The Easiest Way to Complete Virginia Court-Ordered Driving School
If you distinctly remember the sinking feeling that comes with seeing flashing red and blue lights in your rearview, you probably recently got a ticket. Fortunately, in Virginia, putting that ticket behind you doesn’t have to be overly painful. If you had to go to court over your ticket, the best possible outcome is to be required to complete driving school.
Yes, court-ordered driving school probably isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time. But it’s a relatively easy way to put your ticket behind you. And completing VA court-ordered driving school can actually be easier than you might think.
How do you know if your Virginia driving school is court-ordered? Easy. If you haven’t been to court, then the court-required specifics we’re about to outline don’t apply to you.
If a court did mandate that you need to complete a VA DMV-approved driver improvement course, here are the steps you should take to knock it out as easily as possible.
Step #1: Confirm you can take it online
Generally speaking, the VA DMV lets most drivers who need a driver improvement course take the required eight hours online. That said, there are some exceptions. Drivers under 20 or those who committed severe violations may need to attend their driving school in person.
Check your court documents to see if you’re eligible for an online Virginia driver improvement course. If you are, good news. This is definitely the easiest way to complete your court-ordered driving school.
Step #2: Find a school and submit your documentation to them
The DMV has approved some online driver education providers. They’re not all the same, though. To make it as easy as possible to finish your eight hours, you should look for a provider that lets you take the hours at your own pace and is mobile-friendly. That way, you can chip away at your hours from your phone whenever you have a spare moment.
Once you find an education provider you like and confirm that they’re DMV-approved, show them your court documents. If the court has said you can be awarded safe driving points for your course completion, that’s the only way you’ll get those points. In other words, you can’t show those documents after you finish your course and hope to get the points. You won’t.
#3: Finish your hours and pass the test
VA court-ordered driving school is eight hours long and comes with a final exam. Don’t worry. With the right provider and the right course, you can take your exam from the comfort of your home. You just submit a photo of your driver’s license to validate your identity and unlock the exam.
What happens if you don’t pass on the first try? No worries. You’ll need to wait a day, but you can attempt the exam once per day until you get the score you need.
Once you pass, your education provider reports your course completion to the DMV within 24 hours. You may need to take some extra steps to confirm that you’ve completed the court-ordered driving school, so review your court documents. Either way, though, if you knock out your hours online, even a court-ordered VA driver improvement course can be a breeze.