I got pulled over on the day we moved into our first house here in Texas. I had just returned the rental truck and was heading back to the house on Westheimer. I have never known the speed limit on Westheimer; it always seemed like you couldn’t go fast enough to speed anyway due to the traffic. I was caught going 50 in a 40 and pulled over. I pulled into a parking lot and got out of the car to speak to the officer. He asked why I was getting out of the car, and told me to get back in the car. I didn’t have my latest insurance card in the car, so he tacked that onto the ticket, but assured me that if I brought proof of insurance to court, the judge would remove that infraction and charge from the ticket. Apparently this is a Texas driving law that I was not aware of. He was cool (not “this is a warning” cool, but cool compared to some other experiences in the past).

I went to my court date and sat and waited while being treated like a child (no hat, no talking, no phone, etc). When it was my turn, I showed the judge my insurance card, she removed the charge and I paid the speeding ticket on my way out. The court process was a pain as most government run things are…

I completed my texas defensive driving on www.texasdefensivedrivingcommission.com and had the ticket removed from my record, while also updating my insurance discount.

It has been 368 days since I last got a speeding ticket. (I only know this because it was the day we moved into our house).

-Jason C.

Despite the popularity of online defensive driving schools in Texas, not all are created equal.  There are some major items to look for when choosing a proper course.  Below are some of the major mistakes you can make when looking for an online defensive drivin course in Texas.

Choosing A Course Not Approved by the TEA

The TEA, or Texas Education Agency, is the governing body of all eduational material in the state of Texas.  In order to provide Texas Defensive Driving certificates, you must be a TEA Approved Defensive Driving Course.   If you take a course that is not approved by the TEA, you will not be able to get your ticket dismissed, and may not be eligable for your insurance discounts.

To know if a course is approved by the texas education agency, be sure they provide their Defensive Driving Course Number.  This course number is CP225

Not providing the Correct Court Information

One item that is of great importance when signup up for a Texas Defensive Driving Course is that you provide accurate information when signing up.  You must have your county and court information, along with your drivers license and license plate information.  This informaiton will be printed on your certificate of completion.  Providing any of this information incorrectly could result in the court not accepting your certficate of completion.

Not getting Approved by your Court to Take the Texas Defensive Driving Course

This may seem like common sense to many people, but very often we have seen people take a Texas Defensive Driving Class before the court has approved them to take it.  If you do this, the course will not be accepted.  You will have to re-take the course and you will have to pay for it again.

Not ordering your Driving Record

Most courts in the state of Texas require that you provide your Texas Driving Record when taking a defensive driving course.  It is not required to take the course itself, but you must mail it in, or take it with you when you provide your certificate of completion to the court.  **Please contact your court for their own specific instructions.

Taking a course that is not Fun or Informative

Many Texas Defensive Driving Courses are provided with the same old boring dribble of information.  Be sure your course is provided with interactive media, fun and exciting graphics, and informative informaiton.  There is no reason you can’t take Texas Defensive Driving and not have fun while doing it.