Rock Valley College
Cars in traffic

Traffic Safety Program

The RVC Traffic Safety Program is committed to educating individuals on defensive driving best practices to help prevent injuries and potentially save lives. Our program is based on an effective, proven curriculum developed by the National Safety Council (NSC).

About the Traffic Safety Program

Whether you have received a traffic ticket or are ordered by a judge, Rock Valley College offers traffic safety courses that will help you improve your driving skills and meet the needs of your court supervision

Taking advantage of this program will place you on court supervision, without going to court.

If you comply with the terms of the supervision, your citation/ticket will show on your public driving record, but no conviction will appear or be recorded. Your supervision will last 180 days from the date of the violation (For Carroll, Jo Daviess, Ogle, or Stephenson County tickets, supervision starts from the date the PLEA is recorded at the court.)

For court supervision, you must: 
  • Complete the traffic safety class within 160 days of the date of your violation.
  • Maintain a clean driving record with no traffic tickets for the 180 days of your supervision.
  • Be eligible to participate in the program (see below)
How do I know if I am eligible for the Traffic Safety Program?
  • Check the front bottom of your ticket in the appearance section. It must be marked "no court appearance required."
  • You may attend traffic school for only one ticket per year (a 365-day period of time). The year is measured from ticket date to ticket date.
  • If you have had supervision for another ticket that was issued within 12 months of this current ticket (either by court appointment or by participating in this or any other Traffic Safety Program/school,) you are NOT eligible unless you go to court and request supervision from the judge.
  • In accidents/crashes where there is personal injury and/or where two tickets were issued, even if the ticket is marked "may appear," you are still not eligible and must go to court, regardless of the fact that you were given an application from the officer.
  • If you were under 18 years of age on the day your ticket was issued, you must go to court with a parent or guardian to request supervision. "No court appearance required" is only if you want to pay the fine and accept the conviction.

Class Fees

  • Defensive Driving Class (4 hours, in-person): $55
  • Defensive Driving Class (8 hours, in-person): $100
    • Also known as Attitudinal Dynamics of Driving (ADD), generally court-referred
  • Online Defensive Driving Class (4 hours): $75

Note: If you elect to take a class through another provider, they will charge you for their services, also. The fee paid to the other school is their tuition. The class fee you pay to the county where the ticket is issued does not transfer. Also, the other school will not report your completion, they simply allow you to attend the class and provide a certificate of completion. You are responsible for sending the original certificate of completion to Rock Valley College Traffic Safety Program, within 160 days from the date of the ticket. Late certificates will not be given credit. 

Class Locations

  • Belvidere: CTE Academy – 1400 Big Thunder Blvd, Belvidere, IL 61008
  • Dixon: Loveland Community House – 513 West Second St, Dixon, IL 61021
  • Elizabeth: Vocational Center – 950 US 20 West, Elizabeth, IL 61028
  • Freeport: Highland Community College – 2998 West Pearl City Rd, Freeport, IL 61032
  • Rockford: RVC Main Campus – 3301 North Mulford Rd, Rockford, IL 61114

How to Apply

If you received your ticket in a county served by Rock Valley College, you have three options:

  1. Plead not guilty. Follow the directions on the back of the blue copy of the traffic ticket and go to court in person or have legal representation there. This may result in increased costs to you and still may result in a guilty conviction.
  2. Plead guilty, pay the fine by mail or online, and accept the conviction, which will eventually appear on your public driving record and will be entered on your file by the Secretary of State.
  3. Plead guilty and apply for court supervision, which will require you to pay the traffic fine and an additional fee and take a class. You can plead, pay, and apply online or by mail.

If you have a Commercial Driver's License, please call our office at (815) 921-3940 before applying.

To apply by mail:
  1. Sign the back, bottom of the blue copy of the ticket in the "appearance plea of guilty and waiver” section. If you received printouts of your citation instead of the multiform copies, you will need to return the copy that says “court communication copy.”
  2. Fill out the Plea of Guilty and Application for/with Court Supervision form, and the Rock Valley College Traffic Safety Program Registration form, found inside the colored envelope. If you are in doubt of your eligibility, call our office at (815) 921-3940.
  3. Enclose the amount of your fine plus the class fee in a single payment, made payable to the Circuit Clerk. Payment methods allowed for mail-in supervision in each county are:
    • Winnebago and Boone: personal checks, certified checks, and money orders
    • Carroll, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, and Stephenson: certified checks or money orders
    • As of July 1, 2019, fines for all minor traffic violations are $164.
  4. Mail everything to the Circuit Clerk, in the colored envelope you were provided. Do not send cash!
  5. You may also pay for everything in person at the Circuit Clerk’s office in the county where the ticket was issued.
  6. The application is due (must arrive) at least three days before the date written on the front of the ticket on the bottom, in the appearance section.
To pay and apply online:

