Based on official Texas government sources including the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), here is an overview of the reasons and benefits of taking Texas state-approved defensive driving courses for traffic violations such as speeding, wrongful turns, and other non-criminal traffic violations:
Reasons for Taking Texas Defensive Driving Courses
- Defensive driving courses are designed to educate drivers on safe driving techniques, traffic laws, and driver responsibilities to promote safer roadways in Texas.
- These courses provide safety information and a refresher on traffic rules aimed at reducing accident risk and improving driving skills.
- One major reason to take the course is eligibility for traffic ticket dismissal, which can protect a driver’s record from points or violations related to non-criminal traffic offenses.
- The courses are state-approved and comply with the Texas court system requirements for ticket dismissal upon court approval of eligibility.
Benefits of Taking the Course
- Traffic Ticket Dismissal: Eligible drivers who complete a Texas DPS and TDLR-approved defensive driving course can have certain traffic tickets dismissed, which helps keep those violations off their driving record. This is especially important because accumulating multiple moving violations in specified periods may lead to license suspension.
- Insurance Discounts: Completion of an approved defensive driving course may qualify drivers for insurance discounts, typically up to 10% off the liability portion of auto insurance for up to three years, depending on the insurance provider.
- Improved Driving Skills: Beyond legal and financial benefits, the course aims to make drivers safer by reinforcing safe driving habits and techniques based on statistical data and real-world examples.
- Court and State Compliance: Taking the course when ordered by the court or as a self-improvement step can help fulfill legal obligations and regulatory requirements imposed by Texas traffic authorities.
Additional Information
- Courses must be taken only through providers approved by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
- Courses can be taken in person or online and last a minimum of six hours.
- Drivers can only take the course once every year for ticket dismissal purposes.
Most people in Texas don’t know that there is a Texas DPS Education & Awareness division. From its website page:
Welcome to the Texas Highway Patrol Education and Awareness page. Our goal is to educate our citizens and visitors on crime prevention and to gain voluntary compliance with traffic laws. By educating the public, we hope to reduce crime and to reduce the number of injury causing crashes on Texas Highways. — read the full page here
This portion of the Texas DPS website goes into more details about traffic offenses, including when your license can be revoked/suspended:
Your driver license may be suspended when you are convicted of
- Four or more moving traffic violations within a 12-month period, or
- Seven or more moving traffic violations within a 24-month period.
If you have been convicted of at least two offenses for a violation that conflicts with a restriction or endorsement printed on your driver license, you are also subject to a suspension or disqualification.
If you want more information on a driver safety (defensive driving) course approved for taking online anywhere in Texas then visit this page: https://www.driverseducationofamerica.com/texas/safety/
If you are looking for Texas County-specific information on speeding tickets, online traffic violation payment information, news about accidents & speeding in specific Counties, and more then visit this page: