Traffic School in Hawaii: What Replaces It

Why the traffic school route does not exist here

Many mainland states let you pick a class that makes a ticket disappear. Hawaii set up its civil traffic system differently, in HRS chapter 291D: a moving infraction gets one of three answers, and a class is not among them. When an online defensive driving company markets to Hawaii drivers, what it is really selling is an insurance perk or self-improvement. A Hawaii court will not give you credit for it.

A judge can still send you to driving school. The Judiciary lists it as one possible sanction for a moving or equipment infraction. The order of events matters: here the class is part of the judgment, not a substitute for it.

Within 21 days: your best tool is the explanation

Hoping for a lighter penalty? Hawaii's version of that is admitting the ticket with an explanation. You concede the infraction, tell the judge the circumstances face to face or in a letter, and the judge sets what you owe. You cannot appeal that ruling.

Convinced you are not guilty? Then deny it, either at a hearing or by sending a written statement. If the judge rules against you, request a trial de novo within 30 days. It is a fresh start, and a prosecutor has to show it is more likely than not that you committed the infraction. Win, and there is no conviction and no fine.

Worked example: you were cited for an expired safety sticker the day after your appointment fell through. Admitting with an explanation and showing the new inspection is the kind of situation that answer is built for.

If the judge decides you need retraining

HRS 286-128 is the frequent-violator law. When a district judge sees enough violations inside a 12 month window to suggest you do not care about other people's safety, the judge can call you in, look over your record and send you to a named instructor or driving school for retraining.

Not present when that happens? Watch your mail for a certified letter. From that point you have 15 days to show up. Failing to report or to complete the class is punishable by as much as a $100 fine, a suspension lasting as long as a year, or both.

If your offense carries a required class

Excessive speeding in Hawaii means 30 mph or more over the limit, or 80 mph and up on any road. HRS 291C-105 treats it as a petty misdemeanor, and every sentence for it includes driver retraining alongside the suspension, the fine and either community service or jail time.

OVUII works through a different door. A driver whose license was revoked for it has to finish a substance abuse assessment with the Division of Driver Education before the Administrative Driver's License Revocation Office will hand over a relicensing form. According to the Judiciary, anyone convicted of a DUI offense has to go through the Driver Education Program as well.

Who teaches court classes in Hawaii

You do not shop around for a court-ordered class. In Hawaii the District Court has its own Division of Driver Education, which offers counseling, teaching and public education to adult and juvenile offenders on each island.

Its budget comes from a charge added to every moving violation conviction. If a class is in your judgment, the court papers say how to sign up. Anything unclear, phone the division's office on your island.

If you hold a CDL or a provisional license

Holding a commercial license or permit removes any wiggle room. Under 49 CFR 384.226 no state may mask, defer or divert a conviction so it stays off your national record, regardless of the vehicle you were driving. On top of that, your employer must hear about any conviction from you, in writing, inside 30 days.

Teens on a provisional license have outcomes set by HRS 286-102.6. A first driving conviction brings suspension or revocation, and while any case is open the teen cannot move up a license level. Handle a teen's ticket the week it arrives.

If you want to take a course anyway

There are still good reasons to take a defensive driving course, from sharpening your skills to an insurance discount. Before you enroll, ask your insurer whether that course qualifies and what it saves, since Hawaii law does not appear to require a discount.

Be skeptical of any online provider that says its course will satisfy a Hawaii judge. When a court orders a class, the order itself tells you where to take it.