Driver Safety Course

Driver Safety Course

DRIVING SAFETY COURSE

If you are charged with a traffic offense, you may be eligible to ask the judge to take a driving safety course to dismiss the charge. The request must be made on or before the appearance date on the citation. It must be made in person, by counsel, or by certified mail.

(If you are under age 17, you must appear in open court with a parent or guardian to make the request.) 

If you were operating a motorcycle, you may be required to take a motorcycle operator’s training course. If you are charged with allowing a child to ride unsecured in a safety belt or a child passenger safety seat system, you must take a special driving safety course that has four hours of training on child passenger safety seat systems. 

At the time of the request, you must do the following:
1) Plead guilty or no contest;
2) Pay court costs and fines: $143.90; 
3) Present proof of financial responsibility (insurance); 
4) Present a valid Texas driver’s license or permit. (Active military and spouses or dependent children of active military may present a valid driver’s license from any state);
5) Provide certified copy of DPS Type 3A Driving Record.
 
To be eligible, you:
 
1) Cannot have taken a driving safety course or motorcycle operator’s course for a traffic offense within the last 12 months from the date of the current offense;
2) Cannot currently be taking the course for another traffic violation; 
3) Cannot be the holder of a commercial driver’s license (CDL) or have held a CDL at the time of the offense; 
4) Have not committed one of the following offenses:
  • Failure to Give Information at Accident Scene; 
  • Leaving Scene of Accident;
  • Passing a School Bus;
  • A serious traffic violation, which applies to commercial motor vehicle operators;
  • An offense in a construction or maintenance work zone when workers are present;
  • Speeding 25 mph or more over the limit, or
  • Speeding 95 mph or more.
The case will be deferred for 90 days.

5) Currently have no suspensions on your Texas Drivers License;
6) Do not have an out of state license.

During that time you must:

1) Complete a driving safety course approved by the Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation (TDLR) or a motorcycle operator’s course approved by the Department of Public Safety and present the SIGNED completion certificate to the court;
 
2) Present a certified copy of your driving record from the Department of Public Safety that shows that you have not had a driving safety course within the preceding 12 months from the date of the current offense; 
 
3) Swear to an affidavit that you were not taking a driving safety course at the time of the request for the current offense and that you have not taken one that is not shown on your driving record. 
 
If you do not present the required documents in time, the court will notify you to return to court and explain why you failed. The judge may, but is not required to, allow you to file the proper papers for an extension at that time. Your failure to be present at that hearing will result in a conviction, a fine being assessed, and a capias pro fine for your arrest being issued.