Traffic Schools

State-Approved Courses

Traffic schools provide great opportunities for improving your driving skills. You may be seeking improvement, or you may be required to take a course after receiving a ticket for a violation such as driving while intoxicated (DWI).

Contact one of these state-approved schools to meet those needs. They can provide you all the details such as costs, schedules, and methods in which you can take them.

For Seniors

The State of Minnesota offers a state-approved Accident Prevention driving course for residents older than 55. This four-hour course is designed to help you improve your driving and reduce your insurance premiums. Some of the schools are also approved to provide a four-hour refresher course.

Teen Drivers

All Minnesota drivers younger than 18 must progress through the Graduated Driver's License Law, and part of this process is driver's education.

Public school students as well as those who are schooled at home will need to pass and complete a driver's training program, which includes 30 hours of classroom training and 30 hours of behind-the-wheel training.

For all the details, be sure to check out DMV.ORG's special section for Minnesota Teen Drivers.

Ticket Dismissal and Point Reduction

Unfortunately, you can't get a traffic ticket dismissed by enrolling in traffic school. In Minnesota, once a ticket has been placed on your record, it stays there.

If you have points on your driving record, check with your local court clerk's office or local Driver and Vehicle Services office to ask if a course will reduce those points. Many times there are certain violations that will allow a reduction, but there are violations that won't. There may also be a limit on the number of points you may have reduced in a given time period.

Insurance Discounts

Many times, traffic school will help lower your auto insurance premiums, but do some research before you enroll. Some insurance companies may offer discounts only for drivers of certain ages, or for certain reasons. Some companies may not allow discounts at all, so contact your own to determine their policy on traffic schools.

Be sure to compare the amount of the discount with the cost of the course; in some cases, the class may cost more than the discount, unless the course is valid for several years.