traffic school administration fee. This is the fee they charge you to process the certificate we send them. Our traffic school course fee is a separate fee.

What Is My Court Due Date?

The court gives you a date by which you either must pass traffic school or a date by which the court must receive your traffic school certificate. This date is stated on the letter you receive from the court and is usually 60-90 days after your payment due date. If you are past this date, you can contact the court and ask for an extension. If you do not have this information you must contact the court.

Do I Pay The Court First?

We recommend that you pay the court their traffic school administration fee and the bail amount due on your ticket first.  This ensures nothing stops the court from processing your certificate once they receive it and it doesn’t get lost in their system.

Be certain to pay the court's traffic school administration fee!  Non-payment of this fee is the #1 reason why courts reject certificates. This does not cover the cost of our traffic school course.

When Does The Court Receive My Certificate?

Our standard price includes 3 business day processing.  Example: You pass on Monday at 4:00 p.m. California time. We guarantee to send your certificate to the DMV and court by Wednesday.

If you purchase the optional Express Same Day Processing upgrade, we send your certificate to the court that same business day you finish. You must pass the course by 4:30 California time.

How Do I Know My Certificate Was Sent To The Court?

Once you receive your completion certificate, you have our guarantee that it will be electronically sent to the DMV and court within 3 business days (the same business day if you’ve purchased the optional Express Processing upgrade).  You can also purchase the optional Date Certificate was sent upgrade that notifies you when we send your certificate. By logging into your My Account page you can see when your certificate was sent.

How Long Does It Take For The Court To Close My Ticket?

It can take a court 30 days or more to process and close your ticket depending on how busy the court is.

The court receives your certificate the same day we electronically send it to them. It is time and date stamped by the court.  This date along with the date you completed traffic school lets the court know if you have met their traffic school deadline requirement. 

Once the court receives your certificate in its main database, each local court must have a court administrator download it for your certificate to show up in their system.  Depending on how backlogged the court is, this can take a few days to a few weeks.

Do not expect your certificate to show up immediately as the court system can be 30 years old! We recommend that you follow up with the court 30 days after you have passed traffic school to be certain the court has processed your certificate.

The Court Has Not Received My Certificate

Our computer system guarantees to electronically send your certificate to the court within 3 business days (standard processing), or the same business day (Express Upgrade Processing).

Do not expect a court to immediately see your certificate in their computer system. A court administrator must download your certificate from a central computer system into their local court system to process it.  This can take a few days or a few weeks depending on how busy the court is.

If your ticket is from Los Angeles County, call the LA Traffic Advisory Service phone number 800-555-4452 (this is only for Los Angeles tickets). 

Federal Traffic Tickets From a US District Court

Here are the steps required to take traffic school for federal court tickets:

1) Make certain you receive permission to take traffic school from the federal court

2) Please select "Federal Courts" from the County dropdown list and select "federal courthouse" for court 

3) Once you pass the final test you will need to print out the completion certificate you receive and mail it to the address on your ticket. We do not send your certificate to Federal Courts

 

"Proof that you have completed traffic school must be received by the court within 60 days of the original court date that is listed on the Notice to Appear. Note that Federal courts are unable to accept electronic submissions of certificates from traffic schools. You must submit either a copy of your certificate or a copy of the confirmation email (for online courses) showing that you have completed the course to the court by mail. Failure to submit proof of completion may result in a hold being placed on your license."

FAQs on Federal Court Traffic School is located at this site

What Happens After I Pass?

1) We electronically send your certificate to the California DMV/Court Central Traffic School Database within 3 business days for free, or the same business day if you have purchased the Express Processing upgrade.

2) A court administrator from your court downloads your certificate from the central database to their local database; this is when your certificate shows up in a local court system. This can take one day or a few weeks.

3) The court administrator determines if you have met all of their requirements (paid all fines, met due date, approved to take traffic school, etc.). 

4) If you have met all of the court requirements, they electronically inform the DMV to mask your ticket and not show it on your public driving record.

5) If the court rejects your certificate, they may or may not inform you or us! We do not have access to this private information and that is why we recommend you follow up with the court 30 days after you pass (look on the court's website or call) to ensure they have processed your certificate and have masked your ticket on your driving record. 

Customer Support Hours

Customer support agents are here to answer your phone calls Monday to Thursday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Friday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm California time. 

Toll-Free: 800-287-9841

Email: support@trafficschool4busypeople.com

 

Office Hours (Our Course is Only Online)

M-F 9:00 am to 4:00 pm California Time

 

I Forgot My Password

If you forgot your password, you can reset it by Clicking Here

    1. You will be asked for the email address you used to register for the course with
    2. You will be sent an email within a few minutes
    3. Follow the instructions in the email and Click on the link to reset your password
    4. You will be asked to create a new password

Please remember to write down your new password.

My Information Is Wrong

If your registration information is wrong, and your certificate has not been sent to the court and DMV yet, you can edit your information by logging in and going to your My Account page. 

If your certificate has already been sent to the court and DMV, you must email the correct information to support@trafficschool4busypeople.com. A $7.95 reprocessing fee will be charged.

I Registered Using The Wrong Email Address

If you registered using the wrong email address, you can edit it by logging into your account and going to your My Account page.