Let’s face it… Nobody takes an online traffic school course because they want to. The only time any of us actually enroll is so we can dismiss traffic tickets, reduce driving points, or get a car insurance discount.
You probably don’t care about who has the absolute best videos, graphics, and video instructors nor do you care to pay extra money for what would be considered a “higher quality” online traffic school.
If you do care about that stuff, you can hop on over to my main online traffic school reviews page where I go into detailed reviews about a large number of online traffic schools.
For now, though, I’d like to simply focus on the top 4 best state-certified online traffic schools that you can sign up for.
While all online traffic schools must meet certain state requirements, there are some distinct differences between them all, so first we need to determine what I mean when I say these are the “best” state-certified
Pick #1 – The Cheapest State Certified Online Traffic School, Guaranteed
Since nobody likes traffic school — no one wants to spend more than what’s necessary for it. If you just want to get the cheapest state-certified online traffic school (and I’m sure you do) and a guarantee it’ll be the best price, try out GoToTrafficSchool. If you find an online traffic school that is cheaper than them, they will try to beat or match the price by removing $1.
This online traffic school has also been around for many years and they are certified in more states than any other online traffic school. So, if you’re on a budget and just want to pay the least amount possible, this is your best bet. This is why I chose it as the top pick.
Pick #2: The Most Feature-Packed State-Certified Online Traffic School
Unlike most traffic schools on this list, the Best Online Traffic School is relatively new and boasts an impressively modern and stylish interface. The lessons are written and designed in a clear and easy-to-understand manner to ensure a hassle-free learning experience.
If you learn best by listening, this school has you covered! Each lesson comes with an audio version so you can learn on the go.
The full course package is packed with useful features, including electronic certificate delivery, unlimited retakes, live chat support, voice-overs, and same-day DMV and court processing.
And here’s the icing on the cake – you can access the entire course 100% free!
That’s right, there are no upfront signup fees. You only need to pay once before taking the final exam.
There are just a few drawbacks…
The Best Online Traffic School is currently available to California residents only. However, they are planning to expand their services to other states in the future.
The course is priced at $19.99, which is pricey for traffic school. Although it may not be the cheapest option, the extra features and hassle-free learning experience it provides are worth the slight price difference.
So, if you’re on the hunt for a top-notch online traffic school in California, then the Best Online Traffic School is definitely worth considering!
Pick #3 – The Most Entertaining State-Certified Online Traffic School
Not everyone wants to just complete their online traffic school as fast as they can. Some drivers do actually care about learning how to be safer drivers and want to retain some information as they go through the course. If you have a good sense of humor, the Improv Comedy Traffic School is probably your best bet.
If you don’t have a sense of humor, move on, because the humor they use is the “slapstick” style of comedy.
With that said, you’ll learn everything you need to know from stand-up comedians, funny videos, images, and text with embedded jokes and hilarities.
Oh, and by the way, you still get to complete your state-certified online traffic school in the shortest amount of time allowed by state law. They will verify your eligibility and let you know how long the course will be once you sign up, and it will be at the state minimum requirement.
Pick #4 – The Neatest State-Certified Online Traffic School
If you’ll all about the learning experience, then you’ll love iDriveSafely. This is because they designed their courses to be very neat. Many white spaces, short sentences and paragraphs, organized images and videos, and whatnot. Taking a traffic school online is usually much faster and much more tolerable than taking your traffic school course in a traditional classroom-based setting, but this isn’t always the case.
Some states, for example, require “course timers” to be used, meaning you can’t progress through the course until a timer allows you to do so. That means, if the course needs to be 6 hours long, it will be that long whether you take it online or in a classroom.
iDriveSafely will determine which court you are taking your online traffic school through and only deliver the fastest course allowed.
Who Am I To Give Online Traffic School Recommendations?
I won’t get into the long story here, but in short, I am a certified CDL-A driving instructor and I have had a very close working relationship with online driver training companies for many years. In addition to my “insider knowledge”, I have also been reviewing online traffic schools on this very website for many years now.
It all started when I saw how many extremely poor-quality online traffic schools exist and how many choices are available. Did you know that California has literally HUNDREDS of state-certified online traffic schools? Crazy, right?! Right.
Well, little did I know my reviews of online traffic schools would become rather popular, so now I’m just going through them all, one by one and actually taking the courses myself, then writing up a full review. Of course, I’m always happy to get feedback from other people as well, so if you have had any good or bad experiences with a state-certified online traffic school, please post a comment below and let us know!
Beware of “State Approved” Online Traffic Schools
In most states, you’ll receive a list of state-approved online traffic schools to choose from – you can find this list on your local DMV’s website.
If you can find this list, it’s easy to assume that you can go to any traffic school that you can find there. But still, you need to be very careful about which one you choose.
State approval does not translate to being the best online traffic school. Each one will have its fair share of advantages and disadvantages and some will suit your learning needs better than the others.
So take time to read about the school before you sign up! There’s just no getting around the fact that traffic school is boring and just about anyone would rather be doing something else.
However, there are other reasons you should be selective about which online traffic school you go with. Here are some of the things you should be careful of:
One, most online traffic schools are approved in several states but some courses can take longer to finish, especially if course timers are required. If a course is supposed to take 6 hours in a classroom, they will force a timer to be used to make sure you spend 6 hours going through the material. In other states, the course duration may be different, or there may be no course timers required at all.
If you end up signing up for a traffic school that requires a course timer even if your state doesn’t require it, what difference does it make? It might have been better if you take classroom lessons instead.
And if a course timer is required by your state, you’d want to make sure that your chosen school adheres to it. Otherwise, you might end up repeating the course all over again.
Another thing to watch out for is the school’s course content. Driving laws change. It gets amended, repealed, and new legislation can be passed. Make sure your chosen traffic school regularly updates its course content.
If you’ve done your research, you’ll find that most online traffic schools were developed in the early 2000s with very few updates since then. So be very careful here. If the school offers a free trial or demo lessons, make sure to check into them. If they have a money-back guarantee, take the time to see a few chapters in their curriculum. If it seems to be too outdated, better request for a refund immediately and look for other options.
Finally, be sure to check how their customer service works. In any business, getting help immediately when you need it is crucial. The ability to provide complete resolution in a timely manner should be taken into consideration. Make sure that the customer representatives treat you professionally and politely. Friendly ones are a bonus.
A Few Extra Things To Remember
After you complete your online traffic school, you will either be physically mailed or emailed a completion certificate.
In some states, this completion certificate is automatically sent to the court and there is nothing else you’ll need to do. In other states, you’ll be mailed a paper copy of the completion certificate and you must hand in that certificate yourself.
Make sure you check with the court clerk’s office for your requirements and be sure to hand in all required paperwork before your due date. Extensions are usually granted if you need one.
Also, remember to contact your insurance company to let them know you’ve completed an online defensive driving course. Many insurance companies will offer auto insurance discounts to those who have completed a course, especially for senior citizens.
Some states, such as New York, actually require discounts from your auto insurance provider if you’ve completed a certified course.
Fortunately just about any state-certified online traffic school will be very easy to pass, so good luck, and don’t worry because it will all be over soon. Good luck!!