Kentucky Traffic Tickets & State Traffic School (2026)

Kentucky's State Traffic School can prevent points from being added to your driving record, but only when the court refers you to it as part of your case (KRS 186.574). The referral is not automatic and there is no voluntary sign-up: you have to request it at your court appearance, and the judge decides. Completion withholds the points, yet the conviction itself still stands. It is not a dismissal. The only Transportation Cabinet-approved online version is the state's contractor, RightLane, which runs about 4 hours ($39 online, or $15 in a classroom); a national online course does not satisfy a Kentucky referral, and the course must be finished within 30 days. Completion is generally allowed once every 12 months. Ask your court clerk about State Traffic School eligibility before you enter a plea. Last checked August 2026.

The True Cost of a Ticket in Kentucky

Kentucky drivers face a $163 fine and about $3,315 in three-year insurance surcharges for a 10-mph-over ticket, roughly $3,478 all-in. The fine is about 5% of the total bill. Kentucky offers a State Traffic School (KRS 186.574; 601 KAR 13:025) that, when the court refers you, keeps points from being added to your record. The referral has to come from the court. There is no voluntary enrollment. The only approved online course is the Cabinet's contractor, RightLane ($39 online, $15 classroom), completed within 30 days. Point avoidance is not the same as dismissal: the conviction still stands, but keeping the points off can stop the ticket from triggering the surcharge pattern most insurers apply. Actual dismissal, where a county offers it, runs through a separate diversion (KRS 186.574(6)). Last checked August 2026.