Although no longer required to do so, many insurance companies will provide a discount (usually 10%) for three years on a portion of your auto insurance premiums if you provide proof of completion of a Texas Education Agency approved driving safety courses However, the amount of the discount (if any) and the driving safety courses that an insurance company will accept are entirely up to that insurance company, so you'll need to check with your agent.
Example: If your yearly insurance is $1200 - a 10% discount* would be $120 x 3 years = $360 SAVINGS -- Not a bad return for a 6 hour online course.
*Ask your insurance what your exact discount would be.
NOTE:
Check with your insurance agent to confirm that your insurance co. will provide a discount on your automobile insurance before you take a class for that purpose.
If your insurance company has decided to provide a discount on the liability portion of your automobile insurance for completing a driving safety class, the discount will normally be provided regardless of the reason that you took the course. In other words, whether you take a driving safety course for education, insurance discount, or for ticket dismissal, your insurance company will normally give you the same discount. It is the same 10 percent that a teenager might receive for successfully completing a driver education class, and the 2 discounts are not piggybacked; that is, most insurance companies won't give you a 20% discount for completing both courses. However, a 15 percent discount may be acquired (see www.tea.state.tx.us/drive/dadapfaq1.html).
TICKET DISMISSAL INFO
If you have a Texas driver license/Permit and meet certain requirements, Texas law allows you to dismiss one traffic ticket every twelve months by taking a T E A approved driving safety (defensive driving or ticket dismissal classes) course.
A congressional bill was passed in the 79th Regular Session concerning a person on active military duty who receives a traffic ticket but does not have a Texas driver's license. After Sept 1, 2005, military members will be allowed to dismiss a Texas traffic ticket by taking a TEA approved driving safety class if he or she has not received a traffic citation in another state within the past twelve months.
In order to dismiss a traffic citation by taking one of these courses, TX law requires the following:
1. You must NOT possess a Commercial Driver License;
2. If you were charged with speeding, the citation must state that it was not more than twenty five miles above the posted speed limit.
and
3.You must admit guilt or sign a statement that you do not contest the ticket (nolo contendere)
if you were charged with speeding, the citation must state that it was not more than 25 miles above the speed limit.
There are other criteria, that the court has the final decision on as to whether you'll be permitted to dismiss the ticket by completing a driving safety class.
Some justices of the peace and municipal court judges require you to contact the court before you take the driving safety course for purposes of ticket dismissal. Be sure to obtain the courts permission 11st By contacting the court indicated on your traffic citation, you may prevent delays, added expenses, and/or a requirement that you repeat the class.
If the municipal court or the JP charges a court fee for you to take a driving safety course, and if they require you to obtain a copy of your driving record from the DPS, those fees are in addition to the price that you will pay for the driving safety class.
If you are taking the class for ticket dismissal, you must pay at least $25 for the class.- By state law,
If you take a driving safety course just for education or to receive an auto insurance discount, then later receive a traffic ticket, you may be permitted (at the judge's discretion) to take another driving safety class to dismiss the ticket if you haven't done so for ticket dismissal within twelve months.
A certificate of course completion cannot be saved and used for a subsequent traffic violation. You must complete the driving safety course AFTER the traffic violation that you are using it for.
If you are dismissing a traffic or speeding ticket, you will be required to identify the name of the court that has jurisdiction (it's on your traffic citation). And when you receive your certificate of completion, that court name will appear on the "Court" copy of the completion certificate. If you put the wrong court on the form (or no court name) & need another certificate with the correct court name, you MUST return the original certificate to T E A. Call (512) 936-6800 or email to driving@tea.state.tx.us if you have questions about this policy.
The Seat Belt specialized driving safety course and the regular driving safety classes have identical 12 month restrictions concerning ticket or tickets dismissal. In other words, if you have taken either of these courses for ticket dismissal, you will not be permitted to take the other type of class to dismiss a new ticket until 12 months after the date of the 1st course. The court should require you to sign a statement that you have not taken a driving safety course within the previous twelve months & that you are not currently taking a defensive driving class.
TEXAS POINTS SYSTEM
The following is a quote from the DPS webpage concerning the Driver Responsibility Program: "The Driver Responsibility law was enacted (House Bill 3588) & establishes a system that assesses surcharges based on certain traffic offenses. Driver Responsibility law only applies to offense that occurred on or after Sept 1, 2003. This program does not replace any other administrative suspension, or revocation actions that result from these same convictions. The
surcharges for this program are in addition to other reinstatement fees required for other administrative actions."
According to Section 708.052, Texas Transportation Code, the Department of Public Safety may not assign points to a person's driver's license if the offense is that of speeding & the person was driving less than 10 percent faster than the posted speed limit , or if the offense was adjudicated by the court under Article 45.051 or Article 45.0511, that is, the driving safety or the deferred disposition law.
CERTIFICATE WILL BE MAILED
Your certificate will be mailed by the course provider that is responsible for the specific class you took. Use your receipt or paperwork from the course to determine which course you took. Or you can call the school where you took the class.