Follow the link below to the county where you received your ticket, and make sure to follow instructions carefully. These websites are not maintained by Rock Valley College. If you make the wrong selection, you will need to contact the Circuit Clerk of the county where you received your ticket for further assistance. Please note that you will still need to submit a registration form, either electronically or by mail, to the Circuit Clerk, not Rock Valley College:

  • Boone County (green envelope)
    • You will still need to submit a registration form to the Circuit Clerk’s office after payment. 
  • Carroll County (gray envelope)
    • You will still need to submit a registration form to the Circuit Clerk’s office.
  • Jo Daviess County Payment Website (purple envelope)
  • Lee County (orange envelope)
    • You will still need to send the registration form to the Circuit Clerk’s office.
  • Ogle County (blue envelope)
    • Select "E-SUPERVISION" for the traffic safety program. You will be prompted to fill out a registration form during the process, which you will need to send to the Circuit Clerk’s office. 
  • Stephenson County (gold/yellow envelope)
    • You will still need to send your registration form to the Circuit Clerk’s office.
  • Winnebago County (pink/red envelope)
    • Select “Criminal/Traffic Information,” then click on “Resolve my Traffic Ticket” to pay the fine and fees to take the class. On the next page, select the second option, which will allow you to sign up for Traffic School. You will be prompted to fill out a registration form. 

The application is due (must arrive) at least three days before the date written on the front of the ticket on the bottom, in the appearance section.

If the officer took your driver’s license, you may include a self-addressed stamped envelope along with your payment for a more prompt return of your license.

After You Apply

For the in-person classes:

You will receive your class notification 4-6 weeks after you have applied and after your class fees and fines are paid. Your assignment will arrive by US mail in a Rock Valley College envelope. If you have not received the information within 90 days of your payment, please contact us.
  • You will need to bring a Photo ID and something to write with.
  • If you are unable to attend your assigned class, you must contact the Rock Valley College Traffic Safety Program Office at (815) 921-3940 prior to the class date. If you fail to show up to an assigned class, you will be charged a rescheduling fee.
  • If you are late, you will not be allowed into class. You will be asked to call our office the following business day to reschedule. 

For the online class:

It will take approximately 5-6 weeks from the date of your payment to receive an access code from Traffic Safety. The access code and instructions for completing the class will be sent to you via US mail to the address you provide on your registration form. Once you receive your access code, you may access the Safety Serve Online Portal.

Once you have completed your class:

  • If your ticket is from one of the seven counties we serve, Rock Valley College will report your completion to the county. 
  • If your ticket is from outside of our service area, you will need to contact the originating county for information on notifying them. 
  • If you took your class outside of our service area, you will need to send us your original certificate of completion before your court supervision ends.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Traffic Safety Program wants you to be safe. If you feel unsafe making the drive due to weather conditions and Rock Valley College remains open for classes, you may call to reschedule your class if there’s enough time left in your court supervision.

If Rock Valley College (or any of our satellite facilities) closes due to inclement weather, we will automatically reschedule you for the next available class at the same time frame and location, if you have time left in your court supervision.

If Rock Valley College remains open, our satellite Traffic Safety class locations may still choose to close. Please be sure to check your local news sources for weather-related closures.

Due to FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), our staff is not allowed to discuss your case or schedule with anyone but you.

  • You should be able to print the certificate for your records. The website will show your viewing percentage, pre-exam %, and post-exam % and will say, "Congratulations on successfully completing the National Safety Council's NSC Defensive Driving Course." 
  • Below that it will say, "Click here to get your certificate information." 
  • If you click there, your certificate should appear for you to print. 
  • If you do not want or are unable to print your certificate, you can save it as a PDF. We recommend you save a copy for your own records.

We will be able to see your completion and will update your record accordingly. If the class is NOT COMPLETED within the terms of your supervision, you will not receive credit.

While this class may be required as a part of your sentencing for a traffic violation, this is not the reinstatement class. You need to call (800) 822-7009 for information on the Remedial Driving/License Reinstatement class.

As part of the Illinois Graduated Drivers License program, any driver who was under the age of 18 at the time they receive a traffic violation, who wishes to take advantage of the Traffic Safety Program must appear before a judge to request court supervision. 

Although the citation may say, “No Court Appearance Required,” a driver under the age of 18 does not have to appear in court only if they wish to plead guilty and pay the fine without court supervision. Keep in mind that moving violation convictions during the initial licensing phase (ages 16-17) can result in restrictions that will extend beyond the age of 18, and possible suspension of driving privileges for a period of time.