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Hawaii Traffic School

Posted on: April 30th, 2012 by Traffic School

home stufy traffic school course

Although no one ever wakes up in the morning and sets out to get a ticket, it happens to people everyday and happens to most of us at one time or another. Many people think that their only option is to pay the ticket and move on, but there are actually other options out there that can save you money on your ticket. In fact, the cost of just one ticket can end up being over $1000 for many people when you factor in all the costs that come with a ticket. To better illustrate the effects that one ticket can have, let’s use an example. Meet Paul. Paul just got a speeding ticket for $200 and his monthly insurance costs are $200 monthly.

Paul Can Just Pay the Ticket: $2700

Paul’s first option is to do what 90% of other people do and just pay the ticket. What many people don’t understand when they decide to just pay their ticket, is that the costs go far beyond what is written on the ticket itself. First of all, in addition to the fine on the ticket, there will be an average of $100 added to the ticket for court fees. This makes the ticket cost $300. In addition, even though there isn’t a points system in Hawaii, the ticket will be reported to your insurance company. As a result they will increase your insurance rates. The average increase is 20%. In this case, a 20% increase would raise insurance rates by $40 monthly. The ticket will stay on your record for five years, which means an extra $40 every month for 60 months, or $2400 extra in insurance costs. That means that just one speeding ticket actually will cost $2700.

Paul Can Take Hawaii Traffic School: $335 or less

Paul’s second option is to get permission to take online Hawaii traffic school. Many courts will allow you to take traffic school online so that the ticket is dismissed and not reported to your insurance company. This will save Paul $2400 in insurance costs. He may still have to pay the full fine of the ticket and court fees, $300, but in many cases the fines are reduced if someone takes traffic school. The average cost of traffic school in Hawaii is $35, so the most Paul will pay is $335 for the ticket fine and traffic school online.

Paul Can Fight the Ticket in Court: $0 or $2700

Finally, Paul can choose to fight the ticket in court and take his chances winning his case. If he wins Paul will not have to pay anything for the ticket and it will be completely removed from his record. If Paul loses however, he will lose the option to take traffic school and will end up spending $2700 on the ticket, court costs, and insurance rate increases.

Washington DC Traffic School

Posted on: April 2nd, 2012 by Traffic School

Washington DC Traffic School

For most people, at one time of another in their lives they end up getting a speeding ticket or traffic ticket in Washington DC. Most people, in fact over 75%, just pay the ticket without thinking through other alternatives that could save them money in the long run. Few people really realize how much a ticket actually costs when you take into account the car insurance impact and impact on your driving record. To make this more clear, let’s use an example. Let’s imagine that I live in Washington DC and just received my first traffic ticket for speeding. The ticket I was given costs $250. My monthly insurance rate is $150 and until this ticket I had a clean driving record. After getting the ticket, I have three options for taking care of it – I can just pay it; I can take Washington DC traffic school; or I can fight it in court.

Option 1: Just Pay the Ticket, Total Cost: $2200

If I decided to just pay the ticket, the total cost of the ticket would actually end up being $2200! How? Well the ticket itself was for $250, but when I went to pay it there was an additional $150 in court fees and administration fees bringing the total ticket price to $400. Additionally, when the car insurance company finds out I received a ticket, my premiums will increase by 20% (national average). So my monthly payment will go from $150 to $180, or $30 extra every month. The ticket will be on my record for 5 years, so that means an additional $1800 in car insurance costs. Together with the ticket, that is a extra $2200 for just one ticket!

Option 2: Take Washington DC Traffic School, Total Cost: $435 or less

The second option I have is to take Washington DC traffic school to dismiss my ticket. In many cases I will still have to pay the ticket itself, which is $400, but sometimes that fine is reduced for taking traffic school. You just need to check with the court. The traffic school course costs $35 but once I complete it successfully the ticket isn’t added to my driving record. This means my insurance costs won’t increase and I will save $1800 from taking the traffic school course.

Option 3: Fight the Ticket in Court, Total Cost: $2200 or $0

The last option I have is to fight the ticket in court and see if I can have it completely dismissed. If I win, I will not have any fines or fees to pay. However, if I lose then I will have to pay for the ticket, the insurance increases, and any additional fees. I will also have to spend time preparing for court to make sure I am ready.

In the end, I decided to take Washington DC traffic school. I was able to get my fine reduced to $75 and finished the online course quickly and easily. My car insurance rates never increased and I was able to maintain my safe driver status which actually got me deeper insurance discounts in the years to come.

Connecticut Traffic School

Posted on: March 26th, 2012 by Traffic School

Connecticut Traffic School

No one wants to get a speeding ticket or traffic ticket, but unfortunately for most people it is something that happens at one time or another. When you get a ticket in Connecticut most people just think they need to pay it and move on. In fact over 75% of people just pay for their ticket and accept the fact that they will pay more expensive insurance premiums for years to come. But it doesn’t have to be that way. By taking a Connecticut traffic school course many of the expensive and harsh consequences of getting a ticket can be avoided. To make this more clear, let’ look at an example. Meet Marcy.

