On September 13, 2012, Governor Brown signed into law AB 1888 which makes commercial drivers eligible for traffic school.

For a commercial driver to qualify for traffic school, he or she must satisfy the following:

1) The person was operating a vehicle only requiring a class C license or class M license during the alleged violation.

2) The person has not attended traffic school within 18 months on the date of the alleged violation.

3) The person was not cited for an automatically disqualify violation (reckless driving, DUI, Failing To Stop at a Scene of An Accident). [1]

The good news is that a completion of traffic school will not count as a violation point for determining whether a driver is a negligent operator. [2] The bad news is that the record of conviction will not be kept confidential and can be disclosed to insurance companies. When non-commercial drivers satisfactorily complete traffic school, the record of conviction will not be made public. Insurance companies can’t see it and wouldn’t be able to raise premiums.  If the insurance companies can see the violation, not only will they raise the cost of insurance but employers of commercial drivers will have access to that information as well.

When this bill was originally drafted, it actually sought to make the conviction confidential but was later amended to require disclosure. [3]  Overall, the bill does provide some relief for commercial drivers but not to the extent traffic school is utilized for non-commercial drivers.

If you’re seeking legal advice, feel free to contact me here at The Law Offices of Mark A. Gallagher (800) 797-8406 or email: hans.socaldefense@gmail.com