Course Benefits
All defendants participating in Seattle Municipal Court's Driving While License Suspended Diversion Program (DWLS) are required to attend traffic school. Traffic school may be completed either in a classroom or online. All defendants must attend traffic school through courses offered through The On-Line Traffic School, Inc.
Defendants have six (6) months from the date they entered into the Diversion Program to complete traffic school. At the time the defendant entered into the Diversion Program, a Review Date is given. The Review Date is the date by which the defendant must complete traffic school and get reinstatement of their driver's license.
If a defendant fails to enroll in traffic school or enrolls but fails to complete traffic school, then they will be terminated from the Diversion Program. If the defendant completes the course but fails to pass the final exam, they can retake the final until either they pass the course or the date of the Review Hearing, whichever comes first. If the defendant does not pass the course by the date of the Review Hearing, they should appear at the Review Hearing and request an extension. Extensions may or may not be given. Each extension is determined on a case by case basis. However, defendants that fail to appear for their Review Hearing will not be granted an extension.
The Seattle Municipal Court (SMC) will receive notice once a month of all defendants successfully completing traffic school within the previous 30 days. In addition, the Court Ombudsman will check the status of each defendant prior to their Review Hearing. However, it is the responsibility of the defendant to present SMC with a copy of their Certificate of Completion.
The defendant can:
- Bring the Certificate of Completion to court on the day of their Review Hearing or
- Bring a copy of the Certificate of Completion to the Court Ombudsman between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5 PM, Monday through Friday. The Court is located at:
600 Fifth Avenue, First Floor
Seattle, WA 98124
Windows 12-17
From the date the court receives the Certificate of Completion it should take between 24-48 hours to process the information and enter it into the court system. NOTE: Incomplete traffic school WILL NOT prevent an individual from reinstating their driver's license. As soon as the defendant makes arrangements to pay their outstanding financial obligation(s), the hold on their license will be lifted. However, a defendant CANNOT complete the Diversion Program without successfully completing traffic school.
If The Diversion Program is successfully completed, the defendant will have no criminal charge, no fine associated with the criminal charge (DWLS 3rd carries a $250 fine), and accompanying tickets are either reduced to $75 or dismissed.
If a defendant is not eligible for the DWLS program or chooses not to participate, the case can be continued for 6 months. If, after 6 months, the defendant reinstates their driver's license, the City Attorney will reduce the charge of Driving While License Suspended in the 3rd degree to a No Valid Operator's License (NVOL). The NVOL carries a fine of $101. In addition, all accompany citations the defendant received when they were stopped will remain in effect.
Example Scenario
The driver is pulled over, ticketed for DWLS, speeding & no insurance.
Legal Issue: Diversion Program No Diversion Program DWLS 3rd ($250 Fine) Dismissed Reduced to NVOL ($101 fine) No Insurance ($538 Fine) Reduced to $75 Remains $538 unless otherwise ordered by the Judge. Speeding ($75) Dismissed Remains $75 unless otherwise ordered by the Judge. Total Cost: $75 (plus the cost of traffic school) $714 As you can see, there is a serious financial benefit to participating in the Diversion Program.
