Missouri's Version of Traffic School: The Driver Improvement Program

First, the short answer: no dismissal

Missouri does not have traffic school in the sense many states do. Taking a class here will never make the ticket go away, and the conviction will still be on your record. What RSMo 302.302.5 offers is narrower: a course that affects points and nothing else.

So your insurer can still see the ticket. The benefit is that the Department of Revenue never assesses its points, which matters because 8 points can bring a suspension and 12 a revocation.

Before you plead: asking the court

Under the statute, any court with jurisdiction over a state law charge, or a county or city traffic ordinance charge, can order the program. Courts that run a centralized violations bureau may hand that bureau the job of ordering and confirming it. Either way the court decides, and the Missouri Safety Center warns that a yes is never guaranteed.

Ask before you pay. Payment counts as pleading guilty and gives up your hearing, and once the conviction is reported, the points come with it. Courts differ in who handles these requests: in one it is the prosecutor, in another the clerk, in a third it gets built into a plea deal. Find out which before you do anything else.

Worked example: your ticket names a municipal court. You call the clerk two weeks before your date, learn the prosecutor handles requests, email the prosecutor, and receive a written plea offer that includes the program and a deadline.

Before you plead: eligibility and limits

Only certain point categories can be replaced: the 2 point catch-all for moving violations, speeding, careless and imprudent driving, and the 2 bonus points a judge may add when someone was hurt or property was damaged. If the ticket was on a motorcycle, the course you take is an approved motorcycle rider training course.

Thirty-six months must pass between uses. A ticket written in a commercial motor vehicle never qualifies, and neither does any driver who has, or is supposed to have, a CDL from any state, whatever they were driving at the time.

• Excluded: DWI, excess BAC and drugged driving
• Excluded: leaving the scene, driving while suspended, felonies involving a vehicle
• Excluded: CDL holders and commercial vehicle violations
• Excluded: a second program inside 36 months

While you choose: online or classroom

The law lets you pick online or in person. Either way, the course has to be at least as good as the eight hour Defensive Driving Course from the National Safety Council. The DOR sends drivers to the approved provider list kept by the Missouri Safety Center, part of the University of Central Missouri.

As of October 2026 the list shows about 30 online providers charging roughly $8 to $50, plus classroom locations by region. Expect units on Missouri traffic law, spotting hazards, sharing the road and avoiding crashes, with a final test at the end.

After you finish: deadlines, fees and proof

The clock is 60 days, counted from the conviction date. After you finish, the court must report the completion to the Director of Revenue within 15 days. The completion form can also go straight to the DOR by mail, sent by you or the course provider, to 301 West High Street, Room 470, PO Box 200, Jefferson City, MO 65105-0200.

Your fine and costs come from the court and the statewide fine schedule, and every dollar is still owed; the class is an added expense, not a trade. If you neither appear nor pay, the court waits 30 days and then tells the Driver License Bureau, and your license stays suspended until the ticket is cleared and $20 is paid to reinstate.

If you do not qualify

A refusal from the court, or a program already used inside 36 months, means the points go on. Some drivers try asking the prosecutor to reduce the charge, and some bring in a traffic lawyer. Neither is a right; both are bargaining, and nobody can promise the result.

A voluntary defensive driving course may still earn an insurance discount if your company offers one, but without a court order it will not stop points. Keep copies of every certificate and court paper in case a record error needs fixing.