FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The Photo Enforcement Traffic Safety Class is an online course offered to those who have received a Photo Enforced citation in Multnomah County. Our class will help inform those who qualify, how Photo Enforcement works, traffic laws in Oregon, and a refresher on rules of the road. Each class will be instructed by an officer of the Portland Police Bureau: Traffic Division and a driving instructor. The class is roughly an hour and a half long and is a live Webinar offered through Zoom.

By completing this course, your citation will be dismissed and will no longer be on your driving record. If you would like to take our class, you will pay for the cost of the class in lieu of the citation fine. You will NOT have to pay for both. Once you have successfully completed the class, we will notify the court of your attendance and your citation will be dismissed. 

To qualify, the following must apply: 

• No  speeding ticket or any failure to obey a Traffic Controlled Device (out of      state tickets apply) in the past THREE years. There are no exceptions to      this rule

• The citation was issued and spelled correctly in your FIRST and LAST name as it appears on your Driver License. - if the name on your citation      is incorrect, please check the next tab below. Thank you.

• You are the registered owner of the vehicle. (OR you were driving a rental car or work vehicle.) 

• You must complete the class at least 14 days prior to your court date. – if      you are within the 14-day requirement please check the tab “14-day policy      and court orders” for further information. Also: if you have been to court      and received a court order to take the class, this policy does NOT apply      to you. 

• Your  citation must be issued in the county of Multnomah. We cannot accept any citations from other counties. 

• You must be a licensed driver, with a legal driver license. 

• You have NOT taken this class in the past either online or in person. This      class may only be taken once. 

  There are no exceptions to any of the above rules.

If your name is spelled incorrectly or in the incorrect order (i.e. middle name and first name in the wrong place) on your citation, or if you have legally changed your name, we ask that you complete the next step prior to registering.

What this means is that you will need to get approval to attend the class. Please contact the phone number below. Once approved we will receive notification from the court and will allow you into the class. 

Please note: this MUST be done prior to your entry to class and if it is not may cause delays in completing the class. 

Please call the Portland Traffic Division: 503-823-2209

In order to comply with the rules of the Portland Traffic Division, clients need to attend the class 14 days prior to their court date. 

If you are within the 14-day policy and would still like to take the class, you will have to attend your court date and plead “Not Guilty” on your citation. You will receive a new trial date where you can discuss your case with the police officer who issued the citation. If the officer decides you are eligible for the class, a plea agreement will be entered at court.  After this has been decided in court, you will be eligible to sign up for the class.

If you have already completed this step and have received more time to take the class, you may complete the registration process and will not be turned away from the class. 

Once you have signed up for class, you can be rescheduled at any time if needed, so long as you are still outside of the two-week requirement.

If you have missed your scheduled class date, want to reschedule or if you need a refund, please email us at Bri.M@pdxdrivers.com or call our office at (971)-701-0331. – If you have missed your class and are reaching out 

If the citation was not issued in your name or you are not the registered owner of the vehicle, please have the registered owner of the vehicle fill out the Certificate of Innocence and turn it in to the court. The court will then dismiss the citation from the person that was not driving and decide if they will reissue the citation in your name. 

If your name is not on the citation or you are not the registered owner of the vehicle: you cannot take this class. – if the citation was issued to you in a company or rented vehicle. Check tab below. This does NOT apply. 

You are not eligible to take the class until a citation has been issued in your name. It will be up to the court to decide if a new citation will be issued to you or not. Please follow up with the court to check the status of the Certificate of Innocence and new citation. 

If you still sign up for this class and want a refund after, there is a $15 processing fee for every refund.

In the event that you have received a citation while driving a rental vehicle or a company vehicle: the company is required to submit an Affidavit of Liability to the court. You may not attend the class until you receive a new citation in your name. You may not attend the class under the company name. You must wait for the court to process the Affidavit for a new citation to be sent to your mailing address. 

If you still sign up for this class under the company name and want a refund, there is a $15 processing fee for every refund.

In the event that you receive two citations closely together, we will allow you to attend the class for the FIRST citation. The second citation will need to be settled with the court. 

On the physical copy of your citations, you will find a location that says "Time and Place" of violation. Of the two citations, the one you received first will be the citation you may sign up with. Please note: all other qualifications still apply. 

We are pleased to accommodate the below needs for the class. If you need to take the class in any of the offered accommodations, please complete the registration process and email our class administrative manager at Bri.M@pdxdrivers.com. 