Marcy pays $100 monthly for her car insurance premium and had a clear driving record until last Tuesday when she got pulled over for speeding on her way to the gym. She was given a speeding ticket, which in Connecticut will add 1 point to her driving record. The speeding ticket she was given cost $250 plus an additional $100 in court and processing fees. Let’s look at Marcy’s options and the cost for each one.

Option 1: Take Connecticut Traffic School

One option that Marcy has is to take Connecticut traffic school online after getting her ticket. The course can be taken entirely online and costs about $35. Once Marcy finishes the online traffic school course the points will not be added to her driving record and her insurance premiums won’t increase. Unfortunately though she will still have to pay for the ticket and court fees.

The total cost for Marcy if she takes Connecticut traffic school is $385.

Option 2: Just Pay the Speeding Ticket

The second option Marcy is considering is just paying the ticket and not worrying about the points on her record. How much can 1 point really affect her car insurance costs? If Marcy chooses this option, she will need to pay the $350 plus any insurance increases for the next 5 years until the ticket is off her record. On average, car insurance rates increase by 20% for the first ticket. That means Marcy will need to pay an extra $20 monthly for the next 5 years, or 60 months. That is a total additional costs of $1200.

The total cost for Marcy if she takes just pays the ticket is $1550.

Option 3: Fight the Ticket in Court

Marcy’s final option is to fight the ticket in court. Fighting a ticket is a bit of a risk since there is no guarantee that Marcy will win. If she is successful and wins in court, her ticket will be completely erased and she will not need to pay the fine or face insurance premium increases. On the other hand, if she does not win, she will have the pay the fine and face the extra $1200 in insurance costs.

The total cost for Marcy if she fights the ticket is wither $0 or $1550.

In the end, Marcy decided that taking Connecticut traffic school was the safest and most cost effective choice for her. She finished the course quickly online and was able to get the point taken off her record. you can sign up for Connecticut traffic school below.

Colorado Traffic School

Posted on: March 21st, 2012 by Traffic School

online-traffic-schoolFor most of us at one time or another we see flashing blue lights in our rear view mirror, our stomachs drop, and a few minutes later we are holding a Colorado traffic ticket.  It happens to most people at some time or another, but too many people don’t fully understand all of their options for dealing with a traffic ticket and Colorado traffic school.  Knowing the options you have in front of you after getting a ticket, as well as the financial implication of each decision will help you make a wise decision about how to proceed.

To understand the options in front of you, let’s use an example.  Meet Jenny.  Jenny lives in Colorado and has a monthly auto insurance bill of $150 for her car.  Recently Jenny was pulled over for speeding and given a ticket for $250, plus another $150 in court costs.  She knows that means that points will also be added to her Colorado driving record.  Based on national averages, Jenny knows that her car insurance rate will increase by 20% for the first ticket she gets.  Also in Colorado the points and ticket will stay on her record for 5 years.

Option 1:  Pay the Colorado Ticket, Total Cost:  $2200

If Jenny just decides to pay her ticket without taking Colorado traffic school, her total cost for the ticket will be $2200.  How can one ticket cost $2200?  Let’s break it down.  First let’s take into account the ticket itself, which cost $250 plus $150 in court fees for a total of $400.  In addition Jenny’s car insurance rate is going to increase by 20% for her first ticket, which pushes her rate from $150 to $180, or an extra $30 monthly.  She will have to pay that extra $30 monthly for the next five years until the ticket disappears from her record.  Over the five years(60 months), Jenny will pay a total of $1800 more for her speeding ticket in insurance costs.  This brings the grand total to $2200.

Option 2:  Take Colorado Traffic School, Total Cost:  $430

Jenny’s second option is to take online Colorado traffic school, which normally takes most people between 4-6 hours.  The cost of the Colorado traffic school starts at $29.99. It can be taken entirely online and you can sign in and out as often as you like. In addition to paying for online traffic school in Colorado so the ticket doesn’t show up on her record, Jenny still has to pay the $400 in ticket fines. However, this is much less expensive than the $2200 she would spend paying for expensive insurance for the next five years. Sign up for Colorado traffic school

Option 3:  Fight the Ticket in Court, $0 or $2200

The third and riskiest option is to fight the ticket in court. If you fight your ticket in Colorado and win, then you will have no costs at all since the ticket is completely dismissed. However if you lose when you fight your Colorado ticketyou will have to pay the ticket and the car insurance costs. Remember to also take in account the time it would take time and likely a day off of work to fight your ticket in court. That cost should also be factored in.

Alaska Defensive Driving and Alaska Traffic School

Posted on: March 12th, 2012 by Traffic School

In the state of Alaska, traffic school is more commonly called defensive driving and can be a great option to avoid expensive insurance rate hikes and points on your record if you are pulled over and get a ticket.  By completing a state approved Alaska defensive driving course the points no longer show up on your record and you avoid many of the negative consequences of getting a ticket.  To better understand the benefits of taking Alaska defensive driving, let’s look at an example.  We will call our driver David.

