Nebraska Traffic Violations
Though you should always do your best to drive safely and use proper judgment, sometimes we all slip up. If you slip up in Nebraska and are issued a citation for a traffic violation, Nebraska courts and the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles ("DMV") provide you with several ways of handling the situation.
If you would like to pay your ticket without appearing in court, the Nebraska DMV will allow you to pay your traffic violation fine online or by phone. Alternatively, your Nebraska traffic ticket will also have contact information printed on the back of the citation for the local Nebraska court handling your traffic violation. That way, you will know where to mail the check if you so choose.
If you think there was a mistake by the Nebraska law enforcement officer in issuing you a traffic citation, you may want to appear in court. Your Nebraska traffic violation ticket will include a date for you to appear before a court to discuss the matter with a judge. If you choose to take this route, you can either contest the issue, or decide it is best to plead guilty or "no contest" to the charges. If you appear in court, you should regardless request that the judge consider providing you some opportunity to have the traffic violation reduced or dismissed from your record, possibly by participating in a Nebraska online traffic school or defensive driving program.
Nebraska Points System
The fine is not all you receive when issued a Nebraska traffic violation. Nebraska oversees a points system for all Nebraska drivers, which tracks and records all the traffic violations remaining on each driver's Nebraska driving record. You can receive anywhere from one to twelve points for a given infraction, depending on the severity of your alleged actions. Below is a partial list of the points you can expect on your Nebraska driving record if your are convicted or plead guilty to the traffic violation:
1-Point Infraction
- Speeding by less than 5 mph on a local road
- Speeding by less than 10 mph on a highway
- Refusing an Alcohol Content Test
2-Point Infraction
- Speeding by less than 10 mph on local roads
- Speeding by less than 15 mph on a highway
- Failure to Yield to a Pedestrian
3-Point Infraction
- Speeding by 11-35 mph on a local road
- Speeding by 15-35 mph on a highway
- Negligent Driving
4-Point Infraction
- Speeding by more than 35 mph on any roadway
- Failure to Yield and Injuring a Pedestrian
6-Point Infraction
- Willful Reckless Driving
- 1st time DUI offender
- 12-Point Infraction
- 3rd time DUI Offender
While a point here and a point there seem minimal, if you reach 12 points within two years, you will temporarily lose your driving privileges in the state of Nebraska.
Suspension of Your Nebraska Driving Privileges
If you've accumulated 12 points in a two-year period on your Nebraska driving record, you are likely going to lose your Nebraska driving privileges for six months. If this is the second time in five years your Nebraska driving privileges have been revoked under the Nebraska point system, Nebraska courts will suspend your Nebraska driving privileges for three years. If you are under the age of 21 in Nebraska and accumulate six points on your Nebraska driving record, you may have your Nebraska driving privileges suspended. In addition to this severe penalty, if your license is eligible for temporary or permanent revocation under Nebraska's point system, you may be notified by the Nebraska DMV or Nebraska court handling your violation that you must surrender of your license in person. This is not a suggestion. If you are ordered to turn over your Nebraska driver's license and you ignore this demand, you can expect to be fined $500 and have a bench warrant put out for your arrest, providing you up to 30 days in jail to ponder the mistake you've made.
Attending Traffic School in Nebraska
Nebraska drivers have an opportunity to avoid having their Nebraska driving privileges suspended by attending a Nebraska traffic school or driver improvement program. However, in order to take advantage of this opportunity, you must not wait until you have accumulated enough points against your Nebraska driving record to already qualify for suspension of your Nebraska driving privileges. If you have already accumulated 12 points against your Nebraska driving record-six points if you are under 21 years of age-Nebraska will not offer this opportunity.
However, if you do not yet have 12 points against your Nebraska driving record, a Nebraska traffic school or driver improvement program will remove two points from your driving record. While Nebraska traffic school will not remove the traffic violation itself from your Nebraska driving record, getting points off your record is an important step in protecting your Nebraska driving privileges and keeping your car insurance premiums low.
If you choose to dispute your traffic ticket or plead guilty or no contest in court, you may have an opportunity to participate in a Nebraska online traffic school program. While the Nebraska DMV has not authorized Nebraska drivers to enroll in online programs to have points taken off their Nebraska driving record, Nebraska courts have jurisdiction over online Nebraska traffic schools and online driver improvement programs and may be willing to allow your enrollment in a Nebraska online traffic school to satisfy the requirements to have those points removed from your record. In addition, Nebraska courts may consider reducing or dismissing the traffic violation altogether, though any such decision by a judge would rely heavily on your Nebraska driving history, the nature of your traffic violation and your sincere interest in being a better and safer driver.
The Benefits of a Clean Nebraska Driving Record
A clean Nebraska driving record does not just keep your Nebraska driving privileges from being suspended or revoked. You can also maintain lower car insurance payments when you enroll in Nebraska online traffic school or online defensive driving classes. Nebraska's driver improvement classes assist in preventing your auto insurance from being raised by your insurance provider, and may even qualify you for an insurance discount. In addition to these benefits, Nebraska online traffic school helps you hone your defensive driving skills and safe driving techniques so that you can better avoid costly traffic violations and dangerous accidents in the future.
Nebraska Mature Drivers
A good Nebraska driving record may even help you qualify to receive insurance discounts. If you are a Nebraska Mature Driver, a driver over the age of 55, you should contact the Nebraska DMV, the AARP or your auto insurance provider to see if your successful completion of a Nebraska online traffic school or online mature driver course will help lower insurance premiums.
Nebraska Juvenile Drivers
A clear Nebraska driving record can also help Nebraska Juvenile Drivers, drivers under the age of 18, obtain insurance discounts. Many insurance providers, including those in Nebraska, offer special discounts for Nebraska juvenile drivers who show a commitment to improving their safe driving skills and establishing a history of defensive driving, one of many aspects addressed in Nebraska online driver improvement courses and Nebraska online traffic schools. If you are a Nebraska juvenile driver or have a Nebraska juvenile driver in your household, your insurance carrier will be able to tell you whether a discount is available for enrollment in a Nebraska online traffic school or Nebraska online driver improvement program.
Nebraska Classroom Traffic Schools
If you want to take traffic school in a more traditional classroom setting, the Nebraska DMV provides a list of pre-approved brick-and-mortar Nebraska traffic schools:
CORNHUSKER DRIVING SCHOOL
PO Box 8484 Omaha, NE 68108
CUSTOM DIESEL DRIVERS TRAINING, INC.
14615 Cornhusker Road Omaha, NE 68138
NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL GREATER OMAHA CHAPTER
11620 "M" Circle Omaha, NE 68137
NEBRASKA SAFETY CENTER
West Center University of Nebraska at Kearney Kearney, NE 68849
NEBRASKA SAFETY COUNCIL INC.
3243 Cornhusker Hwy., Suite 10 PO Box 30578 Lincoln, NE 68503-0578
SOUTHEAST COMMUNITY COLLEGE
8800 "O" Street Lincoln,NE 68520
TRAFFIC SAFETY PLUS
225 N Cotner, Suite 107 Lincoln, NE 68505
ROAD-READY DRIVER TRAINING SCHOOL
2900 "O" Street, Suite L Lincoln, NE 68510
SAFE PEOPLE
2811 N 81 Street Omaha, NE 68134
SARPY COUNTY SAFETY PROGRAM
1102 Galvin Road South Bellevue, NE 68005