Can You Take Defensive Driving More Than Once?
Yes!—Well, at Least, Definitely Maybe
- First Published —
- August 16, 2022
- Last Updated —
- September 5, 2022
Can Tou Take Defensive Driving Twice in Texas?
- To receive a discount on auto insurance
- To fulfill a job requirement
- To dismiss a ticket
How often you can take defensive driving depends on why you’re taking it.
Many automobile insurance providers reward premium discounts to policyholders for the successful completion of a defensive driving course. These discounts have a 36-month shelf life, so you can keep saving money by taking defensive driving every three years.
If your employer has asked you to take a defensive driving course, chances are he’s also looking for an insurance discount. Depending on the corporate policy, he may be asking you to do it again in the next one to three years. While you are at it, you should try asking your employer for a duplicate copy of your certificate for your own policy. Hey, no reason not to kill two birds with one stone!
The rules concerning ticket dismissal are a little different. Texas allows drivers to dismiss a ticket with defensive driving once every twelve months. That’s why the court asks for a copy of your driving record, just to make sure you aren’t trying to game the system.
Can You Dismiss Two Tickets with Defensive Driving?
Unfortunately, if your traffic stop resulted in multiple citations, you may, per state law, only dismiss one of them with defensive driving. But you don’t stay in a profession as long as I have without hearing a thing or two.
We once had a student who purchased two courses from us. Once we caught it, we offered to process a refund for the second course. He politely turned us down, explaining that the double purchase was purposeful.
As it turns out, this driver had received two tickets in two different towns within days of each other. So he hurried to both courthouses and asked permission from each before either was more the wiser. Not sure if his plan worked in the end, but I guess you can’t blame a guy for trying!
Back when I taught defensive driving in a classroom, there was no end of crazy ticket stories. One student told us that, as a teen, he had inserted his car into an escorted funeral procession. He was feeling pretty pleased with himself as he cruised through stopped traffic until the procession reached the cemetery. At that point, one of the escorting officers culled him out of line and pulled him over. Seeing that he was dressed in cut-offs and a t-shirt, the officer quickly deduced that he was in no way a part of the funeral party. Not amused, the officer wrote him twelve red light violation tickets. Pretty much killed his day at the lake!
Why You Should Dismiss Your Ticket with Defensive Driving
Receiving a ticket can be stressful, and it can definitely be costly, not only now but in the future. If you think writing a check to the court is the end of the story, think again.
Once that ticket hits your driving record and your insurance company finds out, expect an increase in your premiums. According to Bankrate.com, Texas drivers can expect an increase of 3-9% after a moving violation. the article goes on to say—
“Drivers in Texas may see even higher percentage increases if good driving discounts are included in their car insurance rates. The discount is removed and a surcharge assessed due to the speeding ticket conviction, resulting in a higher average annual premium after the speeding ticket.”
After a ticket, there are several options for dealing with it, but you definitely want to. Since you’re here already, why don’t you just get started?
Got More Texas Defensive Driving Questions?
If you didn’t get the answer you needed here, we have even more ways to quench your quandaries:
- Talk to a Human
- Check out our FAQ page
- Check out our VIDEO FAQ post
- Jump to our YouTube Channel
