Only persons meeting the following criteria established by the Judicial Council of the State of California are permitted to attend Traffic School:
You must currently
possess a valid driver's license.
The violation(s) on your ticket must be eligible. Any violation that carries a negligent operator point count of more than one point is not eligible. Seat belt, mechanical or equipment violations, failure to have insurance and other certain specified violations are not eligible for traffic school.
You may not have attended Traffic School in the last 18 month period.
Your ticket must not have defaulted to a failure to appear.
Your ticket must not be for a violation of Vehicle Code Section 22406 which prohibits any motortruck or truck tractor, a passenger vehicle or bus towing another vehicle, a school bus transporting pupils, a farm labor vehicle transporting passengers, a vehicle transporting explosives or a trailer bus from exceeding a maximum speed of 55 miles per hour on any highway.
Your ticket must not be related to alcohol use or possession of alcohol.
Your ticket must not be related to drug use or possession of drugs.
You must not have been cited while driving with a Class A, Class B or Commercial C driver's license or driving a Commercial Motor Vehicle. (Effective September 20, 2005, pursuant to VC 42005)
The Court has an interactive voice response telephone system that provides specific information on your ticket. Telephone numbers: Southern Branch area: (650) 363-4300; Northern Branch area: (650) 877-5333; or Central Branch area: (650) 573-2622.
If you are eligible to attend Traffic School, you will still be required to pay for the citation in addition to required traffic school fees. None of the money is refundable. If you meet the qualifications and choose to attend Traffic School, sign your courtesy notice on the back, mail your courtesy notice, a request that you be permitted to attend Traffic School, and a check or money order made payable to the Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo. The Court will send you the necessary forms and information. You must sign the forms and return them to the Court.You will be given 60 days to complete traffic school.
In addition to paying for the citation and any fees to the court, you will be required to pay a fee to whatever traffic school you choose to attend. Traffic Schools are privately run and accredited by the State of California. Any questions you have concerning the costs, hours, or locations must be directed to the school you choose to attend.
Upon completing traffic school, the school will issue a certificate of completion. You are required to return the original copy of the certificate of completion to the court by the date you were given to complete. If you fail to return the certificate of completion by the due date, a bail forfeiture disposition [which is the same as a conviction] will be sent to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). This could have an effect on your insurance. If you file your certificate of completion on or before the due date, a disposition of traffic school will be sent to DMV. The following court locations are where the original certificate of completion should be mailed:
If your ticket was assigned to the Southern Branch:
Superior Court of San Mateo County
Southern Branch Traffic Division
500 County Center
Redwood City, CA 94063
If your ticket was assigned to the Central Branch:
Superior Court of San Mateo County
Central Branch Traffic Division
800 N. Humbolt Street
San Mateo, CA 94401
If your ticket was assigned to the Northern Branch:
Superior Court of San Mateo County
Northern Branch Traffic Division
1050 Mission Road
South San Francisco, CA 94080
You may also bring your courtesy notice to the court between the hours of 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. The clerks at the traffic window will provide you with the necessary information and forms. To be signed up for traffic school at the court, the full amount of fine and court fees must be paid at that time.
Please click on the following links for additional information:
