Traffic Class Allure Sags : Errant Drivers Once Could Duck Fines but Law Changed

Once a haven for the cost-conscious, traffic school has dropped in popularity like the Tokyo stock market.

Errant drivers once flocked to night and weekend classes, avoiding fines and saving on insurance while refreshing their knowledge of California’s rules of the road.

But today, traffic schools report a 23% decline in enrollment statewide and a 30% drop in Orange County. The reason: a change in the law last year which no longer allows drivers to escape fines by attending school although they can still duck the scrutiny of insurance companies.

“Enrollment immediately dropped like a ton of bricks after the new law went into effect, and it has stayed there,” said Linda Regan, vice president of West Coast Traffic School of Orange County.

Regan said her company, which provides services for four of the county’s five municipal courts, is holding about one-third fewer class than a year ago.

“The biggest group of people who don’t attend anymore are the uninsured motorists,” Regan said. “You have 30% of the state’s drivers who are uninsured, and there is no longer any incentive for them to go to traffic school because it doesn’t affect an insurance rate.”

Before the change, motorists who attended traffic school were not only spared the fine, but were also able to keep the ticket off their driving record.

The drop in attendance statewide was quickly apparent, said Gary Quinliven, an information officer for the Department of Motor Vehicles.

“There was an immediate drop-off because of the new law,” Quinliven said. “But I expect to see the numbers go back up. A lot of people didn’t want to pay because it was their first ticket, but they are finding out that insurance companies are increasing their rate on the first ticket.”

Jeffrey Spring, a spokesman for the Automobile Club of Southern California, said that even one ticket could have an effect on a driver’s insurance rates.

“One of the key components of how an individual’s rate is based is their driving record,” Spring said. “One ticket will impact that. It depends on the insurance company on how big a difference it’s going to make, but it’s going to make an impact and people have to remember that.”

By attending traffic school, a driver’s conviction is “masked” from DMV records, so that insurance companies may not see it. The DMV will mask one ticket every 18 months.

Although fewer may be attending traffic school these days, more are crowding courtrooms trying to fight traffic citations, court officials said.

“Since the changes were initiated last year, we noticed an immediate increase in the number of people requesting to appear before the court,” said Robert Gray, assistant executive officer of Central Municipal Court, which has jurisdiction over the cities of Santa Ana, Orange, Tustin, Villa Park and some unincorporated parts of the county.

Gray said that in the last year, an average of 170 people have been showing up for the court’s night session on Tuesdays requesting to appear before a judge--an increase of about 25% from the year before.

Many who appear in court don’t always want to fight the ticket, Gray said. Many are asking for either a reduction in fines, a payment schedule, a payment extension or for community service work instead of paying the money.

“There are a lot more people coming to the courthouse saying they want flexibility,” Gray said.

Regan said those who think about fighting in court to escape a fine shouldn’t bother.

“For people who fight a ticket, the odds are against them winning because most tickets people deserve,” she said. “Unless you have some very extenuating circumstances, there are very few instances where a police officer is going to be proven wrong. And police officers usually do show up in court.”

Regan said that since a traffic ticket stays on the record for more than three years, traffic school is still a “bargain.” It keeps a driving record clean and insurance rates down.

And, she added, a little refresher course never hurts. Traffic school costs $48 in most areas of the county.

“The point of traffic school is not just to punish people with fanny fatigue for eight hours,” she said. “The point is to educate them. It definitely helps the driving public, giving them a good review of driving regulations, some of which they may have totally forgotten.”