What the State Does Not Tell You, and Common Misconceptions

If you plead guilty and go to traffic school, your insurance company will learn of this, which may result in an increase in your rates. Any attendance of driving school is noted on your record, and will be a factor in your rate increase. Depending upon your carrier, rates can rise as much as 30% for one ticket

Your driving record is a matter of public record and can be accessed by anyone including insurance, employees, credit inquiries, and more.

Your driving record in court goes back thirty (30) years. The common misconception is that is only goes back seven (7).

You can only elect to take driving school five (5) times in your life and once (1) per year. When you elect to take driving school, you have to pay a discounted portion of the fine, however, many Florida counties require that you pay additional amounts for the driving school election, and then you have to pay the independent driving school for its services, and then spend four (4) to eight (8) hours of your life taking the driving course.