Eligibility/The Driver Improvement Program

Attendance of traffic school is either done by court order or choice of the traffic violator. The intention is usually to avoid a traffic citation/infraction from appearing on a motor vehicle operator's official driving record.

The State of Oregon's Driver Improvement Program is designed to help the driver before a serious driving problem develops.

The Department of Motor Vehicles uses a computer to keep records of all licensed drivers in the state. If two or three traffic tickets or accidents are accumulated on your driving record, the computer alerts the DMV that there may be a problem. At that critical point, whether or not your license is suspended or revoked depends on how you drive and how many more tickets and/or accidents are added to your record.

The driver improvement program has four steps or courses of potential action. The worse your driving record is, the more drastic the action against your drivers license. The DMV has the option of skipping any of these steps.

The Steps are in order:

1. An Advisory letter. The first step is a letter sent to you if you have least two tickets or accidents added to your driving record within a 12-month period. If no more tickets or accidents are added to your record within the next year, no more action will be taken other than the letter.

2. A Warning letter is the next step and it spells out what is in store for you if more tickets or accidents are added to your record. A warning letter is normally sent if you receive one ticket or accident within 6 months of the Advisory Letter; or two tickets/and or accidents within 12 months of the Advisory Letter; or three tickets and/or accidents within any 18-month period.

3. A Probationary status on your license goes into effect if more tickets or accidents are added to you record. Probation is in effect if you receive one ticket or accident within 6 months of the warning letter; or two tickets and/or accidents within 12 months of the warning letter; or four or more tickets and/or accidents occurring within any 18 month period.

4. A License Suspension. During the one-year probation period, there will be a 30-day suspension for each ticket and each accident, even if the ticket or accident report is received after the end of the probationary period.

Attendance of traffic school will help avoid these negative driver license actions. Successful completion of the course will keep the violation you are attending the traffic school for from reaching your official driving record.