The envelope that you receive from the course provider will contain 2 certificates: 1 for the court, and the other for your insurance co. We suggest that you make a copy of the insurance certificate in case you change insurance companies. That is because the insurance discount is normally valid for three years and your new insurance company may also agree to provide a discount. It is the insurance company's option to provide the discount or not to provide it, to determine the amount of the discount, and to decide which driving safety class or courses that it will accept for that discount.
It is recommended that you either send it to the court via certified mail or handcarry your "Court" certificate to the court or that it will arrive by the date previously established by the court.
Note: It must be delivered or mailed by you to the court. The course provider is not permitted by law to mail it to the court.
By Texas state law, your completion certificate will be mailed to you within fifteen working days after you complete the class, and many course providers will mail your certificate within a day or two. Irregardless, they have 15 working days to mail you the certificate, so you'll need to take the course well ahead of the deadline imposed by your court.
Some driving safety courses offer a free expedited (one or two-day) delivery of your certificate and other course providers charge an additional fee for that service. The instructor is NOT allowed to hand you the certificate at the end of the course, and you cannot download a completion certificate after completing an online course.
REQUEST FOR A DUPLICATE CERTIFICATE
If you don't receive your certificate within 15 working days from the date you completed the class, call your course provider; that is, the telephone number that was given to you by your instructor. Your certificate may have been damaged in the mail and returned to your course provider or it may have been returned to the course provider for an insufficient or incorrect address. If your damaged or incorrectly addressed certificate has been returned to your course provider, he is permitted to issue a new, original certificate and mail it to you at your correct address.
If your course provider hasn't been able to help you to obtain your certificate, contact the Driver Training Certificate Unit for help at driving@tea.state.tx.us (Texas Education Agency) or at (512) 936-6800. Under certain circumstances, a duplicate certificate can be generated and mailed to you from the Certificate Unit, and it may even be free. That is, up until the 30th day after your course completion, the Certificate Unit is permitted to provide a free certificate if certain criteria are met, but after the 30th day, a fee of $10 will be charged. Click here for a copy of the duplicate certificate request form. Please do NOT request a duplicate of your certificate before contacting your course provider.
If the certificate that your receive in the mail has incorrect information on it, contact your course provider for corrections. Do NOT use that certificate because you will need to return it.
COMPLAINTS
If you believe that a driving safety class was presented inappropriately, either due to its content, its presentation, or a reduced class length (less than 6 hours), please contact the Driver Training Investigative Unit at drivertr@tea.state.tx.us or call (512) 936-6777, or send a fax to (512) 936-6799. Our complaint form is available at: www.tea.state.tx.us/drive/complaint.pdf or you can click on the "Complaint Form" link at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/. Under certain circumstances, a complainant may be eligible for a $500 reward. We'd also like to hear about those classes that were commendable, so please contact us about the driving safety class you attended.
Please be aware that a person is in violation of state law and subject to penalties if he or she signs and submits the certificate to the court without receiving the entire 6 hour course.
Saving Money on Your Insurance
By José Montemayor
Commissioner of Insurance
Excerpts
If you're the parent of a new driver, be prepared. Your auto insurance bill will likely increase-and stay that way until the young driver is out on his or her own. Male drivers under the age of 25 and unmarried female drivers under the age of 21 pay the highest rates for auto insurance But there are some things you can do to help control these costs.
One way to keep auto insurance costs in check is to ask your agent about any available discounts. One of the most common is a discount for drivers' education. Most insurance companies offer a 10% driver training credit for teenagers who complete a Texas Education Agency driver education course. That discount is also available to parents—or any driver—who complete a state-approved drivers' safety course. An additional 5 percent discount is offered to drivers who complete an approved drug and alcohol awareness course.
Once your teenager begins driving, tell the insurance company as soon as possible. The parents insurance policy covers all drivers in the household, including children, even if they are not specifically named on the policy. If you don't notify the company, and it later finds out that you have a teenage driver, you will likely be billed for the additional premium you should have been paying during that time. Your insurance company cannot refuse to renew your policy simply because a child in your house has reached driving age.
While all regulated insurance companies are required to offer the driver education discount, there are other discounts that vary from company to company. Some insurance companies will offer optional discounts based on the type of car insured and the kind of safety features it has. And if your child is in college and does not have access to a car, be sure to tell the agent. You may be eligible for additional savings through a ”student away at school discount.“ Ask your insurance agent whether the company offers a discount for students with good grades.
The rules regarding driver class and assignment of vehicles are complex and address a variety of situations. Generally, if a teenager is the principle driver of an auto, his or her rate will be determined on the basis of that vehicle. If not, the teenage driver is assigned to the vehicle that produces the highest rate, usually the more expensive. Be sure to discuss that issue with your insurance agent.
You may also want to consider raising the amount of your deductible, or dropping physical damage coverage, if your child is driving an older car.
The auto insurance market in Texas today is competitive so one of the best ways to save money is to do some comparison shopping. Companies charge significantly different rates, even for the same coverage. Consumers should get quotes from several companies regarding their family's automobile and driver situation.
For more information on insurance visit the Texas Department of Insurance Website at www.tdi.state.tx.us.
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