Traffic School Goes High Tech

For most people, time is their most precious commodity. In fact, there's often never enough time in the day to get everything done, and people face packed schedules from the time they wake up in the morning until the time they go to bed. Sometimes, however, the unexpected happens: like getting a traffic ticket.

Getting a traffic ticket means one of two things: having that black mark placed on your driving record or completing traffic school to keep your record clean. Keeping your record clean once meant having to attend walk-in traffic school: eight full hours, usually on a Saturday, watching videos and listening to an instructor. For lucky students, the instructor is charismatic and makes the afternoon more bearable. Some walk-in traffic schools try to entice drivers to their schools with promises of pizza and comedy. But, even for the promise of a couple of slices of pizza and a few laughs, drivers just aren't willing to sacrifice their days.

Fortunately, drivers have an alternative to traditional walk-in traffic school: one that will keep their driving record clean and spare them a wasted day. More and more drivers - hit with traffic violations - are turning to online traffic school or online defensive driving courses, a burgeoning industry that is poised to one day make walk-in traffic schools a thing of the past.

It's a simple process: register for online traffic school, pay the fee and get started. Many drivers can finish the course in between four and six hours, sometimes less. With schools like TicketRelief.com, students are able to start and stop the course at their leisure. Online traffic school offers convenience - something those strapped for time so desperately need.

Ellen Koka, a mother of two, simply had no time to waste in a traditional walk-in traffic school setting. So, she turned to TicketRelief.com. She was able to finish her course in only a few hours while her children were on a playdate. "Online, Ticket Relief was the best way to get my traffic school requirements done," she says.

Earl Jamison also knows all too well how hectic life can be. A father of two with a full-time job, Jamison had already sat through two walk-in traffic courses when he was hit with another traffic ticket. This time, however, he was no longer willing or able to spend eight hours in a classroom. So, he turned to the internet. "The fact that I could take traffic school whenever I wanted was just too convenient to pass up," he says.

"The advantages are obvious: convenient, inexpensive and being able to log in and out whenever I had the time was awesome," Jamison continues, "I would even go as far as to say that I learned much more from this than I ever learned in any traffic school classroom course I'd taken in the past." Jamison, who vows he'll turn to online traffic school in the future, isn't the only one who's enjoyed success with online traffic school. Cal Spinney turned to TicketRelief.com when he was hit with a traffic violation. "For my personal style of learning and working, the online flexibility and freedom trumps any advantages that might be offered in a rigid and structured classroom environment," he says.

Of course, as with anything, there can be disadvantages to online traffic school. While most traffic schools offer prompt customer service, traditional walk-in schools have instructors who can immediately answer any questions or address concerns. Further, as Spinney points out, sometimes the clarity of course material can present a problem, albeit an easily solved one with a call or email to customer service.

"The online version offered by Ticket Relief allowed me to go at my own pace, and on my own time. However, as is to be expected, there is a premium on clarity and completeness with online courses as there is no "instructor" at hand to offer advice, corrections, or general guidance. Fortunately for students of Ticket Relief, this course has been created with full knowledge of this limitation and includes all that I needed to successfully pass through the final exam on my own," he says.

Online traffic school also tends to offer updated material compared to that offered at traditional walk-in traffic schools. For example, TicketRelief.com updates its material annually, to ensure clarity and effectiveness. Mike P. Welch understands the importance of updated material. He attended traditional walk-in traffic school, only to find that much of the material was outdated.

"The instructor had us watch a video that was from the 1970's and a big segment was on call boxes, which I felt was irrelevant, considering the majority of the population now has cell phones," Welch says.

Welch, too, vows to use online traffic school should the need arise.

Among the many online traffic schools drivers can choose from is Ticket Relief, known for their dedication to customer service and quality course materials. TicketRelief.com offers drivers in California (including a Los Angeles defensive driving course and a San Diego defensive driving course), Texas and Florida an easy, convenient alternative to traditional walk-in traffic school. Poised for major expansion in the next few years, Ticket Relief aims to provide traffic courses - and other driving services such as driver's license renewal - to drivers in all 50 states.

If their record of satisfied customers is any indication, TicketRelief.com is set to become a major player in the industry. "Ticket Relief has been complimented highly on its ease of use, user-friendly environment, and well organized traffic school course. Discounts have always been a favorite amongst students. We offer senior, student, military, and AAA discounts," Travis, founder of TicketRelief.com, says. To learn more about online traffic school or to register for a course, visit www.ticketrelief.com.