Merced County, California Online Traffic School Guide

Eligible drivers with a qualifying moving-violation citation in Merced County can request traffic school through the Superior Court of California, County of Merced, either at the Merced Traffic Division or the Los Banos ("Robert M. Falasco Justice Center") Traffic Division, depending on where your citation directs you to appear. You may attend traffic violator school (TVS) only if the citation was for a moving violation, you have not taken a traffic school course within the past 18 months, you do not have more than 3 infractions on your driving record, and you do not have a misdemeanor on your driving record. A commercially licensed driver or a citation issued in a commercial vehicle does not qualify. Once the court authorizes traffic school, you will be provided a list of approved traffic schools and a completion due date, and you may only attend traffic violator schools approved by the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

GoToTrafficSchool.com offers a DMV-licensed, 100% online California Traffic School course. Court permission is required first: with court permission, eligible drivers can complete our California traffic school course online, and successful completion may qualify an eligible conviction for confidential treatment on your DMV record. Confirm with the Merced or Los Banos Traffic Division that online completion is acceptable for your specific citation before registering.

Traffic school in California does not erase your ticket. Instead, for an eligible, non-commercial conviction, the ticket is not erased, and commercial-license and commercial-vehicle exceptions apply, but a qualifying completion can keep that one conviction confidential on your DMV record rather than visible to insurers.

Locally, the Merced court explains the trade-off directly: a person who holds a class A, class B or commercial class C driver's license may request to attend TVS if the person was operating a vehicle requiring only a class C or class M license, and one conviction in any 18-month period will be held confidential and not show on your driving record if you complete a TVS program for a non-commercially licensed driver only. The court also warns that skipping traffic school when eligible can affect your insurance, since an unresolved conviction is reported to the DMV.

Eligibility conditions confirmed by the Merced Superior Court:

• Citation must be for a moving violation.
• No traffic school completion within the prior 18 months.
• No more than three infractions currently on your driving record.
• No misdemeanor on your driving record.
• You did not exceed the speed limit by more than 25 mph.
• If you were cited while driving a commercial vehicle or if you are a driver with a commercial license, you are not eligible for traffic school effective September 20, 2005.

Some violations carry a mandatory court appearance and are not resolved by mail or traffic school alone. Locally, examples include 22348(b) VC (speed greater than 100 mph) and 23140(a) VC (a person under 21 years old driving with a blood alcohol content of .05 or more).

To request traffic school by mail, select the traffic-school option on your courtesy notice or mail a written request to the court, and enclose a check or money order for the full bail amount listed on your Notice to Appear, made payable to Merced Superior Court, along with the required Traffic Violator School fee. Write your citation and/or case number on all correspondence. After the court authorizes your request, you'll receive an approved-school list and a completion deadline — this is the point at which you should confirm whether GoToTrafficSchool.com's online course is acceptable for your specific case.

You can also contact the traffic school representative directly:

• Merced Traffic Division: (209) 725-4189
• Los Banos Traffic Division: (209) 725-4212

Merced Superior Court gives drivers several official paths, separate from — and prior to — any traffic-school decision:

• Online payment: payments are accepted online with a credit or debit card that has a Visa or Mastercard logo, or with checking account information, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, through the court's official portal.
• Ability-to-pay / reduction requests: the MyCitations online tool allows you to enter a plea and make an ability-to-pay request on eligible infractions, including a request for a payment plan, more time to pay, or community service in lieu of paying fines and fees — but you should not use the online tool if you wish to contest the citation, attend traffic school, get a dismissal or reduction of charges with proof of correction, or if your offense is a misdemeanor violation.
• Contesting the citation: you may contest your citation by posting the fine in full and requesting a Court Trial or Trial by Written Declaration, by mail following the directions on your Notice to Appear, or in person at either court location. Trial by Written Declaration is authorized under California Vehicle Code Section 40902 and requires no court appearance; use Judicial Council Form TR-205.
• Fix-it/proof-of-correction violations: for correctable issues such as expired registration or missing proof of insurance, correct the violation and have a Law Enforcement Officer complete the Certificate of Correction on the back of your citation, then submit the signed citation to the Merced Traffic Division for a charge reduction pursuant to VC 40611.
• Walk-in appearances: for citations directing appearance in Merced, walk-ins are accepted Monday through Thursday mornings between 7:30 a.m. and 8:15 a.m., plus Thursday afternoons between 12:30 p.m. and 1:15 p.m.; for Los Banos, walk-ins are accepted Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday mornings between 7:45 a.m. and 8:15 a.m., with no walk-ins on Wednesday or Friday.

Do not ignore a citation while deciding on traffic school: failure to resolve your citation by the due date may result in additional civil assessment penalties, and it's important to contact the court to avoid them if you're unable to appear as scheduled.

Does Merced County accept online traffic school? The Merced Superior Court authorizes traffic school on a case-by-case basis and requires you to attend a school on its approved list; confirm with the Traffic Division that your chosen online provider is acceptable before enrolling.

Which Merced County court handles my ticket — Merced or Los Banos? Your citation specifies the appearance location; walk-in hours and procedures differ between the Merced (720 West 20th Street) and Los Banos (1159 G Street) Traffic Divisions, so check your notice rather than assuming.

Can I take traffic school if I have a commercial driver's license? No — if you were cited while driving a commercial vehicle, or if you hold a commercial license, you are not eligible for traffic school under the local court's rule.

What if my citation involves a speed far above the limit? Traffic school eligibility does not extend to citations for exceeding the speed limit by more than 25 mph, and very high speeds may trigger a mandatory court appearance instead.

Will traffic school stop my insurance from finding out about the ticket? Only for an eligible, non-commercial conviction completed within the court's 18-month window; confidential treatment does not apply to commercial driver license holders, violations committed in a commercial motor vehicle, or convictions carrying more than one violation point.

Can I request more time to complete my citation paperwork? Yes — an extension may be granted by the Clerk's office to postpone your original due date; contact the court by phone or in person to see if you're eligible.

What if I want to fight my ticket instead of going to traffic school? You may request a Trial by Written Declaration under Vehicle Code Section 40902 without appearing in court, using Form TR-205, provided full bail is posted and the case has no accident, mandatory appearance, or prior failure to appear.