Why You Might Take A Texas Defensive Driving Course

Most people will enroll in a Texas Defensive Driving Course for one of several reasons. They committed a traffic violation and received a citation that they don’t want on their record, they wish to save money on their insurance cost or they just want to know more about being a safe driver. The class can be done online at home, by borrowing a DVD or video or by taking the class in person.

Current state law requires that no approved course can cost less than $25.00. If you are taking the class for educational purposes or to get an insurance discount, you may pay less than $25.00 but you may not use the completion certificate for dismissal of a traffic ticket. The course must be approved by TEA – Texas Education Agency. The course must be 6 hours long and you must attend all 6 hours to get your certificate of completion.

You may only take a course once over twelve months and you must take the course after you receive the ticket in order to have your ticket dismissed. The court can only dismiss one charge for each course.

Nearly all of the courts require you to receive permission before taking a defensive driving class and they make the final decision regarding removing the citation. Check with the court before signing up for the course to make sure you will be able to have the ticket removed from your record.

According to Texas law, you will need to meet three requirements to be eligible to use a defensive driving course to have a charge dismissed. You cannot have a Commercial Drivers License, you must agree that you are guilty or give a signed statement verifying that you will not fight the ticket and if you were caught speeding, you must not have been driving more than twenty five miles above the limit.

If you live out of state but receive a traffic citation while in Texas, it is possible that you can take the Texas Defensive Driving Course and have the charge dismissed from your driving record. It is the judge’s decision whether or not to allow you to do this.

If you are taking the course to get a reduction in your insurance rates, check with your insurance company before you take the class to make sure they will give you a discount. The discount may be up to 10% of the liability portion and is usually good for up to 3 years.

When you have satisfied all the requirements of the course, you will receive a completion certificate from the course provider. As they don’t have to live in Texas, your certificate may be mailed to you from another state. Texas state law gives the provider up to fifteen working days after you complete all requirements of the course to mail your certificate to you. You will want to keep this in mind if you have a court date so you have ample time to receive your certificate.

Your course provider will send you 2 certificates. The first one will be for the court and the second is for your insurance company. Make a duplicate for your records in case you decide to switch insurance carriers before the three year time period is up.

Follow these guidelines and the time and money you spend to take the Texas Defensive Driving Course will be well worth it.

You can SAVE MONEY on your insurance when you participate in a Texas defensive driving course. Find out the simple steps to get started today at http://www.funandsafedriving.com/texas-defensive-driving.html now!