If you are found responsible for, or guilty of certain specific violations, the law may require your attendance at a Traffic Survival School (TSS) class. These classes are presented under the authority of the Motor Vehicle Division of the Department of Transportation. They have no connection to the Defensive Driving Program of the Supreme Court.

It is important to know that the assignment to a TSS class is based on the finding of responsibility by the court.  Individuals who receive citations for these violations can still exercise their right to attend a defensive driving class as long as they are otherwise eligible.

There are certain violations  for which the Defensive Driving Program is not an option such as aggressive driving violations, violations resulting from collisions in which injuries have occurred, or most criminal violations. 

The Defensive Driving Program is a court-administered program that presents traffic safety classes through 16 commercial schools.  The classes are for people who have received a traffic violation and  wish to have it dismissed through the completion of a class.

The Supreme Court's Defensive Driving Program oversees the program, publicizes the rules governing the program, and certifies the schools and instructors that present the classes.

The goals of the Defensive Driving Program are to educate drivers and to divert civil traffic cases from the court system, while still providing a sanction, or penalty, for violating traffic laws.