Rhode Island Traffic Violations

Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal 345 Harris Ave. Providence, RI 02909-1082

While you can also pay by phone or online, mailing your payment in with a copy of your traffic violation citation will not require you to pay any additional administrative fees.

Your citation will also include a court date. If you wish to dispute your violation ticket, you may do so on that date and a trial date will be set for you. You can also appear in court on the date issued on your traffic citation and plead guilty. If you have unique circumstances surrounding your traffic violation or a particularly clean Rhode Island driving record that you feel may compel the tribunal to consider reducing or dismissing your violation in exchange for your enrollment in a Rhode Island traffic school or driver improvement or safe driving course, you may be able to. If you request such an opportunity and are denied, you can simply pay your fine in person with no additional harm.

Losing Your Rhode Island Driving Privileges

In many states, traffic violations do not only result in a fine, but also in points being added to your driving record that can affect your driving privileges in the future. In Rhode Island, no such points system exists. That does not mean, however, that repeated traffic violations will not come back to haunt you.

If you incur three or more major traffic violations in a three-year timeframe, the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal and Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles ("DMV") will consider you a "habitual offender." This moniker comes with a hefty punishment: a loss of your Rhode Island driving privileges for 1 to 5 years. While this can sound harsh, usually the traffic violations you incur must be of a particular severity, such as reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident in which someone was injured, evading police, or certain DUI convictions. Nonetheless, you do not want to rack up these offenses, no matter the excuse, or you can expect to lose your Rhode Island driving privileges for a considerable amount of time.

On a good note, the Rhode Island Legislature has passed a "good driving" law, which will remove traffic violations from your Rhode Island driving record if you have gone three or more years without another traffic violation.

Attending Traffic School in Rhode Island

If you commit multiple traffic offenses in a short time period, regardless of the severity, a Rhode Island tribunal or municipal court judge may order you to attend traffic school. Alternatively, you may be able to attend traffic school in exchange for reducing or dismissing your ticket, should you appear in court and request and receive approval from the Rhode Island court handling your traffic violations. While the Rhode Island DMV will not offer you this same opportunity, it may remove the "habitual offender" tag from your record in exchange for your successful completion of a Rhode Island online or traditional traffic school or defensive driving course.

No matter what your reason for attending, a Rhode Island online traffic school or online driver improvement program can often satisfy the requirements set out by the Rhode Island DMV or a Rhode Island tribunal or municipal court. Further, many people choose to enroll in a Rhode Island online traffic school or online driver improvement program to prevent increased costs to their auto insurance premiums in the wake of an accident or traffic violation conviction. If you are interested in participating in a Rhode Island online traffic school or Rhode Island online driver improvement program, you should speak with the court, DMV office, or insurance company to see if an online traffic school or online driver improvement program will suffice for what you aim to accomplish.

The Benefits of a Clean Rhode Island Driving Record

The cleanliness of your Rhode Island driving record is important for many reasons, and attending a Rhode Island online traffic school or driver improvement program will help you to keep your Rhode Island driving record as clean as possible. Rhode Island traffic school will help you to avoid traffic violations and accidents in the first place by teaching you safe driving techniques, quality driving skills, and other tips to keep you driving safely in Rhode Island and elsewhere. The less violations that appear on your Rhode Island driving record, the less likely you are to be labeled a habitual offender or have your Rhode Island driving privileges suspended for some other reason. If you have committed enough traffic violations to face this possible consequence, Rhode Island online traffic school may help remove some of those violations from your record and help you retain your Rhode Island driving privileges. Finally, a Rhode Island online traffic school or online driver improvement program can help prevent your insurance company from raising your insurance rates, saving you hundreds of dollars per year.

Rhode Island Mature Driver Insurance Discounts

In fact, your auto insurance rates could even go down by enrolling in a Rhode Island online driver improvement program or online traffic school. Rhode Island mature drivers near or over the age of 55 may qualify for specific insurance discounts by enrolling in a Rhode Island online driver improvement course. If you would like to see if a Rhode Island online traffic school can reduce your insurance costs as a mature driver, simply contact your insurance provider to discuss your options.

Rhode Island Juvenile Driver Insurance Discounts

Rhode Island Juvenile Drivers, those drivers under 18 years old, are also commonly eligible for safe driver discounts. Because teens are statistically likely to engage in unsafe driving, your insurance provider may be willing to offer you a discount for enrolling in a Rhode Island online traffic school, online driving safety course, online defensive driving program or some other kind of online driver improvement program. In addition, the longer you have your license as a Rhode Island juvenile driver without having a traffic violation on your permanent Rhode Island driving record, the lower your insurance premiums will fall. Again, if you are interested in learning more about potential juvenile driver discounts based on your successful completion of a Rhode Island online traffic school or online driver improvement program, you should call your auto insurance carrier today.

Rhode Island Classroom Traffic Schools

The Rhode Island DMV and Rhode Island Traffic Tribunals do not publish a list of state-approved brick-and-mortar traffic schools. However, if you are interested in enrolling in a traditional classroom-style traffic school, or you have been ordered to do so by Rhode Island authorities, your local Rhode Island court or local Rhode Island DMV office may be able to provide you with a list of traditional traffic school classes they have approved in the past.