A state law takes effect July 1 to eliminate a loophole that allowed traffic violators to go to traffic school more often than they should’ve.

Now, when you complete traffic school your conviction is stamped “dismissed” and it doesn’t go on your record, so it appears as though there never was a violation. That has allowed some drivers to go to traffic school more than once within an 18-month period because the courts and DMV didn’t know of the earlier violation and traffic school attendance.

“Frequent offenders have been able to use this loophole as a way to repeatedly attend” traffic school and avoid stiffer penalties, the DMV said in a statement.

As of July 1, attendance of traffic school will go on a record that the courts and DMV can see but that will be kept from insurance companies, DMV spokeswoman Jan Mendoza said. But you’ll only be able to go to traffic school once within an 18-month period because, with the change in the law via Assembly Bill 2499, the court will know you’ve already been there. You can go to traffic school again only if your new violation is more than 18 months from the previous one.

If you do get another violation within 18 months, you won’t be allowed to go to traffic school, you’ll get DMV points and your insurance company will know.

The traffic school attendance won’t be kept from insurers if the traffic violation is considered major, such as reckless driving, or the driver holds a commercial driver’s license or was driving a commercial vehicle.