Defensive Driving Resource

Defensive driving courses in Texas started out for insurance discount purposes only.  Eventually, it was written in the law where Texas drivers had the option to take a TEA approved driver safety course (a.k.a. defensive driving) to keep a traffic ticket off of their driving record.  The benefit to selecting this option is that it keeps users from accumulating points which can cost them significantly financially in the event of multiple tickets or accidents in the form of DPS or insurance surcharges.

Before I get into the benefits of online courses, there are a 2 main falsehoods that need to be cleared up about online defensive driving courses in Texas:

1. Online courses are NOT shorter in length than classroom courses.  All defensive driving courses in Texas (classroom or online) are 6 hours in duration by law.
2. The completion certificate for online courses CANNOT be printed out immediately upon completion.  This is a common misconception.  Texas law requires that all original completion certificates  be processed from the course provider.  The certificates can be express delivered (0vernight, etc.), but they cannot be printed upon completion of the course, faxed, or picked up by the student.  This also means that if you take classroom course you will not get the certificate immediately after finishing the class.

Why take a Texas defensive driving course online?

There are a host of reasons why thousands of drivers across Texas are choosing to take their Texas defensive driving course online over the traditional live classroom course.   Here are the most popular reasons:

1. Convenience – Depending upon your schedule, online courses can be significantly more convenient in that they can be taken from any computer that has access to the Internet, as well as anytime (24 hours by 7 days a week).  Classroom based courses have traditionally been offered on weekends (usually Saturdays) where the student completes all 6 hours in one day.  Some classroom courses offer weeknight classes (3 hours per night).  The scheduling convenience that the online courses provide is extremely important to those  people with schedules that require them to take the course during odd hours, or on days when a classroom course may not be scheduled.
2. Flexibility – As mentioned above, all Texas defensive driving courses approved by the State for traffic ticket dismissal purposes are 6 hours in duration.  The difference being that online you will be given login access so that you can log in or out of the course as needed.  This allows you to work your way through the course at your own pace, rather than having to take all 6 hours in one sitting.  The online courses will automatically save your progress and so the next time you log into the course it will pick up on the last page you left off on.

The key to making the choice is knowing yourself.  Are you the type of person that will never finish the course unless forced to sit in a room with a live instructor for 6 hours on a Saturday afternoon?  Or would you prefer to have the option to log in and out at your convenience from any computer with access to the Internet?  The choice is yours, but now hopefully you can make a more informed decision.  Be safe out there!

Filed under: Texas Defensive Driving by troyc