Texas Driver Safety and Training

While getting a speeding ticket in Texas is never a happy occasion, drivers can mitigate the effects of the speeding ticket by taking a defensive driving course. In addition to not having points added to the violator's driving record and avoiding an auto insurance increase, drivers can use the course to refresh their driving skills and evaluate their current driving behavior. Here are the steps to follow to have your Texas speeding ticket dismissed and reap all the benefits of a defensive driving course:


Step One: Check your speeding ticket for your court date. You must ask the court for permission to take a defensive driving course for ticket dismissal, in person or via US mail, but the appearance date indicated on your ticket. You must submit a completed copy of the Affidavit form with your signature notarized, proof of valid non-commercial Texas driver's license, the court administrative fee, and a copy of your insurance policy when requesting permission to take the defensive driving course for speeding ticket dismissal.

Step Two: Once the court grants permission for you to take the course, you'll have 90 days to complete the course and submit your certificate of completion to the court. Conveniently, the Texas ticket dismissal course is offered online. So your next step is to register for and take the Texas defensive driving course. If you take the course online, you don't have to take it all at once; you can log in and out of the course as many times as necessary. Your place in the course will be saved so the next time you log in, you can just pick up where you left off in the previous session.

Step Three: After you complete the speeding ticket course, the school will issue a certificate of completion. The certificate will be sent to you for you to submit to the court; by Texas law, the school can't do that for you. You may need to send a copy of your driving record to the court with your certificate; check with the county that has jurisdiction over the speeding ticket to be sure. If a copy of your driving record is required and you don't send it, the speeding ticket dismissal process could be delayed. Be sure to submit the certificate by the deadline imposed by the court.

Tips for a Clean Driving Record in Texas

In the state of Texas, you may to take a defensive driving course once every 12 months to dismiss a traffic ticket. The points you receive for a speeding ticket will remain on your Texas driving record for a period of three years; however, you can avoid having the points assessed if you take a defensive driving course. Even if you haven't received a ticket, you can take a defensive driving course to have points removed from your Texas driver's license and to receive insurance discounts.

Are you eligible for a Defensive Driving Course?

Be sure to meet all deadlines imposed by the court; failure to do so could affect the status of your driver's license.

If you have a Commercial Driver's License (CDL), you may not take a defensive driving course for ticket dismissal.

You are not eligible for the traffic ticket dismissal course if your citation was for driving 25 mph or more above the posted speed limit.

Labels: defensive driving, dismiss traffic ticket, driving safety, online defensive driving, texas driver record, texas traffic ticket