
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
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.
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
MyImprov.com
My Improv started in the driving business over 30 years ago and was founded in partnership with the World-Famous Improv Comedy Club. Professional Hollywood writers wrote their course and the curriculum, while addressing a serious subject, does so in a humorous and light-hearted way. As an added bonus, they will throw in four tickets to your nearest Improv comedy Club if you choose their course.
- What students are saying—
- Guillermo G. says, “I really recommend this online driving school….”
- Saurabh G. says, “The entire process is simple, with a nice interface!”
- Casey W. says, “As blissful as traffic school can get.”
- Advantages of MyImprov
- Humorous
- Flexible
- Short (as little as two-question) unit quizzes
GoToTrafficSchool.com
GoToTrafficSchool has been in business for over two decades and is one of the largest online driving schools, with over 1,000,000 customers and counting. The course is extremely easy, with quizzes so simple you can probably answer them without even going through the course. You’ll definitely learn a few new things, but most of them are reminders of things you already know. The final exam does have some tricky questions, but not so tricky that they should keep you from passing. In any case, GoToTrafficSchool offers unlimited chances at the final, so you are guaranteed to pass.
- What students are saying—
- Curtis says, “Very easy site to navigate through….”
- Wendee T. says, “Very thorough study of the traffic laws.”
- Danny T. says, “Everything went smoothly and easily.”
- Advantages of GoToTrafficSchool
- Live chat and phone assistance available
- Animations and videos to help make time go by faster
- Same-day certificate processing
i Drive Safely
iDriveSafely 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
Best Traffic School
Best Traffic School entered the online traffic school market in 2000, years before many of their competitors. This time in the industry has taught them how to be a full-service provider. DMV licensed and court approved, they claim their course is the fastest in the industry. If you are pressed for time, Best Traffic School promises same-day processing directly to the DMV and court with an instant printable certificate for your records.
- What students are saying—
- Deeds D. says, “Refreshed my memory about a lot we see on the roads.”
- Dolly R. says, “Makes you want to keep taking the course.”
- Shawty S. says, “I will definitely recommend if any of my family and friends need online traffic school.”
- Advantages of Best Traffic School
- In the business over 20 years
- Yelp rating 100% 5-star
- Customer information kept secure by Authorize.net
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 will be useful.
More CADMV Approved Online Traffic Schools
Website | Name | Phone | Register NOW! |

John Fabel
I have a long and checkered history with defensive driving. I took my first "court invited" course at age 15 and realized immediately that there had to be a better way. Since that first experience, I have gone on to teach defensive driving classroom courses and to author four internet courses in 2 states. After nearly 25 years in the industry, I can help you find a course that will be the best fit for you.Recommended Reading
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