How California traffic school keeps the point away from your insurance company.
Can You Keep a Speeding Ticket Off Your Record?
In California, usually yes. If your speeding ticket is eligible, you can ask the court for traffic school. You still pay the ticket, but when you finish a DMV-licensed course, the conviction is kept confidential. The point stays off the record your insurance company sees, so your rates don't go up because of it.
Here's who qualifies, what it costs, and the steps to take before your due date.
What Happens If You Just Pay the Ticket
Paying the fine without asking for traffic school means you're convicted, and the DMV adds a point to your driving record. A normal speeding ticket is 1 point, and going over 100 mph is 2 points. Insurance companies check your record when your policy renews, and a single point can raise your rates for years. See how many points a speeding ticket is for more on how points work.
Who Can Use Traffic School for a Speeding Ticket
Each court sets the details, but California courts generally allow traffic school if:
- You have a valid driver's license
- The ticket is a one-point infraction, not a misdemeanor
- You were no more than 25 mph over the limit
- You haven't attended traffic school for another ticket in the past 18 months
- You weren't driving a commercial vehicle, and the ticket doesn't involve alcohol or drugs
- The ticket doesn't require you to appear in court
Your courtesy notice from the court usually says whether your ticket is eligible. Commercial license holders who got the ticket in their own car can usually attend, but the conviction still shows on their record, without a point.
How to Keep the Point Off Your Record, Step by Step
- Wait for your courtesy notice. The court mails it a few weeks after the ticket. It shows your due date and the amount. Lost it? Here's where to find your citation number.
- Ask the court for traffic school before the due date. Many courts let you do it online or by phone. Don't just pay the fine, because that can close your case with the point on your record.
- Pay the fine plus the court's fee. Traffic school doesn't lower the fine. The court also charges a traffic school administrative fee, usually about $50 to $70, so check the exact amount with your court.
- Take a DMV-licensed course. Any school on the DMV's list counts for any California court. FastOneDay is License #E0103.
- Finish before the court's deadline. When you pass, FastOneDay reports your completion to the court and the DMV the same day.
What It Costs
You'll pay three things: the ticket itself, the court's traffic school fee, and the school's price. A speeding ticket for 1 to 15 mph over the limit is a little over $200 in most counties, and more at higher speeds. See what a speeding ticket costs in California for the full table. Use promo code SAVE5 to take $5 off FastOneDay's course.
What If You Don't Qualify?
If you've already used traffic school in the past 18 months, or your ticket isn't eligible, the point will go on your record when you're convicted. You can still contest the ticket in court or by written declaration. If money is the problem, every California court lets you ask for a lower amount, a payment plan, or more time through the state's MyCitations tool.
Keep Your Record Clean Today
FastOneDay is a California DMV-licensed online traffic school, License #E0103. Here's how it works:
- Take the whole course free and pay only when you're ready for the final exam
- Use your phone, tablet, or computer, and log in and out as often as you like
- Turn on the audio if you'd rather listen than read
- The final is open book, and you need 70% to pass
- We report your completion to the court and the DMV electronically the same day you pass
- Live phone help 7 days a week, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., at (888) 928-3383
- 100% money-back guarantee
Most students finish in one day. Register now, see how it works, or try the free demo. Cutting it close? Read what to do when traffic school is due tomorrow.
Helpful Traffic Ticket Guides
- Where to find your citation number
- How much is a speeding ticket in California?
- Pay a California traffic ticket online
- Check our license on the DMV traffic school list
