Traffic School
Traffic School is granted at the discretion of the Judge. I know many of you have heard that you can only get traffic school once every 18 months. But there are two types of traffic school.
Generally, if you get a ticket in California, you can go to traffic school for 8 hours and get the ticket dismissed from your record. This allow you to avoid any points on your driving record towards losing your license.
California Vehicle Code provides that if you ahve attended an eight hour class in the past 12 months you can go back to traffic school for 12 hours at the discretion of the judge. To get it you have to appear in court and nicely and politely ask the judge if they would grant you the right. The Vehicle Code gives the judge discretion to do so.
Section 41501 of the California Vehicle Code, specifically states.
41501. The court may order a continuance of a proceeding against a person, who receives a notice to appear in court for a violation of any statute relating to the safe operation of a vehicle, in consideration for attendance at a licensed school for traffic violators, a licensed driving school, or any other court-approved program of driving instruction, and, after that attendance, the court may dismiss the complaint under the following conditions:
(a) If the offense is alleged to have been committed within 12 months of another offense which was dismissed under this section, the court may order the continuance and, after the attendance, dismiss the complaint. The court may order attendance at a licensed school for traffic violators which offers a program of at least 12 hours of instruction.
(b) If the offense is not alleged to have occurred within 12 months of another offense which was dismissed under this section, the court may order the continuance and, after the attendance, dismiss the complaint if the attendance is at any of the types of schools or programs that the court directed pursuant to Section 42005 at the time of ordering the continuance.
Once you have attended your 12 hour class, your record will state that your case was dismissed by traffic school. (T/S Violation Date).
There is also what is know as Defensive Driving Classes but we will get into that on another occassion.