Pennsylvania Defensive Driving

Pennsylvania Traffic School/Defensive Driving Lessons

After receiving a traffic ticket, you might find yourself sentenced to mandatory driving lessons at a school meeting the standards of the court and Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation--or given the option to take such lessons in lieu of heavier punishments.

Be aware, this is not always an option—eligibility for traffic court to dismiss a ticket or fulfill court requirements is determined on a case-by-base basis. It’s not a guaranteed solution to your situation.

Of course, not everyone attending defensive driving lessons does so to satisfy court obligations. Many study under mature driver improvement programs and defensive driving courses in order to earn car insurance discounts—knowledgeable, defensive drivers cost their insurers less, so they get charged less.

And even if you’re not eligible for any sort of legal or financial benefit from taking driving lessons, you should strongly consider the inherent benefits. A defensive driving course can teach you vital habits and skills to protect you from property damage, damage to your person, and accidental traffic violations. Individuals who complete defensive driving courses typically walk away far safer than they walked in.

This article will discuss in further detail the reasons for attending traffic school, what to expect from your classes, and who to call or email to find out more if you’re interested.

Options for Defensive Driving Courses in Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation doesn’t allow defensive driving courses or traffic school lessons to reduce points on your permanent driving record, but there are many other places such lessons can aid you, legally and financially:

• Meet established requirements for reinstating your license.
• Getting a discount on your car insurance.
• Get a traffic ticket dismissed, or satisfy a judge’s sentence, at the discretion of the deciding court.

To find out more about your options for driving school and driving lesson programs, you can:

• Contact your local court.
• Reach out to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
• Check the yellow pages.
• Search online for driving programs, defensive driving courses, and mature driver improvement lessons.

If your lessons aren’t mandatory, you likely have more flexibility in whether you learn in-person or online. Online schools have a number of advantages, especially if you’re too busy for lessons during normal teaching hours.

Insurance Discounts: Defensive Driving and Mature Driver Improvement

People over the age of 55 may be eligible for discounts on their insurance premiums via mature driver improvement and defensive driving lessons approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Every three years, you become eligible for another 5% discount on your insurance premiums via enrollment in and completion of a recognized program.

Be sure to check with Department-approved providers of these courses to find out your options; you may be eligible for online courses, if your schedule doesn’t allow for a classroom-based course.

To find out more about applicable car insurance discounts, contact your insurer.

NOTE: The mature driver discount may only apply to drivers over a certain age, but drivers of any age might be eligible for discounts based on defensive driving courses.

Mandatory Traffic School vs. Driving Record Points

The state Department of Transportation keeps track of your overall driving record via a point system—each violation adds points to your record. Acquire too many points in too short a period of time, and you may face punishments including a full suspension of your driver’s license.

While driving courses provide many benefits and can satisfy court requirements in certain cases, they do not work to remove existing points.

There are two basic ways to eliminate these marks from your permanent record:

• Drive for 12 months without a violation, and 3 points will be deducted from your total
• AND
• After driving safely for long enough to hit zero points, then maintaining that zero for another year, your record will be considered completely clean.

On the other hand, you may find yourself sentenced to mandatory driving lessons as a result of a traffic violation’s sentencing. If so, you’ll typically be given a deadline, a list of acceptable schools and programs, and whatever additional resources you may need to satisfy the requirements of your sentence.

More About Pennsylvania Traffic School

Classroom and web-based Pennsylvania traffic courses should be expected to last between 4 and 12 hours, and cover an array of subjects including:

• State Traffic Laws
• Drug and alcohol offenses, and the punishments associated.
• Habits and skills for driving defensively
• Attitudes and general behavior for safer driving.
• How to safely interact on the road with cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and foot traffic.

When you complete your lessons in full, you may be given a certificate recognizing your completion of the material. If necessary, you can present this to the court or your insurance provider as proof of completion.

To find out more, you can reach out to:

• The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
• Your insurer
• Your local court