Course C3245 · Provider CP018
Texas defensive driving, approved and fully online.
Six hours of TDLR-approved instruction you can take on a phone or a laptop, stopping and restarting as often as you need. Your certificate is ready the moment you finish.
$28.00 for the course, the statutory minimum, with nothing added at checkout. Most people also need the Type 3A driving record the court asks for.
Driving Safety Course
What this course is for
People take this course for three reasons: to ask a court to dismiss a traffic citation, to qualify for a discount from their car insurer, and because the material genuinely changes how you drive. It covers all three.
It is approved by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation for use anywhere in Texas. It does not matter which part of the state you were cited in. What varies is the court: whether your citation is eligible, and whether the judge grants you a driving safety course, is the court's decision.
The course follows TDLR's published curriculum standards and runs on any browser. Your progress is saved as you go, and audio narration reads the content aloud if you prefer to listen.
| Course title | Texas Approved Online Defensive Driving Course |
|---|---|
| TDLR course number | C3245 |
| TDLR provider number | CP018 |
| Instruction time | 6 hours (state minimum) |
| State | Texas |
| Delivery | Online, self-paced, any device |
| Price | $28.00, all fees included |
How a dismissal actually works
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Ask the court, before the answer date
Enter a plea of no contest or guilty on or before the answer date on your citation and request a driving safety course, in person, in writing or through counsel. Taking the course before the court grants the request does not qualify you.
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Enroll and complete the six hours
Register with an email address and a password. The course saves your place, so you can finish it in a day or across a fortnight of evenings.
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File within the 90-day period
Art. 45A.352 gives you 90 days to complete the course and present the court your certificate together with your DPS driving record showing no course completed for dismissal in the preceding 12 months. Get your own deadline from the clerk in writing.
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Take the certificate to the court
Your certificate is available to download the instant you finish. We report the completion to the state within 24 hours, but the court expects the document from you, so do not wait on the report.
Whether a citation is eligible and whether to dismiss it is the court's decision. We are responsible for a TDLR-approved course and a valid certificate delivered on time. Source: Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 45A.352.
What it costs
Texas sets a floor on what an approved provider may charge: at least $25.00 for the course plus at least $3.00 for materials and administration (Tex. Educ. Code §1001.352; 16 Tex. Admin. Code §84.82(a)). We charge exactly that floor, with nothing added at checkout.
You need two documents, not one
The court asks for your certificate of completion and a certified Type 3A driving record. We can send you both, in one order.
Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 45A.356(a) names them together: (a)(1) your uniform certificate of completion, and (a)(2) a copy of your driving record showing you have not completed a driving safety course for dismissal in the previous 12 months. They are consecutive items in the same subsection.
- Document 1 Certificate of completion Issued the moment you finish the six-hour course, with nothing extra to pay for it. Comes with the course
- Document 2 Certified Type 3A driving record We place the order with DPS for you after checkout, and Type 3A is the only record type DPS allows for a driving safety course. Added to your order
Buy the course on its own and the clerk can still send you back for the record. Ordering both now means there is no second order to place later.
The statute qualifies the record with "if any", and a judge may instead proceed under art. 45A.359, in which case the court will not ask you for one. Your court clerk is the authority on your own case.
Course + Type 3A driving record
Both documents in one order: the course and the certified DPS record you have to file with it.
Course only
The six-hour approved course on its own. Only if you already hold your Type 3A record.
Driving record only
The certified DPS record, ordered on your behalf.
How the course runs
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Six hours, at whatever pace suits you
Log in and out as often as you like without losing progress. Six hours is the TDLR minimum, so it is also the shortest approved course available anywhere.
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Short quizzes, not one big exam
TDLR requires mastery of each section at 70% or better, so each section ends with a brief quiz you can retake. There is no single pass-or-fail test at the end.
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Certificate immediately, reported in 24 hours
Download and print it the moment you finish. A printed copy by mail is available at checkout if your court wants an original.
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Audio narration, and Spanish
A narrator reads the content aloud if you would rather listen. The full course is also available in español.
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Support from a real office
800-674-8110 or info@premierdefensivedriving.com, from 2929 Allen Pkwy Ste 200, Houston, TX 77019. Hablamos español.
1% of every sale is donated to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Impaired driving is the single largest preventable cause of the collisions this course exists to reduce.
Frequently asked
Are you an approved Texas defensive driving provider?
Yes. Premier Defensive Driving holds driving safety provider license CP018 from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, current through February 10, 2027, and the course is approved under course number C3245. You can confirm the provider license yourself in TDLR's public provider directory. Do not take our word for it.
How do I get the court to dismiss my ticket?
The court decides, not us. Under Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 45A.352 you ask the court for a driving safety course on or before your answer date, entering a plea of no contest or guilty. If the court grants it, you complete an approved course and present your certificate together with your DPS driving record within the 90-day period the court allows. Our part is the approved course and a valid certificate, delivered immediately on completion.
Is there a final exam?
There is no single high-stakes exam at the end. TDLR requires you to demonstrate mastery of each section at 70% or better, so the course checks you with a short quiz after each section, and you can retake them. Nothing rides on one test.
Will you give me a certificate of completion?
Yes, immediately on completion. You can download and print it straight away rather than wait for the mail. A professionally printed copy by regular or expedited mail is available as an add-on at checkout if your court wants an original. We also report your completion to the state within 24 hours.
How long do I have to finish the course?
The court allows a 90-day period under art. 45A.352 to complete the course and get the certificate and your driving record in front of the court. Your court sets your own date, so confirm it with the clerk. The course itself takes six hours and you can do it in one sitting or spread it out, because your progress is saved.
I took a defensive driving course last year. Can I take one again?
For a dismissal, art. 45A.352 requires that you have not completed a driving safety course for dismissal in the 12 months before the date of the offense, and that is what the driving record you file with the court shows. You can take the course as often as you like for an insurance discount or for your own benefit.
Will I get an insurance discount for taking this course?
Many Texas insurers offer a premium discount to drivers who complete an approved driver safety course, and they generally want a copy of your completion certificate. The size of the discount and how long it lasts is set by your insurer, not by us, so ask them before you enroll if that is your main reason for taking it.
The court wants a copy of my driving record. Can you get it?
Yes. We order the Texas certified Type 3A record on your behalf for $19.95, or you can take the course and the record together in one checkout. Note the combined package is priced at the sum of its parts, so it saves you a second checkout rather than money.
Why do I have to wait for the timer before moving to the next page?
Because TDLR sets a six-hour minimum for a Texas driving safety course (16 Tex. Admin. Code §§84.502, 84.504). The section timers add up to that six hours. No approved provider can let you finish faster, and any that claims otherwise is not following the rule.
What if I forget my password?
Use the forgot password link on the sign-in page, or change it from your profile once you are signed in.
For more about the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation's Driver Education and Safety program, see TDLR's own driver education pages. Still unsure? Call 800-674-8110 or email info@premierdefensivedriving.com.
Ready to start?
Register with an email address and a password. We only ask for the details the state requires after you have bought the course.
Where else you can take this course
One other site is authorized to sell and deliver our TDLR-approved course. It is the same course, and the certificate is issued under our license: TDLR provider CP018, course C3245. We remain the provider of record. Anyone else offering this course under CP018 is not authorized by us.
- Trouble Free Training, operated by Trouble Free Training LLC
Buying through an authorized distributor is buying our course. Your certificate carries our provider number and is filed with the court the same way. You can confirm the license itself in TDLR's provider directory.