Are you looking to get a traffic ticket dismissed?
Or, do you want to be eligible for a discount program your car insurance company is offering?
Either way, traffic school is the answer.
It may not be the most appealing idea, though, since it usually means giving up a Saturday. But what if you can keep your weekend and still achieve your objective?
Fortunately, attending in person isn’t your only choice. Now you have the option of taking traffic school online.
And, even better, we’re going to list the 5 best online traffic schools in California for YOU. This way, you’ll know which one to pick straight away.
So let’s get started!
What are the Best Online Traffic Schools in California?
There’s no shortage of online schools offering defensive driving courses in California.
To help you narrow your search, here are the 5 best ones.
Let’s see what each of them has to offer…
Aceable
Aceable’s headquarters is in Austin, Texas, where its CEO, Blake Garrett, resides. He founded the organization in 2013 and has since expanded its repertoire of online courses in several industries.
Despite being younger than other online traffic schools on this list (Aceable is only eight years old), it’s quickly become one of the most popular providers of online traffic schools around.
You’ll understand why when you get a glimpse of how they designed their course.
Want to see what makes Aceable in demand? Check out our video below:
Aceable has a modern take on online traffic school. They built their materials to keep users engaged until the end.
They use interactive activities such as mini-games and driving simulations to get lessons across. There’s even a robot mascot (appropriately named Ace) who guides you throughout your course.
You can also download Aceable’s mobile app so you can complete your online traffic school course on the go.
When you look at the big picture, you can say it’s not a bad deal since you get a highly engaging experience for under $30.
Best Online Traffic School
If you’re looking for an online traffic school course in California that’s modern and interactive, Best Online Traffic School is a solid option. Their curriculum costs $19.99. But the twist is that you can access all the material for FREE. You only need to pay if you want to take the final exam and get your certificate of completion (NOTE: This is a must if you want to dismiss those tickets).
But with this feature, it makes them completely risk-free.
Moreover, Best Online Traffic School designed its course to have easy-to-follow materials. It’s broken down into 12 modules with a 4-question quiz at the end.
The final exam is open-book, so you don’t need to worry about keeping all that information in your head. You can refer back to the course content at any time — it won’t affect your progress in the test.
Once you’ve finished, this online traffic school takes care of submitting your documents to the court handling your case and the California DMV.
Want to learn more about Best Online Traffic School? We look inside the course in our video review:
Check Best Online Traffic School Here
GoToTrafficSchool
If you prefer to go with a well-established online traffic school, GoToTrafficSchool should be on your list. They’ve been in the business for more than two decades.
GoToTrafficSchool is best known for its affordable rates. These days, they even offer a Pay Later option when you sign up for the course, making GoToTrafficSchool a low-risk investment.
Unlike other online traffic schools that only grant you free access to the first couple of chapters, GoToTrafficSchool allows you to go through their entire course without paying first. The only time that spending on the curriculum is non-negotiable is if you take the final exam.
If you’ve taken a course with other online schools, you’ll notice that GoToTrafficSchool’s content is less interactive. They mostly rely on graphics and videos to have a variety of media in their course.
The quality of the videos isn’t the greatest, but that’s one reason why they’re able to maintain their low prices.
At the end of each section, you’ll go through a short quiz, which requires you to get all answers correctly. It sounds like a challenging requirement, but don’t worry — there are only three items, and the questions are easy.
If you want to see what it looks like inside, we’ve reviewed it for you, too:
Improv
The Improv Comedy Club is behind this traffic school, so you can more or less figure out what kind of experience you’ll get. Considering that you’re completing an online traffic school course, going through content that’s filled with humor — it seems like a good deal.
Unlike other online traffic schools, Improv doesn’t have course times in California. It means when they say you can go through the material as fast or as slow as you want, they mean it.
Improv’s online traffic school course has six chapters, each focusing on a specific subject. Once you start, you’ll see comic strips, fun images, and funny videos interspersed within the lessons.
Our video review gives you a glimpse of Improv’s online traffic school course:
There are multiple-choice quizzes at the end of each chapter. It has five questions, three of which you have to get right. The questions are easy, and you’re almost guaranteed to pass, even if you don’t read through the entire module.
Once you’ve completed your online traffic school course, Improv will inform the court and the DMV. You can download your certificate in 30 minutes and expect the arrival of your free tickets to an IMPROV Comedy Club!
iDriveSafely
If you’re looking for an online traffic school that’s been in the business for a while, you can consider iDriveSafely.
They’ve been offering their online traffic school course since 1998. That was the year courts started accepting non-classroom programs for ticket dismissals. This shows iDriveSafely’s agility in keeping up with opportunities in the market.
The Better Business Bureau accredited iDriveSafely 18 years ago. Currently, they have an A+ Rating.
iDriveSafely offers their traffic school course in text, but if you want, you can get a video format, too. For an additional fee, you can switch to this delivery method. If you go in this direction, all you need to do is watch and learn!
They broke down the California traffic school course into short segments. iDriveSafely’s platform manages your expectations and lets you know how many pages it contains.
A possible source of frustration is that there are course timers per page. Although taking the program online is still more efficient than attending in person, you don’t have as much freedom regarding pacing compared to other schools.
Watch our video review of iDriveSafely to see inside the course:
Speaking of videos, you’ll run into several of those while taking the course. Those are great learning aids, especially for those who are visual learners. They also break the monotony of having to read blocks of text.
If for any reason you’re dissatisfied with iDriveSafely, you can ask for your money back. As long as you request it within 30 days from the date of purchase and haven’t completed the final exam, they’ll reimburse your payment within a month.
California Online Traffic School FAQs
Can I take an online traffic school in California?
Yes, California acknowledges certificates from online traffic schools when you want to get your ticket dismissed. This is as long as it comes from a state-approved school. (You can be sure that all schools mentioned here are state-approved.)
What are the eligibility requirements in California if you want to take traffic school?
In California, you must meet the following criteria to be eligible to take a defensive driving course:
- You must have a non-commercial license
- You must NOT have any outstanding court fees
- You should NOT have taken traffic school (either online or in-person) within the past 18 months
- You must have received a citation for a minor moving vehicle not exceeding 25 miles per hour over the legal speed limit
How long does it take to complete online traffic school in California?
Online traffic school course meets California DMV requirement, which is 8 hours. Taking it online, especially from a school that doesn’t have course timers, means you can finish it sooner.
What benefits do you get from online traffic schools in California?
Taking a traffic school course online is convenient. You can work around whatever activities you already have plotted on your calendar.
There’s also less pressure to absorb the necessary information in a set amount of time since you can space your modules based on your preference. All you need to keep in mind is when you need to submit your certificate to the court.
In Conclusion
There are several solid choices for online traffic schools in California. The trick is to find which one offers the best deal — and this can mean several things.
The content is standard across traffic schools, which means you can narrow down your choices using price and delivery.
If your priority is budget, you can compare prices and choose the one that costs the least.
Your learning preferences determine whether you’re good with a text-based course or if you prefer something more interactive.
Regardless of which direction you go, you can use our list as an initial list of which ones to consider.
Ultimately, the choice is still yours.