|
Traffic Diversion Program
Welcome to the Traffic Diversion Program of the Columbus City Attorney, Richard
C. Pfeiffer, Jr. 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, the
Columbus City Attorney seeks to make Columbus’ streets safer for everyone.
- Promote driver financial responsibility. Recognizing a growing
problem with uninsured driver’s on Ohio roadway, 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 City
of Columbus.
The Traffic Diversion Program is a valuable tool in the Columbus City Attorney
Richard
C. Pfeiffer, Jr.’s ongoing effort 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.
If you have any questions about this Program, please click
here.
ELIGIBILITY
In order to be eligible for the Traffic Diversion program, you must meet the following
requirements:
- You have not previously taken advantage of the Traffic Diversion Program in
the last two years or more than three times in your life.
- You are able to pay court costs and a non-refundable Traffic Diversion Program
application fee of $25.
“Eligible offense” includes most Minor Misdemeanor moving violations,
but specifically excludes offenses such as: Reckless Operation of 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 accident, 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 record” means that you currently have no
points on your driver’s license (please contact the Bureau of Motor Vehicles at
614-752-7500 to find out if you have any points on your license). 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 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.
“Requirements for current proof
of insurance” means that you did
not have insurance at the time of the offense, and you have not previously had your
license suspended for failure to maintain proof of financial responsibility, but
that you are able to purchase and prepay for six months of insurance on your vehicle.
In order to demonstrate your current proof of insurance, you must bring with you
your insurance card indicated at least six months of coverage, and a certified letter
from your insurance agent indicating that your insurance has been pre-paid for six
months.
If you have any questions about the specific details of our program, please contact
a
Prosecutor Division Law Clerk
or, in the alternative, if your question has not been answered you may contact
Melanie R. Tobias,
Appellate Unit Director.
OUTCOME
If you successfully complete the Traffic Diversion Program, the charge against
you will be dismissed upon payment of court costs and the non-refundable administrative
fee. 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:
Richard C. Pfeiffer, Jr.,
Columbus City Attorney or
Robert S. Tobias,
Prosecution Resources Unit Director.
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 Law Clerk,
or, in the alternative, if your question has not been answered you may contact
Melanie R. Tobias,
Appellate Unit Director.
|