Welcome To CTSI

Celebrating 41 years of service to the Courts and Government Agencies, California Traffic Safety Institute (CTSI) is a non-profit company, which has been providing staffing and other services to the California Superior Courts in the administration of the traffic violation school programs since June 27, 1985.

CTSI operates under the legislative authority of CVC 11205 as amended in September 1991.

Pursuant to AB2499, which was passed in the 2009-2010 legislative session, effective July 1, 2011, traffic violations where a defendant has elected or been ordered to attend a traffic violator school (TVS) will no longer be a dismissal on the driving record. They will now become a confidential conviction.

A confidential conviction will mask the violation from your public record. Insurance companies will not see the confidential conviction.

A traffic violator school conviction will not be masked if:

• There is a successful TVS completion within the previous 18 months.
• The conviction is a major (2 point) violation (DUI or Reckless Driving).
• The driver was operating a commercial vehicle at the time of the violation.
• A Class A or B licensee operating a non-commercial vehicle (0 points displayed).

Important Traffic School Attendance Information:
A court may refer a driver to traffic violator school at any time. However, California Vehicle Code Section 1808.7 mandates that only one conviction in an eighteen (18) month period be masked from public view on your driving record. The eighteen (18) month period is calculated from citation/violation date, not class attendance date. Courts are required to adjudicate all major (2 point) violations; courts are prohibited from sending drivers who commit major violations to traffic violator schools for the purpose of masking a conviction.

If you need an extension of time, please contact the court which imposed the sentence; CTSI has no authority to grant extensions. You may attend any traffic violator school with a valid license status listed on the DMV’s web-site. When you have completed the course, the school will issue you a receipt and the school will file the completion certificate electronically.

Benefits of Attending Traffic Violator School:
NOTICE: If you are eligible and decide not to attend traffic school your automobile insurance may be adversely affected. The citation will also go on your record and reflect the point count that goes along with the violation.

Child Passenger Safety

Join the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s  and the California Traffic Safety Institute initiative to educate the public about the importance of child passenger safety.

Overview

• Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children 0-14 years old.
• Studies have shown that parents and caregivers can be overconfident in their ability to select and install the right seats for their children; in fact, approximately half of all car seats are not correctly installed.
• NHTSA urges parents and caregivers to double-check and make sure their children are in the right seats (rear-facing car seats, forward-facing car seats, or booster seats) and that the seats are installed correctly. “Good enough” may not be good enough in a crash.

Stats

• Every day in 2024, on average, two children under 14 were killed and 349 were injured in traffic crashes while riding in passenger vehicles.
• A total of 677 children were killed in traffic crashes while riding in passenger vehicles in 2024, and over 127,000 were injured.
• In 2024, 39% of children (14 and younger) who died while riding in passenger vehicles were unrestrained.
• Over the 5-year period from 2020-2024, there were 1,828 “tweens” (8 to 14 years old) killed in passenger vehicles.
• In 2024 alone, the 8- to 12-year-old age group had the highest number of passenger vehicle occupant fatalities (193) among children in traffic crashes. This age group is often found to be using the wrong type of restraint for their age and size. Moving a child passenger into a booster seat or adult seat belt before they are the right age and size can increase the risk of injury and death.
• In 2024, almost half (45%) of the children killed while riding in light pickup trucks were unrestrained, followed by SUVs (42%), passenger cars (38%), and vans (21%). Children are safest when secured in the proper car seats or booster seats for their ages and sizes, regardless of the vehicle type.

Important car seat tips

• Read the instructions. Before installing a car seat, read both the car seat instruction manual and the vehicle owner’s manual. These documents contain critical information about correct car seat installation in your vehicle. Skipping steps or misusing equipment can have serious consequences. To get expert help installing your car seat, a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician can help you for free.
• Use the tether on forward-facing car seats. Securing the tether is an essential step when installing a forward-facing car seat. It prevents the car seat from moving forward in a crash and may prevent head injury. Read your vehicle owner’s manual to find the correct tether anchor location.
• Don’t rush to the next seat. Moving children to the next type of car seat before they’re ready leaves them vulnerable in a crash. Keep your kids in the right seat as long as possible for their age and size.
• Keep children under 13 in the back seat. Riding in the front seat is not safe for kids. Air bags in the front seat are designed for adult passengers. All children under 13 should be buckled in the correct seat — always in the back seat. Never place a car seat in the front seat.

The importance of booster seats

• Just like rear-facing car seats are essential for babies, car seats and booster seats are equally necessary next steps.
• Booster seats are a necessary step between car seats and seat belts. Booster seats position the adult seat belt so that it fits properly over the stronger parts of your child’s body to protect them in a crash.
• If a booster seat is the right seat for a child’s age and size, then that is the safest way for them to be protected in a crash. Children should stay in a booster seat until a seat belt fits correctly.

Seat belts for big kids

• When a child is ready to use a seat belt, check to make sure the seat belt lies across the child’s upper thighs and is snug across the shoulder and chest. Seat belts should never rest on the stomach area or across the face or neck.
• Be sure children do not place the shoulder belt behind their back. In a crash, a child could be seriously injured if the shoulder belt isn’t in the correct place. When driving with children, caregivers should check periodically to make sure they’re still buckled correctly.