In Mississippi the Department of Public Safety (DPS) keeps copies of all traffic abstracts received for a period of three (3) years at its main office and the same shall be open to public inspection during reasonable business hours.

You will need to check with the court, if you have not yet paid your speeding ticket, or the Department of Public Safety, if you have paid the ticket, to see if you qualify for the Defensive Driving course (DDC) or an approved traffic safety violator course so that the ticket is not placed or does not remain on your driving record.

It is stated that adults who have been cited for a traffic offense may pay the costs of the citation, attend the Defensive Driving Course and their ticket will not affect their public driver record per Mississippi code 63-9-11 and 63-9-17 (this became effective October 1, 2002).

If you are a minor, the judge has authority to hold the license of a driver under the age of 21 and order the minor to attend the Defensive Driving Course. After completion of course, the ticket is considered dismissed. See Mississippi Code Section 63-1-55 for specific information on this topic.

Every court shall also forward a like report to the Department of Public Safety after the satisfactory completion by a defendant of an approved traffic safety violator course under Section 63-9-11, and the department shall make and maintain a private, nonpublic record to be kept for a period of three (3) years.

For insurance purposes you may be able to take the Defensive Driving Course and then bring your certificate of completion to your insurance agent. This may lower your insurance rates up to 10%.Likely you cannot take one traffic school class for both dismissing the ticket and insurance discount purposes but check with the MS DPS to be certain.