Nevada Defensive Driving: Points, Courts and Course Credit

First question: can a class make the ticket disappear?

Not through the DMV. Its course works on points once a conviction exists, and the conviction stays in your history. Whether traffic school changes the citation itself is the court's decision.

Clark County courts fold traffic school into the case. On North Las Vegas Justice Court's response form, no contest pleaders can tick boxes for traffic school, community service or installments, while the court's part of the form notes any amended charge, the points it reports and the due date for the certificate. Ask your court before you plead.

Las Vegas Justice Court, which hears tickets from unincorporated Clark County, is the clearest case. With no other citation in 36 months, you can have a moving violation changed to illegal parking, a non-moving offense worth zero points, either by completing an approved five hour class or by adding a Demerit Point Reduction Fee to the civil penalty. Contest the ticket and that option disappears; contesting also means posting bond for the full amount.

Up north, Reno Justice Court lets you request traffic school to keep points off when the ticket is a single moving violation of 4 points or fewer, provided there was no crash and the last 12 months hold neither a moving conviction nor a traffic school class. Its Traffic School Motion must be filed and granted before your payment goes through, or the points are reported.

How tickets work now: civil infractions

AB 116, passed in 2021, moved many traffic violations from criminal misdemeanors to civil infractions as of January 1, 2023. In the Las Vegas Municipal Court's words, these infractions are not crimes, and penalties usually top out at $500 a violation unless some specific statute says otherwise.

Inside Las Vegas city limits, you get 90 calendar days from the citation to respond. Let it slide, or quit paying partway, and collections gets the balance, your license may be suspended, and the points are reported anyway. Payment plans and a work program exist.

What common violations cost in points

Courts report convictions; the DMV assigns points. A year after the conviction they stop counting, though the conviction is a permanent entry.

• 8: reckless driving
• 6: careless driving
• 4: tailgating, not yielding, running a light or stop sign, passing a stopped school bus
• Speeding: 2 for up to 20 over, 4 for 21 to 40 over, 5 for 41 or more
• 4: a second or later hand-held phone or texting offense

If you reach 12

Twelve or more points inside 12 months triggers an automatic six month suspension. DUI and crashes that seriously injure or kill someone are outside the point system entirely; they lead and go straight to suspension or revocation.

Convictions from other states add no Nevada demerit points, although they can show on your Nevada record. CDL holders can see additional points and penalties. Worked example: a driver with a reckless driving conviction (8) and a 21 over speeding ticket (4) in the same year is at 12, and suspended.

Choosing a course

Your record decides the length: five hours with two or fewer violations, eight with three or more. Licensed schools teach online, in classrooms and by correspondence, and some run live online sessions.

At our last look, 35 schools held DMV licenses, from the big metros (Las Vegas, Henderson, Reno, Sparks, Carson City) to Elko and smaller places. Since pricing is left to the schools, shop around, and double check you are buying the point reduction class and not something else.

Court classes versus point reduction

When a class is part of a plea deal, finishing it keeps the judge happy but, per the DMV, does nothing to your point total.

The 3 point credit is reserved for classes you take of your own accord. To get both benefits, satisfy the court first, then check your points before signing up separately.

What these courses do not do

A traffic safety course is not teen driver education and is not DUI school, and it never wipes the conviction from your history.

Live in another state but got the ticket here? Deal with the Nevada court named on it, and do not assume a traffic school from home will be accepted; the DMV says it may not be.

Insurance, and drivers 55 and older

The DMV's traffic school page says nothing about insurance. But points show to insurers while they last, so cutting 3 can matter at renewal.

Drivers 55 and up should put one question to their insurer: does Nevada insurance law give me a lower premium for completing a DMV approved traffic safety course? The state Division of Insurance can confirm the answer. Mention why you are taking it, since a class prompted by a ticket may not be handled like one you chose freely.