Kentucky Defensive Driving: Traffic School, Points and Discounts

First: what traffic school does and does not do

State Traffic School in Kentucky is a sentence a judge hands down, not a dismissal. KRS 186.574 lets a judge sentence an eligible driver to attend, and once you pay and finish, the class replaces the rest of the penalty; only court costs remain. No points are assessed by the cabinet.

The conviction is still on file. It does not appear on the 3-year public driving record, but it is on the 5-year record that police, courts and other agencies can see. To resolve the charge before the court makes any finding, the option is your county attorney's own safety program, known as CATS.

Before court: are you eligible?

You need a valid license on the day of the citation, and the offense has to be minor. Anything that carries a mandatory suspension is out, and so is anyone who was already suspended or revoked when ticketed.

The once-in-12-months limit applies, except when a teen attends to meet the Graduated Licensing course requirement. Drivers with no license are excluded, and so are drivers licensed elsewhere, unless a judge expressly orders a nonresident to attend.

• Your license was valid when you were stopped
• The violation is minor
• You have not attended in the past 12 months
• You hold a Kentucky license

Before you pay online: payment means points

Your case sits with the District Court for the county of the stop. Prepayable tickets can be settled on the court system's ePay website, which finds your case by citation number, case number or name, or at the circuit clerk's counter. The website accepts cards and nothing else; bring cash to the clerk. Per the court's quick guide, the full amount is due no later than two days ahead of your hearing.

Under 601 KAR 13:025, payment counts as a conviction. The points go on right away, and the door to State Traffic School closes because you never stood before the judge. So anyone hoping for the class, or planning a not guilty plea, should attend court instead. Misplaced the citation? Look yourself up by name on the court's case search, or phone the clerk.

A worked example: you get a ticket for running a stop sign, a 3 point offense. Pay online and those 3 points post. Appear in court, get referred, finish the class, and the cabinet adds none.

After referral: online or classroom

RightLane Kentucky Courses hosts the online version. It is $39 and you will not get the money back. Wait for the cabinet's enrollment letter before signing up, then complete it within a month of your referral or conviction.

The classroom class is 4 hours, costs $15 and meets in locations around the state, with a Zoom option if your setup meets the technical requirements. Seats can be six weeks or more out, especially in rural areas, yet you still have to enroll within 30 days. Skip your scheduled class and your license is suspended until you rebook.

The county attorney route

The same statute authorizes county attorneys to operate their own pre-decision safety programs. Each county runs its own, so the cabinet sends drivers to their county attorney for these CATS referrals.

When lawmakers created CATS in 2015, they barred impaired driving cases, no-insurance cases, commercial license holders, and anyone not eligible for State Traffic School. Costs stack up: whatever the county attorney charges, a $25 clerk fee, and $30 paid in lieu of court costs. Check the current amounts with your county attorney.

If points are piling up

Moving violations carry points in Kentucky. Hit 12 points inside two years as an adult, or 7 as a driver under 18, and the cabinet summons you to a hearing. Skip it and you are suspended: up to six months the first time points pile up, a year the second time, and two years for any time after that.

Each point lasts two years from its conviction date; the conviction lingers five. A hearing can end in probation plus a mandatory driver improvement clinic in place of suspension, but it grants probation only once every two years.

What common tickets cost in points

Some speeding is free of points: up to 10 over on a limited access highway. Elsewhere, up to 15 over costs 3. Three points also attach to blowing a stop sign or red light, not yielding, careless driving, and texting behind the wheel.

Reckless driving and tailgating cost 4. Improper passing costs 5. Speeding 16 to 25 over costs 6, and so does passing a stopped school or church bus. Speeding 26 or more over, or racing, sends you straight to a hearing for possible suspension.

If you hold a CDL

A CDL holder can still avoid points through State Traffic School, but the conviction is still posted. Per the cabinet, that is mandatory for all moving offenses by a CDL holder or by anyone driving a commercial vehicle. County attorney programs are closed to CDL holders.

That follows federal rule 49 CFR 384.226, which forbids masking a commercial driver's convictions; only parking, weight and equipment defect cases are exempt.

If you are 55 or older: the insurance course

Licensed drivers who have reached 55 can take a state approved Over 55 Driver Improvement Course to qualify for lower premiums; KRS 304.13-063 and 601 KAR 13:340 set up the program. The courses must include four hours or more of instruction, in a classroom or in the field, under 601 KAR 13:040, and the state re-approves them at least every two years.

Among the approved names are AARP, RightLane and Kentucky Safe Driver. The cabinet endorses none of them and tells drivers to confirm the discount with their own insurer before signing up.