Texas Traffic Ticket Dismissal

Texas Traffic Ticket Dismissal Information

Driver Safety Course Eligibility Requirements for Ticket Dismissal:*

You have not completed an approved driver safety course within the 12 months preceding the date of the offense.
A plea of no contest or guilty has been given either in person or in writing on or before the date on the notice to appear.
You have a valid Texas Drivers License.
You were not charged with speeding in excess of 25 mph over the posted speed limit, speeding in a school zone or work zone, or a seat belt violation.
You have the ability to provide evidence of financial responsibility (proof of insurance).

*We recommend that even if you are considered ineligible for one or more of the reasons above that you still contact the court to determine your eligibility as they have the discretion to still allow you to take defensive driving in most cases.

Keeping a traffic ticket or speeding ticket off of your driving record is one of the primary benefits of taking a Texas defensive driving online course through Texas Drive Safe. After you receive a ticket, you can request to take defensive driving with the court through the following ways:

Present in person or by counsel a request to take an approved driver safety course (a.k.a. defensive driving).
Request in writing to the court to take a state approved defensive driving course.

With either option you must make your request on or before the court date listed on the traffic ticket.

(Option #1) – Request in Person

Your first option after receiving a ticket is to appear in person or by counsel to court on or before the date listed on the ticket. After entering a plea of no contest or guilty, if eligible, the judge will require that you successfully complete a Texas Education Agency (TEA) approved driver safety course or another course approved by the court.

(Option #2) – Request in Writing

Your second option after receiving a traffic ticket is to request in writing to take defensive driving. This written requirement can most often be satisfied by simply filling out the back portion of the ticket itself and mailing it back to the court. The back of the ticket allows you to enter a plea of no contest or guilty and request to take a driver safety course that is approved by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Some courts may also allow you to make your request via phone.

What happens after requesting to take defensive driving?

The next step is that the court will enter a judgment on your plea of no contest or guilty at the time the plea is made (in person or in writing), and will allow you 90 days to successfully complete a driver safety course such as the one offered through TexasDriveSafe.com.

After completing the course then what should I do?

After completing the driver safety course you must present the following to the court:

A copy of the completion certificate

After successfully completing the online course you will receive a completion certificate via the shipping method selected. The completion certificate for traffic ticket purposes has an upper portion labeled "COURT" for presentation to the court by the appointed deadline. We recommend that you make a copy of this for your personal records. Remember that it is your responsibility to present this certificate to the court; the course provider does not notify the court of your completion. You will also receive a lower copy labeled "INSURANCE" for presentation to your insurance carrier to receive a discount on your automobile insurance premiums.
A driving record as maintained by the Department of Public Safety

Some courts also require a certified copy of your Texas driving record (click here for instructions) along with your defensive driving completion certificate.
Court affidavit form

Some courts will provide you with an affidavit form that you must complete and have notarized to ensure that you have not taken a driver safety course to dismiss a traffic ticket in the 12 months prior to receiving your ticket (it does not apply if you took a course for insurance discount purposes). Texas law allows you to take a driver safety course once every 12 months for the purposes of ticket dismissal and once every 36 months for an insurance discount.

Will the traffic ticket go on my driving record?

After the court receives a copy of the defensive driving certificate and any other required documents, your requirements have been completely fulfilled for your ticket dismissal. The final step is for the court to do the following:

Remove the judgment and dismiss the charge.
Report that you have successfully completed a driver safety course and the date of completion to the Department of Public Safety.

Learn more about Texas Ticket Dismissal Course...