Category Archive: Ask the Driving School Instructor

Yahoo! Answers is a great way to get your questions answered through the large community of Yahoo. In this series of articles, we will tackle questions that are asked on a weekly basis about driving in Florida. We will focus on traffic tickets for this article. Whether the question is on the ticket itself or on the process of receiving a ticket in Florida and finding out your available options, these are some of the most frequently asked questions about traffic tickets and their answers. Odds are you’ve probably come across these questions or variations on them.

Q. “Should you wait for the mail notification before you do something about your ticket?”
A. No. Any Florida driver that receives a traffic ticket, including a speeding ticket, has 30 days to select an option for satisfying their citation. One way for a driver to determine what their options are for satisfying a pending ticket is by checking the website of the county where the citation was received. Offenders can accept the points on their licenses, request a court date, or, if eligible, attend traffic school to prevent points from being assessed on their license.

Q. “When you opt for traffic school, does it remove points from your driving record? Do you still have to pay for the ticket?”
A. If the option is available for a driver after receiving a traffic ticket and they are eligible, then traffic school will prevent the points from being applied to an individual’s driving record. And yes, the driver still has to pay for the ticket.

Q. “If I get a ticket while visiting another state, will it apply in my home state?”
A. Yes. Though different states have their own DMV office, a driver’s home state DMV will be notified if a ticket has been issued from a different state. What will usually happen is the driver will be required to settle the ticket in the county where the citation was originally from. The penalties that will apply will also refer to the laws from the state where the ticket was received. Including traffic school: if the driver elects to attend traffic school to clear the points, he will have to attend one that the county where the ticket was issued will accept.

While most people want to avoid a traffic ticket, it is helpful to know a little bit about how the process works. Remember it is best to take care of a traffic ticket early. Failing to pay for a traffic ticket, or not completing the requirements of traffic school will cause your drivers license to be suspended and can cause warrants for your arrest.

Learn more about Florida online traffic school to dismiss your traffic ticket.