Don't let a Traffic Ticket Damage Your Credit Score

March 11, 2009

It's tough enough getting credit these days. With a financial crisis of epic proportions in the United States keeping banks from lending out money to borrowers, even those with great credit scores are finding themselves unable to obtain loans that financial institutions wouldn't think twice about lending out just a year ago.

So imagine what would happen if you learned that you had a poor credit score because of something that happened on the road during the Clinton administration.

A report out of Arizona just days ago revealed how a woman in Phoenix, who was just weeks away from closing on her first home, learned that she owed $1,800 to a collection agency.

The reason? An unpaid traffic ticket from 14 years ago.

That's right. Almost a decade and a half. The 14-year-old $500 fine for a traffic violation had ballooned with interest to close to $2,000. What's more, the Arizona resident's driver's license has been revoked.

The driver in question claims that she paid the $500 fee right after she received the ticket. Naturally, most people don't keep receipts for something that happened over 14 years ago so this could very well be the case.

Nevertheless, this is definitely a wakeup call for all drivers across the country. It's no secret that a traffic ticket for unsafe driving can do some serious damage to your insurance rates and driving record. But nobody ever really considers the potential damage that an unpaid traffic ticket could do to your credit score.

Whether you live in Arizona or any other state, a bad credit rating due to an unpaid traffic ticket could potentially happen to you.

That's why an online traffic school or defensive driving program is one of the best ways to reduce your traffic ticket and avoid damaging your credit score.

The online traffic school and defensive driving courses offered through TrafficSchoolOnline.com each provides you with a virtually instant way to dismiss your traffic ticket, eliminate points on your record, and keep your insurance rates in check.

Simply hop online, select your state, find your county and register for the course. Depending on your fine, you may be able to dismiss your ticket entirely or drastically reduce the amount owed. And you never need to leave your house. The online traffic school course is accessible from anywhere with an internet connection.

Best of all, once you've passed the exam, you'll get a certificate confirming that the online traffic school or online defensive driving program was completed to the satisfactory of the state and its standards. The driver safety courses are 100% state-approved and recognized by the courts.

And because TrafficSchoolOnline.com has been helping drivers dismiss their traffic tickets for over a decade—the online traffic school first launched in 1997 and was the first of its kind in America—you can take comfort in the solid relationships that the online driving school has with state agencies and the court systems.

To find out how you can reduce your fine and keep your credit score looking as good as your driving record, visit TrafficSchoolOnline.com.