In Virginia, as in most states, the DMV uses a points system to keep track of driver competence and traffic violations — each time you are caught making a traffic violation, you are assigned demerit points for it. The greater the number of demerit points that you get on your driving record, the closer you get to a license suspension, and the more expensive your insurance becomes, as well.
Fortunately, Virginia also hands out safe driving points. If you hold a Virginia driver’s license, each year that you go without a traffic violation earns you five points on your driving record. If you ever get caught for a violation after that, your safe driving points offset the demerit points that you get. You are then free to go with no penalty.
Top-Rated Online Traffic Schools
1. iDriveSafely
2. Improv Traffic School
3. Go To Traffic School
The Virginia Driver Improvement Program as an option
If you don’t have safe driving points, you’ll need to look at other ways to possibly have your ticket, the attached penalty, and the demerit points, all waived. One of the best alternatives is to attend a Virginia Driver Improvement Program course. When you sign up for a refresher course that helps you re-learn the rules of safe, defensive driving, the DMV accepts that you’re being proactive in mending your driving problems, and cuts you a break. As long as the violation isn’t a misdemeanor, the demerit points earned and the penalty imposed for that violation are both taken away.
Not long ago, only a few states permitted drivers to attend traffic school online; over time though, most have fallen in line and decided to accept these courses as a reasonable alternative to regular classes in a physical classroom. Online courses tend to be quicker, more convenient to learners, and more effective at teaching the principles of safe driving.
The first rule of taking a points reduction class: hurry up!
If you’ve never been faced with the need to get a traffic ticket dismissed before, you might feel like taking your time understanding the ticket dismissal process; you might want to shop around, and compare traffic school courses and prices. While it’s always a good idea to make sure that you get a good price and product, it’s important to remember that with a traffic ticket, you’re fighting the clock.
Usually, once you get a ticket, you have less than a month to find a course that you like, study, take the exam and have the grade sent to the DMV so that your ticket can be dismissed. If mistakes or delays occur, or if you don’t clear the test on the first attempt,you need to allow for extra time to retake test. Usually, it’s a good idea to take no more than one or two days after you receive your ticket to find a course, sign up and take the test.
The sign-up process is quick and painless
Once you do find a traffic school that’s priced reasonably, you need to move quickly and sign up. While most schools offer an easy interface to sign up with, it can make things easier still to know what the steps are. Here’s what the sign-up process looks like at two popular, well-regarded online traffic schools for Virginia drivers.
iDriveSafely
iDriveSafely is currently one of the best-reviewed traffic schools online in Virginia. While the school does offer an excellent product with the approval of the Virginia DMV (approval is something you do need to check for at any school that you consider), it tends to be one of the school’s payment options that gets a great deal of attention: you get a free trial as well as a money-back guarantee. You get to sign up and try the first part of the course without payment. You only need to pay the $34.50 all-inclusive fee at the end of that part.
To sign up for free, simply add the course to your cart, type information to do with your traffic ticket, and proceed to the payment section, and then choose the Make payment later option, rather than the credit card or mailing check or money order option.
Since iDriveSafely is an online course, they have no way of telling if it’s really you sitting at the computer, learning all of the information in the course. For all they know, you might sit a friend down at the computer, and go out for a drink.
To make sure that nothing like this happens, the sign-up page comes with a court-mandated identity authentication question sheet — ten questions about your life and preferences in general. You get asked how many brothers and sisters you have, how many countries you’ve visited outside the US, how many children you have, and so on. Later on, as you go through the course, you’ll get asked these questions again. You need to think about the answers you give because you’ll get asked them again.
Improv Traffic School
Improv is not exactly a traffic school; in most states, it’s an approved traffic school substitute that gives you the ticket dismissal that you need. It manages it in a far more entertaining way than the regular lessons that other traffic schools offer. If you are worried about how difficult traffic school will be, Improv is a solid option — it’s the easiest course available at the moment.
Signing up for this course is even easier than with iDriveSafely. While that course lets you go through one part without payment, the course at Improv lets you take the entire course. You need to pay only if you decide to go through with the final test. Then, you have the option to pay by credit card, check, or Google Checkout.
Most traffic schools include an option on their payment page for rush processing. If you’ve put off signing up for course until too late, rush processing makes sure that the traffic school grades your tests and sends the results to the DMV in one day. If you are short of time, this option can make a lot of sense. Make sure that you don’t go with a school that charges you too much, though. Typically, the fee should be no more than $10.
Go To Traffic School
Go To Traffic School is one of the best and most trusted online traffic schools in the country. When you sign up at Go To Traffic School, you will see a list of Virginia course options available for you. You can select from a Court-Referred, DMV-Referred driver improvement, or a Safe Driving Points program, which costs a little under $30. If you are seeking to save on auto insurance premiums, there is also an available course for you. What’s more, you can purchase add-ons, such as audio narration, unlimited course attempts, or a same-day processing upgrade. Go To Traffic School also lets you order your driver record via their site for an additional fee.
Once you make your selections and click Next, you will need to create an account by providing your name, e-mail, and phone number. The window will show you a $5 electronic certificate delivery fee. The last step is the payment option. Here, you can choose your payment method – Credit Card or Paypal, and input a discount coupon if you have one. The school’s website says that you can start the course for free. You can reach out to Go To Traffic School’s customer support team to ask how. They are available 24/7, 365 days a year, so you are sure to get timely help. The best thing about Go To Traffic School is it offers the lowest price guarantee. If you find one that is cheaper, the school will match the price and take another dollar off! Also, if you happen to be unsatisfied with your purchase, you will get your money back, provided you have not yet finished the course and received the certificate.