by
John Fabel | Last Updated: October 15, 2023 There are many reasons to take a traffic school course:
- The Big One—You got yourself a ticket
- The Smart One—You’d like to save some money on insurance
- The “Have-to” One—You drive a vehicle for work, and the boss says you gotta
- The Incredibly Rare One—You want to brush up your skills to become a better driver
Question is, how are you going to get it behind you? My kid brother is fond of saying that if you give the hardest job to the laziest man, he’ll find the easiest way to do it with the least amount of effort expended.
As with most anything else in our lives these days, the “easiest way” is to do it online. There are a few classroom courses still to be found, and classroom courses can be fun. However, if you fall into the category my brother speaks of, an internet course is probably the best option.
I do realize that if you have already Googled “California traffic school,” you probably choked at the number of options available. How do you know where to begin?
Here’s where we’d like to help you out. We’re going to discuss who can qualify for a California driver safety course and take a quick look at the five California providers we think are the best. If, after reading our reviews, you don’t agree, we’ve also provided a list of all the online California traffic schools we could find. Get ready to do some scrolling; there’s a bunch of them.
While traffic school is the best way to deal with a California traffic ticket, you do have other alternatives.
Do I Qualify for California Traffic School?
To answer that question lies in your reason for taking the course. If it’s for your job requirement or to drop your insurance premiums, there are no restrictions on whether or not you can take a course. But, if you’re taking it for “The Big One,” the California Department of Motor Vehicles has a thing or two to say about whether or not you can.
The California courts site has an overview of tickets that are eligible for dismissal, and here they are in a nutshell:
- You CAN attend traffic school if:
- You have a valid driver’s license
- You were driving a noncommercial vehicle at the time
- Your ticket was written for a moving violation
- You haven’t dismissed a ticket with traffic school in the past 18 months.
On the other hand…
- You CAN’T attend traffic school if your citation was for:
- An equipment offense
- A non-moving offense (like a parking ticket)
- A misdemeanor offense
- Any offense with a mandatory court appearance
- Any alcohol or drug-related offense
Still in the game? Then let’s find you a course. Here’s the short version, and the reviews can be found below.
California’s Top 5 Online Traffic School Courses
Website | Name | Phone | Register NOW! |
 | |||
#1 Choice in CA!  | |||
 | |||
 | |||
 |
So How Do You Choose?
With so many California courses out there, what makes one better than another? We’re going to take a look at each company’s history, their unique advantages, and what their students say about their experience.
Traffic101
If you need to take an online traffic school course, consider Traffic101. You can sign up risk-free and only pay after finishing part of the course. The lessons use simple quizzes and text about traffic rules and safe driving. You can work at your own pace and get your certificate fast through email or mail. Traffic101’s customer service can help with questions. While the course is pretty basic, Traffic101 has a high pass rate and covers traffic rules well. The flexibility and money-back guarantee also make it a solid choice for an easy and straightforward traffic school option to fulfill your requirement. With an easy online course and helpful support, Traffic101 can teach you to be a safer driver and get that ticket masked fast.
- What students are saying—
- Tim L. says, “Thank you and I enjoyed your course and found it to be not only helpful but very easy to navigate through and understand.”
- Abel A says, “Thanks, the course is great and I am really recommending it to others!”
- Pauline N. says, “Thanks for a hassle-free, pain-free, time efficient way to complete traffic school.”
- Advantages of Traffic101
- No risk with “try-before-you-buy”
- Simple, straight-forward course
- Chance to win a free course!
Best Online Traffic School
Fairly new to the California traffic school scene, it hasn’t taken long for Best Online Traffic School to become the go-to option for thousands of California drivers. You can easily access their fast, convenient online course in English, Spanish, or Chinese on any device and progress at your own pace without timers. The curriculum covers key topics in 12 modules with quizzes to test knowledge. Best Online Traffic School provides a money-back guarantee so you only pay after passing the final exam. They offer unlimited retakes, 24/7 customer support, and same-day electronic certificate submission. With its modern interface, flexible pacing, and “Don’t Pay Until You Pass” policy, Best Online Traffic School aims to provide an easy way for California drivers to quickly complete their traffic school requirement online.
- What students are saying—
- Scott says, “Well laid out, easy to follow, made the experience as nice as traffic school can be.”
- Donna says, “Smooth process, easy to complete the lessons whenever there’s time. Courteous and quick responses to inquiries. Thanks!”
- Kelly says, “Easy peasy! Quick & fast!”
- Advantages of Best Online Traffic School
- Free same day submission to court & DMV
- Free audio In English, Spanish, and Chinese
- “Don’t Pay Until You Pass”
I Drive Safely
I Drive Safely was one of the first online driver safety providers in the industry. They have served over 5,000,000 customers over their long history and have maintained a very good reputation. The school has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and a nearly 5-star rating on TrustPilot.
- What students are saying—
- Mary N. says, “The course was easy to follow.”
- John S. says, “It was specific to my state and very thorough.”
- Janet W. says, “I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was.”
- Advantages of I Drive Safely
- Trusted by 5,000,000 customers
- Great ratings by customers, Trustpilot, and the BBB
- Works well on mobile devices
Aceable Online Traffic School
Now we turn our attention from one of the oldest courses in California to one of the newest, Aceable. The company launched in 2006 with a revolutionary driver’s ed phone app, and they have been innovating and disrupting ever since. The company then developed a traffic school course on this same platform, making it hands down the best course to take on a mobile device. Developed by a team of driving experts and online learning specialists from Harvard, you can be sure the information contained in the course is accurate and presented in a way to ensure maximum retention. So for traffic school on the go, Aceable is certainly the way to go.
- What students are saying—
- Eliseo says, “Absolutely amazing, highly recommended.”
- Logan says, “Amazing. Taught me a lot!”
- Emmett says, “The way Aceable is set up is great for people who are working jobs and going to school.”
- Advantages of Aceable
- One-of-a-kind phone app
- Customer service available through email, live chat, or social media
- Money-back guarantee
Online Traffic Education
OnlineTrafficEducation.com provides a convenient, interactive online traffic school course. They frequently update their curriculum so that their course covers all required topics to get your ticket taken care of. Courses can be taken at your own pace from home to acquire the knowledge and skills for safe, responsible driving. OnlineTrafficEducation.com aims to make traffic school a hassle-free experience through its comprehensive, engaging courses. To sweeten the deal, Online Traffic Education offers excellent, 24/7, bilingual customer support. You can trust OnlineTrafficEducation.com’s California DMV-certified programs to help you not only clean up your record, but to make you better informed and confident on the road.
- What students are saying—
- Dawn says, “A fast, easy and inexpensive way to complete traffic school. Content was clear and their system was reliable and never timed out!”
- Frank says, “Online Traffic Education refreshed my knowledge of the road and gave me the confidence to trust myself and be more safe.”
- Caroline says, “The ability to do this in my own time at my own pace allowed me time to truly absorb everything covered.”
- Advantages of Online Traffic Education
- “Pass or We Pay Guarantee“
- Rated 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot
- Bilingual customer support
If None of Those “Floated Your Boat”
California has more (a LOT more) online traffic school/traffic school choices. Here’s a list of all the ones we know of. On the other hand, if you still have a question or two about how the whole process works, here’s some info that you might find useful.
More CADMV Approved Online Traffic Schools
Website | Name | Phone | Register NOW! |
| | |||
| #1 in CA! | |||
 | |||
| | |||
 | |||
 | |||
 | |||
 | |||
 | |||
 | |||
 | |||
 | |||
 | |||
 | |||
 | |||
 | |||
 | |||
 | |||
 |
