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Alabama Traffic School and Alabama Defensive Driving

Posted on: March 9th, 2012 by Traffic School

In Alabama traffic school is most commonly called defensive driving and is handled by the individual counties in Alabama.  That means that rather than having a central agency that creates the laws and regulations for traffic school, traffic tickets, and speeding tickets in the state, each individual county clerk and county court are responsible determining who can take Alabama traffic school and who can not.

However even though the individual counties control Alabama traffic school and Alabama defensive driving, that does not mean that there are not state wide driving laws and points.  In fact, Alabama adds points to your driving record for all speeding and traffic tickets.  Below you can find the common points associated with Alabama traffic tickets:

  • Speeding in Excess of Posted Limits: 2 points
  • Speeding In Excess of 85 MPH (86 or above): 5 points
  • Disregarding Traffic Control Device (stop sign, traffic light): 3 points
  • Following Too Closely: 3 points
  • Illegal Passing: 3 points
  • Wrong Side of Road: 4 points
  • Failure to Yield Right of Way: 5 points
  • Passing Stopped School Bus: 5 points
  • Reckless Driving: 6 points
  • Any charge involving driving under the influence without mandatory license suspension: 6 points

In some cases you can have tickets and points removed from your record for completing an online or in person traffic school or defensive driving course.  The easiest way to find out if you can take Alabama traffic school is to contact the court listed on your ticket.  When you call ask to speak to the traffic violation dept or traffic court, and nicely ask whether or not you can take Alabama defensive driving.  Sometimes it will be granted right away and in some counties you may need to appear in front of a judge to request traffic school.  Always check your ticket as well because sometimes it is listed on the ticket itself.

The cost of Alabama traffic school will vary between counties and could be as low as $20 or as high as $300 for Alabama defensive driving.  On average, Alabama traffic school costs around $130.  In the long run this is much cheaper than auto insurance rate increases.  On average, car insurance rates increase by 20% for the first ticket, 35% for the second ticket, and 50% for the third ticket.  since points stay on your record for 5 years without taking traffic school in Alabama, that means you will pay those increase for 5 YEARS.

Let’s imagine you pay $100 monthly for auto insurance and then you get your first ticket.  You will pay an extra $20 per month for 5 years, or 60 months.  That’s an extra $1200!!

What if you have 2 tickets?  You $120 monthly auto insurance rates, from your first ticket, would increase to $162 on average in Alabama.  That is an extra $62 monthly from having no points on your record for 5 years, or 60 months.  That’s an extra $3,720 over the course of 5 years,  Would you rather just pay for Alabama traffic school?

Therefore even if traffic school costs $200, which seems like a lot, it is worth it in the long run and will save you lots of money.  Taking Alabama traffic school and Alabama defensive driving is a wise and financially smart decision for anyone who has an Alabama traffic ticket. 

How to Find a Home Study Traffic School

Posted on: December 2nd, 2011 by Traffic School

home stufy traffic school courseFor most of us, traffic school becomes something we ponder at some time or another when we get a ticket.  Tickets and car insurance have gotten so expensive, that taking traffic school has become a must for many people after they get a ticket.  However, with busy schedules, most people prefer to take a home study traffic school course so they can complete traffic school on their own time and schedule.  Home study traffic school courses come in two main forms – online traffic school and read aloud traffic school, which is actually a version of online traffic school.

When y0u compare and look at online home study traffic school course make sure to look for courses that are state approved, affordable, and easy to follow.  Our recommended course provides read aloud options and is fun and interactive.  It also is the least expensive on the market and approved in virtually every state.

Most Dangerous Cities for Drivers

Posted on: October 17th, 2011 by Traffic School

Did you ever wonder what the most dangerous cities for drivers were?  Likely many of us may believe it is our own city, but according to insurance.com, the following cities are the most dangerous for drivers.

 

City Percentage of Drivers Reporting an Accident
1. Baltimore, Md. 36.5%
2. Johnstown, Pa. 34.5%
3. Portland, Maine 33.4%
4. Des Moines, Iowa 33.2%
5. Erie, Pa. 33.1%
6. Bangor, Maine 32.9%
7. Birmingham, Ala. 32.4%
8. Austin, Texas 32.3%
9. Manchester, N.H. 32.2%
10. Lincoln, Neb. 31.8%

If you live in one of these cities, or another city with expensive insurance premiums, consider taking an insurance reduction course to lower costs.  Insurance companies base their rates on these kind of statistics which can cause your rates to increase.

Right of Way Laws and Traffic Tickets: Who Goes First?

Posted on: October 3rd, 2011 by Traffic School

Unsurprisingly, many traffic tickets and accidents are due to people not following right of way, or failure to yield, laws. These laws are extremely important because they let us know who should travel first at an intersection and ensure that we drive safely and avoid accidents and traffic tickets. Here are some of the most common right of way laws.

  • If you are approaching an intersection, you need to yield the right of way to traffic already in the intersection.
  • When drivers reach an intersection at the same time and are coming from opposite directions, a driver turning left must yield to a driver turning right or going straight.
  • When two or more driver’s approach an intersection with stop signs at the same time, you must yield to driver’s on your left.
  • Anytime you enter a road from a driveway, alley, or private road, you must yield to traffic already traveling on the street.
  • Drivers always must yield to pedestrians.