If you're uncomfortable driving because of the ever-changing traffic laws and busy highways, you may need to brush up on your driving skills. If you've received a traffic citation or would like to improve your driving record, you may also want to improve your driving ability. Traffic schools can be the ideal choice for either of these situations. Learn the important facts about Oklahoma traffic schools and what they entail.
Traffic school, also referred to as defensive driving course in Oklahoma, is taken for several reasons.
Click Here to Decrease or Prevent Points on Your Drivers License
For a defensive driving course to be eligible to dismiss a traffic citation or help with lower insurance premiums, the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety (DPS) must approve the course. Additionally, you may want to check with your insurance company to see if they offer discounts for completion of traffic school and see if there are any specific requirements.
Traffic school will only help you with a ticket dismissal for citations like speeding, not stopping for stop, failure to yield right of way, following too closely behind traffic and similar noncriminal offenses. Traffic school will not help in cases like major injury accident, hit and run, resisting arrest, hitting a pedestrian, child endangerment or if you're violating a driving modification already in place.
Additionally, there are three basic conditions that must be met for you to be eligible for point reduction or ticket dismissal.
1. You must not have been driving a commercial vehicle at the time you receive the ticket.
2. You must have had a current and valid Oklahoma driver's license in your possession when ticketed.
3. You did not commit multiple traffic violations.
Traffic schools offer driver improvement or defensive driving courses that typically take six hours to complete. The courses, which are taught by certified instructors, are generally held on the weekends or the evenings at commercial driver training schools. Oklahoma also allows drivers to complete approved online driving courses. These are most popular because they are not limited to certain days or times but rather at the student's convenience. However, the online course requires the same amount of time to complete. The fee for the cost will vary by school.
Drivers who are taking the course for purposes of losing points will only lose two demerit points upon completion of the state-approved course. Two points is the most the driver can get back in a two-year period. Once you successfully complete the driving course, the school will send notification to the Oklahoma DPS and give you a completion certificate to provide to your insurance agency. You must pass a final exam to successfully complete traffic school.
Traffic schools also have a motor vehicle accident prevention course. These courses are typically for companies that want to educate their employees on safe and defensive driving tips. While motor vehicle accident prevention courses may earn you discounts on insurance premiums, they will not help with point reductions on your driving record. Also this may not help with Oklahoma SR22 insurance but read more to find out.
Because defensive driving courses at traffic schools are not for the purpose of obtaining a driver's license, they are not going to be as in depth as a driver's manual. However, they do cover a lot in a short amount of time. You'll learn crash and accident prevention tips; factors contributing to vehicle crashes; ways to be a responsible and defensive driver; and road environmental factors. The course also helps you brush up on Oklahoma traffic laws, signs and regulations.
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