Arizona Defensive Driving School: Clearing an Eligible Ticket

Start here: is this really a right?

Yes. Most states leave it to the judge, but A.R.S. 28-3392 uses the word shall: anyone ticketed for a civil traffic moving violation (or the equivalent local ordinance) must be allowed to attend.

After completion, A.R.S. 28-3394 obliges the court to dismiss and bars MVD from adding the ticket to your record. In the courts' own shorthand: dismissed, zero points.

Before you sign up: eligibility

The charge has to be a civil moving violation. Courts may make one criminal exception, for criminal speeding (A.R.S. 28-701.02), and only with the court's permission, which you request first.

Courts such as Phoenix Municipal and those in Mohave County count the 12 months between violation dates. Phoenix adds that a paid ticket, or one already headed to trial, is ineligible.

• Out: parking, registration, insurance and other non moving violations
• Out: anything linked to a crash with a death or serious physical injury
• Out: anyone who used a class within the past 12 months
• Out: a ticket already paid or scheduled for trial or hearing

If you hold a CDL

Drivers of a commercial motor vehicle requiring a CDL cannot use the diversion program. A judge can still make a class part of the sentence; the conviction remains and gets reported.

Commercial license holders are eligible when the ticket came in a personal class D or M vehicle. According to Phoenix Municipal Court, for violations dated September 1, 2019 or later, the violation still goes to MVD for these drivers, but without points.

Budgeting: what you pay instead of the fine

Every court has its own diversion fee, chosen by its presiding judge, and the state adds $45 on top. Together they take the place of the civil penalty.

You pay both to the school, ahead of or at the class, and it passes the money along. The Arizona Supreme Court publishes every court's diversion fee and total cost, so compare that figure with your fine before choosing.

A worked example: if your fine is higher than the published total for your court, the class saves money as well as points. If it is a little lower, you are paying a small premium to keep 3 points and a conviction off your record.

Choosing a class: length, format and schools

The Arizona Supreme Court certifies and supervises defensive driving schools and their instructors, and it limits a class to four and a half hours with testing and grading included. No court is allowed to favor a particular certified school.

The Phoenix court refers to in person classes in Arizona and says drivers who live out of state can come back for a class or take a Supreme Court approved online course. Ask your own court what formats it accepts before booking.

Deadlines that trip people up

Courts in Mohave County, and Phoenix Municipal Court, expect you to be done, testing included, seven or more days before your court date. If that will not work, call the court before the date and ask what it allows.

The class only covers the eligible violation. Other charges written on that citation need separate handling before the court date; ignore them and a default can follow.

Not to be confused with traffic survival school

Traffic survival school is a separate program. ADOT licenses it, it runs eight hours or more, it covers aggressive driving, and attendance is in person, with two exceptions: a governor's emergency declaration or a one time MVD hardship waiver.

A.R.S. 28-3306 allows MVD to order it when a record shows frequent violations, reckless driving or injury crashes. ADOT publishes the point schedule that sets the trigger, so check your MVD record if you think you are near it.

If the driver is under 18, or over 55

Under 18, one moving violation is enough for MVD to require traffic survival school. As Mohave County courts note, a teen who completes an eligible defensive driving class ahead of the court date escapes that order, because the ticket never turns into a judgment.

At 55 and up, it is worth asking your insurer about a rate cut. Under A.R.S. 20-262 a company may offer one once you complete an MVD approved driver improvement course taught in a classroom or in the field, though it is not obliged to.

If you pay or ignore the ticket instead

A payment is an admission. MVD receives the violation and posts its points (speeding carries 3, most other moving violations 2), and in Phoenix the class is no longer an option once you have paid.

Ignoring it costs more. A.R.S. 28-3153 blocks MVD from issuing or renewing your license once a court reports an unpaid penalty or a broken promise to appear, until the court says the case is closed. You can pay by card through azcourtpay.com or a court's own website, and the 2025 ticket form tells drivers who cannot afford to pay to raise it with court staff, as payment plans may exist.