How To Dismiss A Traffic Ticket
March 3, 2011 | in Helping You Drive Safely
DefensiveDriving.com is the first online driver safety course in Texas. DefensiveDriving.com offers quality, award-winning driver safety training on how to dismiss traffic tickets, receive discounts for auto insurance, obtain point reduction and become a safer driver. We were the first approved defensive driving course in Texas (in 2000).
We now offer nationwide training. Always check with your court for approval prior to taking any driving safety course for ticket dismissal.
TICKET DISMISSAL INFORMATION
Texas state law allows you to dismiss one traffic ticket every 12 months by taking a TDLR-approved driving safety course.
Furthermore, Texas law requires the following: you must NOT possess a Commercial Driver License (CDL); you must admit guilt or sign a statement that you do not contest the citation (nolo contendere); and if you were charged with speeding, you should not be permitted to dismiss the ticket if you were cited with driving 25 or more miles per hour above the posted speed limit. There are other criteria, and the court has the final decision on whether you’ll be permitted to dismiss the ticket by completing a driving safety course.
Most municipal court judges and justices of the peace require you to contact the court before you take the driving safety course for purposes of ticket dismissal. Be sure to obtain the court’s permission first. By contacting the court that is indicated on your traffic ticket, you may prevent delays, added expenses, or a requirement that you repeat the course.
If the municipal court or the justice of the peace 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 Department of Public Safety (DPS), those fees are in addition to the price that you will pay for the driving safety course.
TEXAS “POINTS SYSTEM”
Effective September 1, 2003, Texas implemented a “Points System.”
Points are assessed to a person’s driver license for moving violations classified as Class C misdemeanors, and effective September 1, 2005, Child Safety Seat Violations are identified as moving violations. DPS will assess a surcharge when the driver accumulates a total of six (6) points or more on their driver record during a three-year period. The driver must pay a $100 surcharge for the first six points and $25 for each additional point, in addition to any related services fees. Traffic offenses which result in points are designated in the chart at 37 TAC §15.89.
According to Section 708.052, Texas Transportation Code,
“For each conviction arising out of a separate transaction, the department shall assign points to a person’s license as follows:
(1) two points for a moving violation of the traffic law of this state or another state that is not described by Subdivision (2); and
(2) three points for a moving violation of the traffic law of this state, another state, or a political subdivision of this or another state that resulted in an accident.”
DPS may not assign points to a person’s driver’s license if the offense is that of speeding and the person was at the time of the offense 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, Code of Criminal Procedure; that is, the driving safety course or the deferred disposition laws.
>>> Learn how to dismiss your traffic ticket with DefensiveDriving.com.