traffic school and driving records

What is the name of your state? Florida

I want to know in the state of flordia, if you run a red light and opt to take driving school instead of pleading guilty, paying the fine, and having points assessed or go to court to challenge the ticket, will it show that you took driving school on your driving record and alert the insurance company that you committed a traffic violation? I've been getting mixed messages, some saying to negoiate for the option and some say it only goes on your driving record if the violation actually caused an accident.

[lwpat]

If you take traffic school before you go to court the ticket is dismissed and does not go on your record. You need approval from the court so you will need to contact the clerk to see if you are eligible. Be sure the court agrees that the ticket will not appear on your record.

If the court initally refuses to allow traffic school you may want to consider retaining an attorney. I have had an attorney get permission for a driver to attend traffic school where the court refused the first request.

If you go to court and are found guilty or just pay your ticket you can still take traffic school. Depending on state law a certain number of points will be added for having completed the school.
In this case the certificate should be submitted to your state DMV. The ticket is on your record for the insurance company to see.

This is the general case for most states. For specific information on Florida:

[url]http://www.trafficschoolonline.com/?lcode=4013[/url]

Thanks for the reply. However, I'm a bit confused by the first paragraph:

If you take traffic school before you go to court the ticket is dismissed and does not go on your record. You need approval from the court so you will need to contact the clerk to see if you are eligible. Be sure the court agrees that the ticket will not appear on your record.

If I take and complete traffic school before I go to the court house, the ticket is dismissed? But I do need approval to take traffic school from the court first, so it seems like a contradiction.

And the last paragraph:

Depending on state law a certain number of points will be added for having completed the school.

Do you mean that a certain number of points will be removed after completing traffic school?

[lwpat]

"If I take and complete traffic school before I go to the court house, the ticket is dismissed? But I do need approval to take traffic school from the court first, so it seems like a contradiction."

No contradiction. You just need to make sure that you and your violation qualify for traffic school. Each state has its own rules and they can even vary depending on the judge. The clerk is usually very helpful but there are exceptions to that also. You just need to make sure you follow the procedures in your jurisdiction.

"Do you mean that a certain number of points will be removed after completing traffic school?"

This is like is the glass half empty or half full. My viewpoint is that you start with your points and then lose them as you accumulate speeding tickets. When you get to zero you lose your license. Start with twelve, lose four, take school and have two added back. To me this makes more sense than starting at zero since you are stating how many points you have left rather than how many have been placed on your record. It is just personal preference on my part, didn't mean to confuse the issue.

Ok, I guess I'll call the clerk of courts and listen to what they say. But if I happened to take traffic school first, then learn that I have to get approval first (or I took it before mailing in the form) might they say that since I took it, I can't take it for this case?

[stephenk]

almost all traffic schools require you to provide paperwork from the court indicating that you are taking the course for a particular ticket. the traffic school then signs off on the paperwork showing that you completed the course.