Home  |  Auto & Mechanical  |  Driving & Safety  | 

How to Get Out of a Speeding Ticket

Should I go to driving school before I go to traffic court?

To properly view this site, javascript must be enabled and Flash version 9 or higher must be installed.
Get the latest Flash player
Steve Duckett
Steven L. Duckett, Jr., P.C.
www.duckettlaw.com  
703-691-2900

Steven L. Duckett, Jr. was born and raised in the DC suburbs of Northern Virginia.  He attended Paul VI High School (1990), University of Richmond (1994) and Valparaiso University School of Law (1997).  Mr. Duckett has spent the entirety of his legal career practicing in criminal and traffic law.  He created the law firm of Steven L. Duckett, Jr., P.C. in April 2001. 

Should I go to driving school before I go to traffic court?

This video discusses whether or not you should go to driving school before you go to traffic court.

This series: 411,186 views

Download to Mobile Device
Tags:

Speeding

,

Ticket

,

Infraction

,

Lawyer

,

Police

,

Law

,

License

,

Car

,

Traffic ticket

,

Traffic violation

,

Radar detector

,

Beat speeding ticket

Comments:

0 (Read Comments) (Add Comment)

Print

Transcripts

Host: Should I go to driving school before I go to traffic court?

Steve Duckett: It depends completely on your jurisdiction. For example, my home jurisdiction, Fairfax County, Virginia, doesn't give you any benefit to going to driving school before or after court. Some jurisdictions will actually hurt you if you go to driving school before you go to court. Some jurisdictions enable a person who is willing to plead guilty to their traffic infraction to actually continue the case for a period of time and in that interim attend traffic school and if you complete traffic school and provide a copy of the completion certificate to the court, then the judge would either dismiss or reduce the charges against you depending on the severity of the original charge. So, you need to know what the local practices are. As a general rule, if you have a good driving record you should go to court without taking the traffic course and the reason for that is a little bit complicated, but essentially in Virginia if you have a good driving record you get positive points for every year that you don't get a traffic infraction or a traffic misdemeanor. The cap on the points is a plus five. If you take a driving school course you get five bonus points credited on to your account, if you can call it an account with DMV. If you are sitting at a plus three and you take a driving school before you go to traffic court, it's going to cap you out at plus five and you are going to lose those other three bonus points that you got for taking the course; instead, go to court let your good record speak for itself and if you do end up sustaining any kind of conviction then you can take the driving course after court and then you will get the full benefit of the points after the points have come off of your driving record before the conviction.

Other Videos

  • Keeping Your Baby Safe in the Car

    Keeping Your Baby Safe in the Car

    In this video, SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. Executive Director Stephanie Tombrello explains how to buckle up the expectant mother to protect her unborn baby, how to select the appropriate safety seat for a newborn or older baby, how to prevent injuries from air bags, how to install rear-facing safety seats correctly, and the safest location in the car for the baby. She shows common types of car seat misuse and explains how to keep a fussy baby buckled up. The final segments include a one-minute car safety check and additional safety tips for the whole family.
  • DIY Auto Repair vs Professional Repair

    DIY Auto Repair vs Professional Repair

    In this video series, John Nielsen, director of AAA’s Approved Auto Repair Network and Auto Buying Services, helps you make sense of car care. The series explains the differences between repair and maintenance and do-it-yourself repair and professional auto repair services. Tips address choosing an auto mechanic and following factory and maintenance schedules. Increasing your vehicle’s safety, reliability and longevity through proper maintenance also is discussed. For more AAA Automotive information, visit www.AAA.com/Auto.
  • Choosing an Auto Mechanic

    Choosing an Auto Mechanic

    In this video series, John Nielsen, director of AAA’s Approved Auto Repair Network and Auto Buying Services, helps you make sense of car care. The series explains the differences between repair and maintenance and do-it-yourself repair and professional auto repair services. Tips address choosing an auto mechanic and following factory and maintenance schedules. Increasing your vehicle’s safety, reliability and longevity through proper maintenance also is discussed. For more AAA Automotive information, visit www.AAA.com/Auto.
  • How To check out your car's catalytic converter for blockage.

    How To check out your car's catalytic converter for ...

    Emmy award winning mechanic Scotty Kilmer shows how you can check out your car's catalytic converter for blockage. For answers to all your car questions, simply google Scottykilmer.com to reach scotty's website. Scotty answers all questions free. Forty years of repair experience is just a click away.
  • One Minute Car Safety Check for Your Baby

    One Minute Car Safety Check for Your Baby

    In this video, SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. Executive Director Stephanie Tombrello explains how to buckle up the expectant mother to protect her unborn baby, how to select the appropriate safety seat for a newborn or older baby, how to prevent injuries from air bags, how to install rear-facing safety seats correctly, and the safest location in the car for the baby. She shows common types of car seat misuse and explains how to keep a fussy baby buckled up. The final segments include a one-minute car safety check and additional safety tips for the whole family.
  • Motorcycle Riding - The Friction Zone

    Motorcycle Riding - The Friction Zone

    This video will show motorcycle riding and discuss the friction zone.