Alaska defensive drivingDavid was running late for work and speeding on a local Alaska highway.  Unfortunately, as happens all too often, David quickly saw a police car in his rear view mirror and was pulled over for speeding.  He was given a speeding ticket for driving 9 miles over the speed limit which is a 2 point offense in Alaska.  In addition to the 4 points on his driving record, the ticket itself carries a fine of $200.

When David gets home from work that day, he reads the speeding ticket to find out more about what he can do.  The ticket lays out three options.  First he can simply pay the ticket and mail in the fine plus any additional court fees.  He finds out these usually cost about $100.  Second, he can fight the ticket in court and try to have it completely dismissed.  Third, he can take an Alaska defensive driving course and have 2 points removed from his record for completing the course and passing the final exam.

Being a financially responsible guy, David decides he is going to weigh his three options based on how much they cost and how they will affect him in the long run.  Here is what David learns:

Option 1:  Pay the Ticket, Total Cost: $1500

Looking at the easiest option to just pay the ticket, David knows that the ticket itself costs $200 and there is another $100 in court fees, so that’s $300 total.  In addition, David found out that his insurance company will increase his rates by 20% for the additional 2 points on his driving record.  The points will be on his record for 5 years.  Since David’s auto insurance policy costs $100 a month, that means if he just pays the ticket, his premiums will increase to $120 a month for the next five years.  So that’s an extra $20 monthly for 60 months, or 5 years, which totals an additional cost of $1200 if he just pays the ticket.  That means the total cost for the ticket is $1500.

Option 2:  Fight the Ticket in Court, Total Cost: Nothing or $1500

David’s second option is to fight the ticket in court.  He has heard that many people win when they fight their tickets but he knows just as many people who have lost.  If he fights his ticket and wins, it will cost him absolutely nothing.  But if he doesn’t win, it will cost him $1500 and there will no longer be an option for defensive driving.  David is pretty risk averse, so this isn’t really an option for him.

Option 3:  Take Alaska Defensive Driving, Total Cost:  $324.95

If David takes an Alaska defensive driving course, David will still need to pay the $300 fine but can have the two points removed from his record thus avoiding any insurance premium increases.  The course costs $24.95 so the total cost if David takes Alaska defensive driving is $324.95, the cheapest option by far.  David decides that this is the best option for him.

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. 

Can I take traffic school more than once? I got another speeding ticket…

Posted on: March 7th, 2012 by Traffic School

how-often-can-i-take-traffic-schoolUnfortunately many people find themselves in situations where they may need to take a traffic school course more than once since they got another ticket.  One of the emails we get most frequently asks this exact question, can I take traffic more than once?  There isn’t an easy answer to this since every state has it’s own specific laws about how often you can take traffic school.

In most states it will depend on both the length of time that has passed since you last took traffic school and also the severity of the traffic violation you just got.  In some states you can only traffic school online once every 18 months, like California, but there are longer, in-person options available if you get another ticket.  In some states the length of time the course lasts changes for each ticket you get.  For example, you may have to take a 4 hour course for the first ticket and then if you get another ticket within the year, you have to take an 8 hour course.  It is important to note that in many states you can ask the judge for permission to take traffic school again and in many cases it will be granted.

Here are some examples of how often you can take traffic school.

  • Alabama:  Determined by individual counties how often traffic school can be taken
  • Alaska:  You can take the course as often as you wish for a traffic ticket.  If you are taking a 2 point course, it can be taken once every 12 months.
  • Arizona:  Defensive driving can be taken once every 2 years
  • California:  Once every 18 months, more often with court permission
  • Delaware:  You can take the course as often as you wish for a traffic ticket.  If you are taking the course for point credits, it can be taken once every 12 months.
  • Idaho:  You can take the course as often as you wish for a fine reduction.  If you are taking the course for point reduction, it can be taken once every 3 months.
  • Missouri:  As often as you like you can take traffic school course
  • Nevada:  You can take the course once a year for point reduction.  You can take the course as often as you wish for a traffic ticket.
  • Virginia:  You can take the course once every 2 years for point reduction.  You can take the course as often as you wish for a traffic ticket.

Anyone who has a traffic ticket should always consider taking traffic school online to avoid the expenses costs of getting a ticket.  Even if you believe that you may not be eligible for traffic school, it is beneficial to ask the court because in many instances they will allow you to take a course if you ask.   Taking this course can prevent you from having your insurance rates skyrocket or even losing your license if you have many violations.  Always be sure to look for traffic school online as your first option since it is easier and more convenient.  In some cases the DMV or RMV will only let you take traffic school in person for more serious offenses.

 

 

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.

Can I take traffic school more than once?

Posted on: October 14th, 2011 by Traffic School

Luckily in most states you are allowed to take traffic school more than once.  The most common rule is that you can take traffic school once every 18 months, or 1.5 years, to avoid getting points on your record for one ticket.  However, in some states the rules time frame may vary between 1 and 2 years.

Additionally in some states, you are allowed to take traffic school more than once in a short time frame, but the second traffic school course will be longer.  For example, there are instances in California where you can take traffic school for a second violation, but you must take it in person (as opposed to online),  and it lasts twice as long.

Even if you are unsure if you can take traffic school for a second violation, always call the court to check since it will save you the very expensive insurance rate increases.