Speeding is what gets most Arizona drivers in hot water, and traffic school is a worthwhile option to keep your tickets from impacting your insurance rates, now and in the future. Too many points can lead to a license suspension, so it is best to keep your count as low as possible.
Choosing the Right Traffic School in Arizona
Before you shop for an Arizona Defensive Driving course you’ll want to determine if you qualify for the program’s benefits. Here are a few of the rules around it.
You’ll need a valid driver’s license.
You can’t be a repeat offender, at least not within the past 12 months.
If you were cited for multiple violations, your traffic school completion will count toward only one of them.
You’ll also want to confirm that the school you’re considering is certified by the state to help eliminate the points applied to your record if you declined this route.
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The 2 Course Formats of Arizona Traffic Schools
The Arizona MVD allows you to complete your traffic school requirements in three different course formats: classroom, home study or online.
Classroom Course - If you choose this option, you’ll attend a classroom at a predetermined time and put in a full eight hours before you can take the quiz at the end. This may sound like grade-school drudgery, but some benefit from in-person instruction, and the vast array of schools catering to all kinds of population subsets means that classroom traffic school might actually be a way to tear yourself away from the screen and go sit with people like you for a while.
Online Course - With everything from shopping to dating going online, it’s no surprise that traffic school has maximized the internet to make itself more modular and freely accessible. Some online providers offer an interface that can be paused on a computer and then picked up again on a smartphone, which allows you to absorb the information in piecemeal portions.
It’s essential to confirm that whatever traffic school you’re considering is licensed by the state of Arizona. Many traffic schools that service other states are not available in Arizona, so double-check that whichever program you’re considering is fully licensed.
Sometimes when researching Arizona traffic schools, we came across websites that seemed amateurish and maybe a little sketchy. After filtering for apparent credibility, we then checked all the sites we’ve recommended against Google’s Transparency Report.
Reviews
We refined our traffic school recommendations to those that are popular on the web, (as evidenced by number of users) and have at least 90% positive reviews on customer feedback websites, and where applicable, top ratings with the Better Business Bureau.
Safe2Drive - This company maintains very high ratings and reasonable pricing. The programs are interesting and hold your attention. Safe2Drive has excellent customer support and comprehensive programs starting at $24.95.
Trafficschool.com - This coveted domain name is owned by a company in Chatsworth that cranks out the customer plaudits like they were going out of style. Established in 1994, trafficschool.com’s coursework offers an audio component, and many reviews mention the ease of learning the material. It gets an A+ from the Better Business Bureau, and the reviews are raves, with five stars on Yelp and 4.9 out of five stars on Facebook and Google. Cost for its online Arizona course is $35.
IMPROVLearning - IMPROVLearning keeps it light for Arizona drivers looking to keep their MVD records clean. It boasts over 250,000 monthly users, and 93% of its Shopper Approved reviews are 4 or 5 stars. Current cost for the course is $38.95.
IMPROVLearning is a great program geared towards keeping the student engaged in the materials. Classes are a mixture of text, audio and video and hold the attention of the user using comedy whenever possible. The site is user-friendly and engaging.
Safe2Drive is a highly rated program featuring nationwide course offerings. The company maintains excellent reviews and ratings and is known for very responsive, 24 hour customer service.
Aceable is not only an excellent program in terms of content, it is incredibly user-friendly and engaging. Classes are available on any device, have accessible audio and video and manage to make the subject matter interesting and fun. The site itself is easy to use and intuitive.
This solid program is less flashy than others in the industry, but is a good choice in terms of content. The site is easy to use and self explanatory. The program tracks your progress and helps you along with prompt questions throughout.
This program is filled with all the information you need to pass the tests. The site is a little slow and simple compared to others in the industry. This content is timed, and users are expected to get through the material at a set pace. An audio option is available for a price.
This program is the basic offering in terms of frills. IDriveSafely has all the information you need, and no extras or distractions. The user-experience is very basic, but the content is complete.
Arizona classifies its ticket-mitigating class as a 'Defensive Driving' course. Beyond the label, you’ll want to confirm that your school is approved by the Arizona court issuing the ticket.
Yes, Arizona allows online completion of a Defensive Driving course.
Arizona requires four hours of traffic school classroom instruction, but online study can go at your own pace. You just have to pass the quiz at the end.
Yes, but Arizona then assesses a “court diversion” fee, which must be paid in addition to the cost of the Defensive Driving course. The main benefit of traffic school is to keep the resulting points off your driving record.
Yes, in Arizona the completion of a Defensive Driving course will dismiss the qualifying ticket.
There are courses offered by various schools that may allow for a percentage reduction from your insurance, but the Arizona-licensed Defensive Driving course does not result in a discount.
In Arizona, the difference between the two is that “Defensive Driving” refers to the course that gets a ticket dismissed from your MVD record.
Editor's note and disclaimer: Car Talk is supported by our fans, readers and listeners. When you click on some of the links on our website, we may receive referral compensation. However, you should know that the recommendations we make are based on our independent editorial review and analyses.
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