Traffic Diversion Program
Welcome to the Traffic Diversion Program of Columbus City Attorney.
Here you can learn about the Traffic Diversion
Program’s goals and the details of the program.
Goals
Eligibility
Outcome
Questions or Comments
GOALS
The Columbus City Attorney’s Traffic Diversion Program is part of an ongoing effort to provide efficient and just service to the residents of the
City of Columbus. Accordingly, the Traffic Diversion Program’s main goals are to:
Promote safe driving. By requiring every applicant in the Traffic Diversion Program to complete an accredited
Defensive Driving course from one of these three agencies,
Safe Driver Online,
Safety Serve
or
Safe 2 Drive.
The Columbus City Attorney seeks to make Columbus streets safer for everyone.
Promote driver financial responsibility. Recognizing a
growing problem with uninsured drivers on Ohio roadways, the Columbus City
Attorney will require every Traffic Diversion Program applicant to provide proof
of insurance. Because every applicant in the Traffic Diversion Program is
required to have and maintain proof of insurance on their vehicle, the City
Attorney will reduce the number of uninsured drivers on Columbus streets.
Promote legal vehicular operation. Along
with uninsured drivers, the Columbus City Attorney recognizes the growing number
of drivers with no driving privileges or suspended driving privileges. The
Traffic Diversion Program is specifically designed to address this growing
problem by requiring all applicants to possess valid driver’s licenses and to
take the necessary steps to stay valid.
Efficiently resolve cases. The Traffic Diversion Program
is designed to free up valuable prosecutorial resources, allowing the City
Attorney’s staff to focus on more complex criminal cases. In addition, because
the Applicant pays the cost of the program and the underlying traffic case, the
City Attorney is able to offer this program with no additional costs to the
taxpayers of the City of Columbus.
The Traffic Diversion Program is a valuable tool in Columbus City Attorney's ongoing efforts to serve the City of
Columbus with initiatives designed to protect the public, promote lawful
conduct, and reduce inefficiency in the criminal justice system without
decreasing services to Columbus residents.
ELIGIBILITY
If you meet the below listed eligibility requirements, you are not automatically enrolled in the Traffic Diversion Program.
You must appear in traffic arraignment court on the date specified on your ticket and be approved for enrollment by Prosecutor Division personnel.
In order to be eligible for the Traffic Diversion program, you must meet the following requirements:
You have been charged with an eligible offense. What is an “eligible offense”?
You have a satisfactory traffic and criminal record. What is a “satisfactory traffic record”?
You have not previously taken advantage of the Traffic Diversion Program.
You had proof of insurance on the date of the offense or you can meet our requirements for current proof of insurance. What are the
“requirements for current proof
of insurance”?
You are able to pay court costs.
You complete an approved defensive driving course.
You do not possess a commercial driver’s license.
“Eligible offense” includes
most Minor Misdemeanor moving violations, but specifically excludes offenses
such as: Reckless Operation of a Motor Vehicle, offenses committed in a school
or construction zone as defined by statute, Failure to Yield to an Emergency or
School vehicle, cases involving accidents, and offenses deemed to be severe
infractions. “Eligible offenses” also includes certain
Operating Without a License and Driving Under Suspension Charges, but
specifically excludes offenses such as: driving under a repeat offender
suspension, driving under an OVI or ALS suspension (related to drunk driving),
and driving under a drug suspension.
“Satisfactory traffic and criminal
record” means that you currently have no more than two moving
violation in the past 2 years on your traffic record.
Additionally, you must have no prior convictions for serious traffic offenses
involving drunk driving, hit-skip, fleeing or eluding, failure to obey the order
of an officer, vehicular manslaughter or vehicular homicide. Additionally, you
may not be eligible if your driving record indicates that you are a repeat
offender for the offense you are seeking to divert. Prior felony arrests,
convictions or offenses of violence or multiple prior criminal convictions may
also disqualify you.
“Requirements for
current proof of insurance”
means that if you did not have insurance at the time of the offense,
you are able to purchase and prepay for three months of insurance on your vehicle.
In order to demonstrate your current proof of insurance, you must bring in with
you documentation from your insurance agent indicating that your insurance has
been pre-paid for three months.
If you have any questions about the specific details of our program, please
contact a
Prosecutor
Division Legal Intern
or, in the alternative, if your question has not been answered by the legal intern
you may contact
Orly Ahroni, Appellate Unit Director.
OUTCOME
If you successfully complete the Traffic Diversion Program, the charge against
you will be dismissed upon payment of court costs. No offense information will be reported to the Bureau of
Motor Vehicles, and no points will be assessed against your license.
If you have any questions or comments regarding the Traffic Diversion Program,
please see one of the following:
All requests by media or community organizations,
as well as any general comments about the program should be
addressed to:
Melanie Tobias, Deputy Chief of Staff-Prosecution.
If you have questions about your eligibility for the program or
if you have already entered the program and have a specific
question, please contact a
Prosecutor
Division Legal Intern, or, in the alternative, if your question has
not been answered by the legal intern you may contact
Orly Ahroni, Appellate Unit Director.