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Traffic Diversion Program



Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein




Zach Klein
Columbus City Attorney
77 North Front Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
614-645-7385
[email protected]


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.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS

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.