SHERMAN M. ELLISON
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Vehicle Code section 41501 authorizes the
court to give you "traffic school". You can attend
the traffic school class by either going "in-person",
"home study" or "via the internet".
If you have not gone to a traffic school program within the past
18 months, you can attend an 8-hour traffic school. Your ticket
will be dismissed. This dismissal is confidential. There
will be NO point on your DMV record. Your automobile insurance
company will not be able to raise your insurace rates based on that
ticket.
If you have gone to a traffic school program
within the past 18 months, the court can still authorize a 12-hour
[second offender] traffic school. The importance of this 12-hour
program is that there will be NO "point" for that ticket
on your DMV record. But, on the other hand, the fact that
you have gone to a 12-hour traffic school would be part of your
"public" DMV record and your insurance company could become
aware of it.
NOTE: The court can not refuse to give
you "traffic school" solely for the reason that you have
exercised your right to go to trial. Some judges erroneously
tell people that, if the person exercises his/her right to a trial, the
court will not let them go to traffic school. This is contrary
to law. If that happens, please let me know.
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