REVIEW: Top 5 California Online Traffic Schools

by Jim Thompson | Last Updated: April 4, 2021

Recently get a ticket you’re trying to dismiss? Are you looking to save some money on your car insurance? Has your boss recently required you to take a driver safety course as a condition of employment? if your answer to any of these questions is yes, you are clearly in the market for a traffic school course. but what’s the best way to get traffic school marked off your to-do list?

As with most anything else in our lives these days, the answer to that last question is “to-do” it online. Sure, you could go to a classroom, and classroom courses can be fun. However, if you lead the same busy life that most of us do, an internet course is probably the best option. 

If you’ve already started shopping for a course, you might be overwhelmed at this point. We don’t blame you at all; California has a LOT of traffic school providers. How do you know where to begin?

We’d like to give you a hand here. We’re going to discuss eligibility requirements for California driver safety courses and give a quick review of the five California providers that we think are the best. And, if you don’t agree with us, we’re also going to provide a list of all the current providers in the state. Get ready to do some scrolling, it’s a pretty long list.

Who Is Eligible to Attend Traffic School?

The answer to that question depends on why you are taking the course. If you were taking it for a job requirement or for an insurance discount, there are no restrictions on whether or not you can take a course. On the other hand, if ticket dismissal is your goal, the California Department of Motor Vehicles has some rules you must follow.

BTW—If this is your first time taking a course, you may notice that sometimes I say “driver safety” and other times I say “traffic school.” In California, courts call these courses “traffic school” while some providers might call them defensive driving or driver safety classes. Not to worry; as long as the course is approved by the California DMV it will get the job done, no matter what it’s called.

California courts lay out some basic conditions for ticket dismissal. 

• Drivers CAN attend traffic school if:
  • They have a valid driver’s license
  • The offense occurred while driving a noncommercial vehicle
  • The ticket was written for a moving violation
  • They have not attended traffic school for a violation in the last 18 months

On the other hand…

• Drivers CANNOT attend traffic school for:
  • Equipment offenses
  • Non-moving offenses (like parking offenses)
  • Misdemeanors
  • Offenses with a mandatory court appearance
  • Alcohol- or drug-related offenses
  • Offenses in a commercial vehicle

Did you tick all the boxes? Then let’s find you a course.

Our Recommendations (the Top 5)

California’s Top-Rated, California Court Approved Online Traffic Schools

Let’s Break ‘Em Down

More than anything, online traffic school courses offer freedom and schedule flexibility not found in a classroom course. What makes one better than another? Let’s look at a few reasons, plus what their students say about them.

i Drive Safely

iDriveSafely was one of the first online driver safety providers in the industry. They have served over 5,000,000 customers over their long history and have maintained a very good reputation. The school has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and a nearly 5-star rating on TrustPilot.

• What students are saying—
  • Mary N. says “The course was easy to follow.”
  • John S. says “It was specific to my state and very thorough.”
  • Janet W. says “I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was.”

• Advantages of i Drive Safely
  • Trusted by 5,000,000 customers
  • Great ratings by customers, Trustpilot, and the BBB
  • Works well on mobile devices

Aceable Online Defensive Driving

Now we turn our attention from one of the oldest courses in California to one of the newest, Aceable defensive driving. The company launched in 2006 with a revolutionary drivers ed phone app and they have been innovating and disrupting ever since. The company, headquartered in Austin, then developed a traffic school course on this same platform, making it hands down the best traffic school course to take on a mobile device. The course was developed by a team of driving experts and online learning specialists from Harvard so you can be sure the information contained in the course is not only accurate and powerful but is presented in a way to ensure maximum retention. For traffic school on the go, Aceable is certainly the way to go.

• What students are saying—
  • Eliseo says “Absolutely amazing highly recommended”
  • Logan says “Amazing. Taught me a lot!”
  • Emmett says “The way Aceable is set up great for people who are working jobs and going to school”

• Advantages of Aceable
  • One of a kind phone app
  • Customer service available through email, live chat, or social media
  • Money-back guarantee

MyImprov.com

My Improv started in the driving business over 30 years ago and was founded in partnership with the World-Famous Improv Comedy Club. Their course was written by professional Hollywood writers and the curriculum, while addressing a serious subject, does so in a humorous and light-hearted way. As an added bonus, they will throw in four tickets to your nearest Improv comedy Club if you choose their course.

• What students are saying—
  • Guillermo G. says “I really recommend this online driving school…”
  • Saurabh G. says “The entire process is simple, with a nice interface!”
  • Casey W. says “As blissful as traffic school can get.”

• Advantages of MyImprov
  • Humorous
  • Flexible
  • Short (as little as two-question) unit quizzes

GoToTrafficSchool.com 

GoToTrafficSchool has been in business for over two decades and is one of the largest online driving schools with over 1,000,000 customers and counting. The course is extremely easy with quizzes so simple you can probably answer them without even going through the course. You’ll definitely learn a few new things, but most of it is mostly reminders of things you already know. The final exam does have some tricky questions, but not so tricky that they should keep you from passing. In any case, GoToTrafficSchool offers unlimited chances at the final so you are guaranteed to pass.

• What students are saying—
  • Curtis says “Very easy site to navigate through…”
  • Wendee T. says “Very thorough study of the traffic laws”
  • Danny T. says “Everything went smoothly and easily.”

• Advantages of GoToTrafficSchool
  • Live chat and phone assistance available
  • Animations and videos to help make time go by faster
  • Same day certificate processing

DefensiveDriving.com

This traffic school might be considered “the Grandaddy of them all.” After all, they have been at it long enough to nab the domain DefensiveDriving.com! You can’t argue with history. Opened in February of 2000, it’s been one of the top names in online education for over 20 years. Another fact that DefensiveDriving.com is proud of is their average 4.7 (out of 5) rating from over 100,000 reviews on ShopperApproved.com. The numbers don’t lie. You’re in good hands with this online course.

• What students are saying—
  • Vanessa says “Very easy site to navigate through…I feel the course has raised my driver awareness and it would be a benefit for all drivers!”
  • David says “Great and convenient!”
  • Jennifer says “I had a great experience with the site.”

• Advantages of DefensiveDriving.com
  • Live chat and phone assistance available
  • Animations and videos to help make time go by faster
  • Same day certificate processing

If None of These “Float Your Boat”

California has more (a LOT more) online defensive driving/traffic school choices. Here’s a list of all the ones we know of.

If you have more questions about California traffic tickets, we have more answers.

Complete List of California TDLR-Approved Online Defensive Driving Schools