Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of attending California traffic school for a
traffic ticket violation:

Most people initially experience a rush of anxiety and fear when they get pulled over by law
enforcement for a traffic ticket violation. After that, the most common thought is to fight
traffic tickets but almost immediately the uneasy feeling sets in as the question of "HOW
DO I FIGHT TRAFFIC TICKETS ?" pops up.

Some people contact a friend or a family member to find out how to fight traffic tickets and
how to beat traffic tickets in traffic court. The most common response is a recommendation
to forget it and not to fight traffic tickets and instead to go to traffic school.

Years ago it made a lot of sense to go to traffic school instead of taking the time to fight  
traffic tickets. The reason is that in the old days in California if you chose to do traffic
school, you did not have to pay the
traffic ticket fine for the traffic ticket violation.
Unfortunately the laws changed. Now if you choose to do traffic school, you must pay your
traffic ticket fine for the traffic ticket violation plus the traffic court fees ($50) for choosing
traffic school plus the fees that you will have to pay the traffic school itself.

Here is an example of the costs associated with choosing traffic schoolrather than fight
traffic tickets. Let's say you have a
speeding ticket for driving 16 miles over the speed limit
for violation vc 22349 a. The total amount of your traffic ticket fine according to the 2009
traffic ticket infraction penalty schedule is $266. If you choose to attend traffic school, you
also have to pay the court fee for choosing traffic school. The court traffic school fee,
depending on the county, is approximately $50. Then, you have to contact a traffic school to
find out what they really charge. After you get through all the advertisements and the
teaser rates for the $1 traffic schools, you are going to find out that the traffic school will
cost you anywhere from approximately $25 to $50 or even more in some cases. At this
point, your total cost for choosing traffic school to deal with a speeding ticket is
$266+$50+$40=$356.

In California you are allowed to attend traffic school once every 18 months. Therefore, if you
attend traffic school you have exhausted your traffic school option. If you get another traffic
ticket within the next 18 months you will not be allowed to use traffic school to keep the
DMV Points off your record.

Therefore, you should use the traffic school option sparingly especially if you have a
traffic
ticket that has a high probability that it could be dismissed, if contested in traffic court. So,
even though traffic school may be the first suggestion by friends and family but it may not
be the best option.

Actually, the traffic courts make it very easy for people to attend traffic school by offering
the traffic school option through the court's online services with a
list of traffic schools in
California to attend. If you are curious why the courts go out of their way to accommodate
attending traffic school, the answer is very simple. If you choose traffic school you must pay
the traffic ticket fine and the traffic school fees. This way the traffic court will get your
money. However, if you fight traffic tickets and win the court will NOT get your money.

Let's say you fight traffic tickets in court and you don't win. Well, this may be a surprise to
most people but you could still request the judge to allow you to attend traffic school.
Basically, you have nothing to lose if you choose to fight traffic tickets first and get them
dismissed. But if you do not succeed, then use your precious traffic school option.

Most people ask what if I fight traffic tickets and don't win in traffic court, will the judge
allow me to attend traffic school if I ask for it?
The simple answer is YES. In most cases
judges will allow traffic school if you have not attended traffic school in the past 18 months.

But let's say that the particular judge in your case denies your request for traffic school
after you have been found guilty. Well, in a court case called People v. Wosniak, the court
clearly indicated that the court must consider the request for traffic school even after the
conviction. So, bring a copy of the court case
People v. Wosniak to the court with you just in
case.

By now you understand why it makes sense to fight traffic tickets first and then if it does
not work out then go to traffic school. But the good news does not end here.

Most people have a fear of going to traffic court. It is totally unde
rstandable to be
intimidated by standing against the Officer and arguing your traffic ticket case. Most people
when faced with this choice again think "
TRAFFIC SCHOOL".

Well here is the other good news. In California a defendant in most traffic ticket infraction
cases may choose to fight traffic tickets with a process called
Trail By Written Declaration.
This process is all done by mail. All you need to do is to file your traffic ticket defense
argument and explain why your traffic ticket should be dismissed with the traffic court. We
have provided you with detailed information in our website regarding California Trial By
Written Declaration. If you would like to know
How to file a TRAIL BY WRITTEN
DECLARATION click on the highlighted link.

However, if you would like our
traffic ticket experts to prepare your case just sign up for our
service and we will take it from there.

CALIFORNIA TRAFFIC SCHOOL FOR TRAFFIC TICKETS SUCH
AS SPEEDING TICKETS AND RED LIGHT TICKETS

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