Georgia Traffic Ticket

Are you a Florida resident that received a traffic ticket in Georgia (or another State)?  You probably have many questions concerning your options, whether points will be assessed against your Florida Drivers License, can another State Suspense my Florida License, etc.

In today's modern world, most States have reciprocal legal agreements with other states concerning Driver's Licenses.  Residents of one state are expected to obey traffic laws in others states, even if the law is different from their home state.

When you receive a traffic ticket in another state (Florida DMV FAQ), you will be expected to fulfill the obligations just as you would in Florida.  Also like Florida, if you do not fulfill the obligations, the offended state will take legal action against you in Florida.  Depending on the Agreement, your license can be suspended (through the Florida DMV) and any points associated with the violation can be reported to Florida and applied against your license.

A few good guidelines for any Florida resident who receives a Traffic Citation in another State:

1. Do Not Ignore It.  It will not go away on it's own.
2. Contact the local jurisdiction where you received the ticket within the appropriate timeframe.
3. Ask if "Points" are associated with your violation and if you are permitted to attend a Defensive Driving School (DDS) Course so that Adjudication is Withheld (No Points).
4. Pay any fines on time.
5. If you had a major violation, it is strongly suggested you receive legal counsel from a lawyer that practices in the state where you received the violation.

Georgia Traffic School and Florida Residents

The State of Georgia has a Defensive Driving School / Traffic School program.  It is a 6-hour DDS course.  Further, Georgia requires students to complete the course in a traditional classroom (Online classes are prohibited).

Florida law does not allow you to attend a school to remove points for a ticket received in another state once it has come to your Florida Driving Record.  This means you can not attend a DDS Class in Florida after the points have been applied to your License.  Therefore, you must attend the class prior to paying the fine and only after receiving permission from the county or jurisdiction where you received the ticket.

Suggested Steps

Nations Traffic School is certified for all DDS courses in Florida.  Our curriculums and course materials are developed by the National Traffic Safety Institute (NTSI) and are accepted in most states (including Georgia).  Nations has traditional classroom courses offered every week in our Tallahassee, Tampa and / or Orlando locations.

In order to attend a DDS Course in Florida for a Georgia Traffic Ticket (or other state), we suggest you follow these steps:

1. Contact the county or local jurisdiction where you received the ticket.
2. Ask if they will accept an NTSI Florida Traffic School class and Certificate in exchange for Adjudication Withheld verdict (No Points).
3. Be sure to ask which Florida DDS course will satisfy their requirement.  Some jurisdictions will accept the 4 Hour Basic; others will require the 8 Hour Intermediate Course.
4. Be sure to finish your course on time.  Nations will provide you a Completion Certificate at the end of your class including a signed original for Georgia and a copy for your records.

If you have questions, call or contact us or the National NTSI Call Center at 1-888-312-6874.