Traffic Safety
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
Benefits of 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.)
- 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 eligibility requirements)
Eligibility Requirements
- Review the appearance section of your ticket. 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 Locations
- Belvidere: CTE Academy – 1400 Big Thunder Blvd, Belvidere, IL 61008
- Dixon: Riverworks Coworking – 114 E. Everett 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
At Rock Valley College, we value the privacy of our students, participants, and clients, and we are committed to protecting any personal information shared with us. This Privacy Procedure explains how we collect, use, and protect the information used to interact with us through SMS (text messaging) via our 10-digit long code (10DLC) service.
By subscribing to or engaging with our SMS services, users agree to the practices described in this Administrative Procedure. Anyone who does not agree with this procedure should not use our SMS services.
- Information We Collect
When you opt-in to receive SMS messages from us, we collect the following types of information:
- Phone Number: We collect the phone number you provide to receive our messages.
- Message Content: Any content you send in response to our messages, such as replies or inquiries, may be collected to improve communication.
- Interaction Data: We may collect data on how you interact with our messages, including delivery and open rates, and any links you click within the messages.
- How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To Provide SMS Services: To send you transactional messages that you have opted to receive (e.g., class reminders, cancellations, emergency notifications).
- To Improve Our Services: To analyze user interactions and optimize our SMS campaigns for relevance and performance.
- To Respond to Inquiries: If you contact us via SMS for any reason, we may use your phone number and any associated data to respond to your request.
- To Comply with Legal Requirements: To comply with applicable laws and regulations, including those governing communication and data protection.
- Sharing Your Information
We do not sell or share mobile numbers, SMS consent, or message data with third parties or affiliates for their marketing or promotional purposes. We may share this information only with service providers (e.g., carriers, messaging platforms) to operate our SMS program. We may also disclose your information when required by law, regulation, or legal process, or when necessary to protect our rights, property, or safety, or that of others.
- Your Data Security
We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. We use industry-standard security measures, however, please note that no electronic communication method is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
- Your Rights and Choices
As a user of our SMS services, you have the following rights and choices regarding your personal information:
- Opt-In/Opt-Out: You may opt-in to receive SMS messages by providing your phone number. If you no longer wish to receive SMS messages, you can opt-out by replying with "STOP" or using any other opt-out mechanism in our messages. Message frequency may vary. Message & data rates may apply.
- Access and Control: You have the right to request access to the personal data we hold about you, as well as request corrections or withholding of your data. Please contact us using the details below if you would like to exercise these rights.
- Withdraw Consent: If you have previously consented to receive marketing messages via SMS, you may withdraw that consent at any time by replying "STOP" or contacting us directly.
- Data Retention
We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Procedure or as required by law. If you opt-out of receiving messages, we will stop sending you communications, and we will retain your records in accordance with the Local Records Act, 50 ILCS 205/1 et seq., Local Records Commission, Illinois State Archives, and Office of the Secretary of State. Rock Valley College shall follow all procedures for handling and disposing of both paper and electronic files
- International Transfers
If you are located outside of the United States, please note that we may transfer your personal information to the United States for processing. By using our SMS services, you consent to this transfer of data.
- Changes to This Privacy Procedure
We may update this Privacy Procedure from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page, and the effective date of the updated policy will be indicated at the top. We encourage you to review this Privacy Procedure periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.
- Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Procedure or our practices, please contact us at: RVC-TrafficSafety@rockvalleycollege.edu or (815) 921-3940
Class Fees
Defensive Driving Class (4 hours, in-person)
Defensive Driving Class (8 hours, in-person)
Defensive Driving Class (4 hours, online)
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.
How to Apply
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 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 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.