How Much Does Defensive Driving Cost In Texas?
Lowest Price, Guaranteed!!—Because, Of Course It Is!
- First Published —
- August 16, 2022
- Last Updated —
- November 6, 2022
How Do You Find The Best Price For Defensive Driving?
Just like you’d find the best price for anything else—SHOP! But guess what? With defensive driving, you don’t have to!
Wait. What?!?
Let me explain.
If you Google “cheapest defensive driving,” you will get a bazillion results making claims like “BestPrice Guaranteed” and “Lowest Price Allowed by Law!” There’s a reason defensive driving companies can make such bold claims. Defensive driving in Texas is unique as it has a legally mandated minimum price tag. That price? $25 bucks. Companies claiming to give you the “Lowest price in Texas” aren’t doing you any favors; they’re just keeping themselves out of trouble with the state.
Just because the state minimum price for defensive driving is $25 dollars, that doesn’t mean it might not be worth it to spend a little more.
Depending on your learning style and preferences, you might opt for a 100% video version or one with audio read-along. There is even a company in Texas that has turned defensive driving into a podcast app!
Does Defensive Driving Reduce The Cost Of A Ticket In Texas?
Let’s do a quick comparison between it will cost to pay a ticket as opposed to dealing with it using defensive driving.
For a real-life example, we’ll use my hometown, Fort Worth.
If I plead guilty to a speeding ticket, here’s what I can expect to pay. If I got the ticket on a normal city street (meaning not a school or work zone), the base fine is $102.10 plus $8.00 per mile an hour I was driving over the speed limit. I will also pay $72.10 in court costs. Let’s tally up my total if I were caught at 10 miles over the limit. $102.10 + $80.00 + 72.10 = $254.20!!!
I’m not sure why the city wants those two extra dimes, but droppin them ain’t gonna make a whole lot of difference.
If I choose the defensive driving course option instead, I’ll pay $114.20 in court fees plus the $25.00 course cost for a total of $139.20. Taking defensive driving will save me nearly 50%!
How Much Can I Save By Taking Defensive Driving?
The savings mentioned above only account for the costs incurred at the time of the ticket, but a ticket goes on to cost you for years to come.
A ticket recorded on a driver’s record remains there for three years. The resulting impact can be pricey.
On average, a recorded speeding ticket will raise insurance premiums by 24%. So, if you pay $800 bucks a year for insurance now, you’ll pay $992.00. Over three years, that adds up to an extra $576.00 out of your pocket. In case you’re not doing the math as we go along, a ticket can potentially cost you over $800.00. That’s a huge price to pay just for trying to get to work on time!
On the other hand, since defensive driving keeps the ticket off of your record, you won’t pay three years of rate increases. What’s more, the course might even cause your rates to go down.
Drivers who have a defensive driving certificate on file with their insurance company can be eligible for a safe driving discount. These discounts are good for three years. While the discounts aren’t as deep as they used to be, I’ll bet they’ll total more than $139.00 bucks. Instead of being out $800.00, you might even make money on the deal.
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 additional FAQ post (with videos!)
- Jump to our YouTube Channel
