| The
option of Traffic School originated years ago because
far sighted judges believed in the benefit of making
the option of education available to traffic violators,
in the hopes that drivers would learn something of value
from it, drive more safely, and get less tickets in
the future.
In
an effort to motivate and reward drivers for taking
the training, they went even further by giving them
the benefit of keeping the ticket off of their public
driving records. This is a win-win situation and can
save you a lot of money on your insurance.
All
classroom traffic schools must be licensed by the DMV.
However, home study programs must be approved by the
individual courts. Completing either a DMV licensed
classroom or a court approved home study traffic school
will have the exact same effect of eliminating the ticket
from your public driving record.
Many
courts give traffic violators that choose the traffic
school option a list of all DMV Licensed Traffic Schools
and a list of all Court Approved Home Study Programs
that are used by that particular court. If you received
information about Home study traffic schools from the
court that is handling your ticket, that is your guarantee
that those schools are approved. If you did not get
the information from the court that is handling your
ticket, you do not have a guarantee and your Completion
Certificate may not be accepted (if you have any doubt
about this you should check with your court).
All
home study traffic school programs must cover the exact
same material that you would have received if you had
attended a regular classroom traffic school, in order
to be approved by the court. The classroom traffic schools
must cover 400 minutes (6 hours & 40 minutes) of
instructional material, by following a DMV curriculum
outline. Home study programs must cover that same material
as well, in order to be Court Approved.
In
this respect home study and classroom programs are the
same. Both must cover the same material, but there are
a couple of obvious differences. The big one, of course,
is that (1) home study traffic school can be done at
home and does not require any classroom attendance,
so it is the most convenient. The second difference
is (2) classroom traffic schools require the students
to deliver the Completion Certificate to the court,
while most courts allow home study programs to handle
it for you. (A few courts require the student to deliver
the Completion Certificate)
As
far as home study traffic schools go, there are usually
three basic format options offered, (1) handbook, (2)
Internet, and (3) video formats. All of these must cover
the material mentioned above, so it is a personal choice
as to which option you prefer. However, most people
still choose the handbook option because it offers you
the flexibility to take it anywhere you like and do
a little at a time. The other two format options restrict
you to studying in front of a computer or VCR. So the
main difference is simply a matter of portability and
convenience.
And,
just in case you are wondering, both classroom traffic
schools and home study traffic schools require a test
at the end of the class or program.
When
you choose the Instant Traffic School
program, your are getting the best quality handbook
program available anywhere, at the lowest price and
it is backed by our over 30 years of experience in the
traffic safety field.
Remember,
no classroom attendance is required with the Instant
Traffic School program. |