Korean

Russian 

Spanish

Vietnamese

Open Caption (this is the same as closed caption, but the words cannot be removed from the video)

How it works: on the evening of your class, you will not join the live Zoom class but will be sent a pre-recorded video of the class via your email. Once you complete the video you will respond to the email and a certificate of completion will be sent to you. 

If you do not have a debit or credit card, you can send a check with your first and last name and your phone number attached to our main office in Salem. When we receive your check in the mail, we will call you immediately and get you enrolled over the phone. Please see our 'Contact Us' portion of our website to find our Salem office address.

• This class does not require you to have a preexisting Zoom account. The app Zoom will need to be downloaded to the device you will be joining from prior to class. Please note: if you have not downloaded Zoom or do not know how to find it, once the link is sent to you it will auto prompt you to download the correct app for the class. 

• Once you have successfully completed the registration process you will be sent what is called a Zoom Profile link. This link is a pre-invite to the class through Zoom and will be sent two business days prior to your class. Please note: this link must be filled out in order to receive the link on the day/evening of your class. 

• After completing the Zoom Profile link your Zoom profile will be “Pending Approval”. All Zoom Profiles will be approved one hour before class. This will trigger Zoom to send you a link to the email you have used for your Zoom Profile. Please note: it is imperative that your email be spelled correctly to receive the link. If you need assistance check below for the number to call on the day of your class.

• Please plan to join the class at least 30 minutes early to allow time for troubleshooting. If you need assistance with joining the Zoom class, please call 971-701-0331, option 5. 

• When you join the class, our instructor will send you an invite to become a Panelist. You MUST be a panelist to receive credit for the class. Becoming a panelist will also allow you to turn your camera on. Your camera will need to be on for the duration of the class but is not required prior to class beginning. 

• You must join within 5 minutes of class beginning or you will be removed and asked to reschedule. You will be emailed right away with options to reschedule if your court date allows. Please note: the 14-day rule still applies

Because our class requires that you are in front of the camera for the duration of class, you will need to ensure that there are no outside distractions during class, and you must be paying attention to the whole class. Attending the class must be the only activity you are participating in throughout the presentation (i.e. no driving, attending a social gathering, watching a movie, etc.). If you are otherwise distracted, you will be removed from the class.

Please note: In Oregon it is illegal to be on your phone while driving. If you join the class and are driving, you will be immediately removed from the class and asked to reschedule. You can take the class from your car, but you must be parked and not driving at any time you are connected to the class, this includes logging in prior to class. We ask that you are somewhere you will not need to drive for the duration of the class. 

• You are required to have a webcam (on either a computer or cell phone) and it is required to be on during the presentation. Please mute your microphone during the presentation. 

• When you join the class, you will be sent an invite to become a panelist. You MUST be a panelist NOT an attendee to receive credit for the class. 

• You must pay attention in class. Attending the class must be the only activity you are participating in throughout the presentation (i.e. no driving, attending a social gathering, watching a movie, etc.). If you are otherwise distracted, you will be removed from the class and asked to reschedule. 

• You are required to be in front of the camera to prove participation in the class for the duration of the class.

• You are granted a 5-minute bathroom break, but you should not be away from the camera longer than the allowed 5 minutes to get full participation credit.

• When it is time to answer the poll questions at the end of class, we ask that you do not give the answers to the poll away via audio or by typing the answers in the group chat. If you do not see the colors, don’t panic, you can email us directly for help!

• You will be emailed a certificate upon completion of the class. Please check Junk/Spam folders as well. – Please refer to the “After you have completed the class” tab for more information on what to do with your certificate. 

Once you have successfully completed the Photo Enforcement Traffic Safety class, a certificate of completion will be sent to you via email. The certificate is only for your records. Upon completion of the class, you will no longer be required to take any further steps. The court will be informed of your attendance and your citation will not appear on your driving record. 

PLEASE NOTE: If the courts have instructed you to take your class certificate to a later scheduled court date, then that will be your final step. Please note: the court no longer accepts emailed copies of the certificate. If you are required to show proof of completion to the court, you will need to print off the certificate and either take it to the court or send it to the court via postal mail. – This usually only applies to those who have been to court and have spoken with a judge or officer. 

Please contact us via the information below. If you have left a voicemail and have not received a reply within business hours, we ask that you email us for a prompt reply/call back. 

Email: info@pdxdrivers.com

Phone: (971)-701-0331 

If it is the evening or day of your class and you need immediate assistance please email, Bri.M@pdxdrivers.com. 

Contact the court with further questions about your citation or court date.