Defensive Driving in Alabama

SUMMARY: Alabama Defensive Driving Courses

If you've committed a traffic violation and want to dismiss a traffic ticket, or have high car insurance rates and want to earn a discount, you may be able to complete an Alabama defensive driving course.

Defensive driving courses, also known as traffic school, provide you with information about safe driving and may help to lower your chances of receiving a traffic ticket in the future.

On this page, you'll find information about defensive driving courses in Alabama, when to take a course, and what to do when you complete one.

Taking Defensive Driving in Alabama

You can take a defensive driving course online or in a classroom at a professional, licensed traffic school.

To find a certified defensive driving course, contact:

  • The Alabama court handling your traffic ticket.
  • Your car insurance provider.
    OR
  • The Alabama Department of Public Safety (DPS) .

Whether or not a defensive driving course can be used to lower your auto insurance rates or dismiss a traffic violation will depend upon your specific circumstances.

Even if you are not eligible to dismiss a ticket or earn a discount, Alabama traffic school can help to improve your driving skills and reduce the chances that you'll receive a ticket or cause an accident in the future.

Dismiss an Alabama Traffic Ticket

If you received a traffic ticket for a minor offense, the Alabama court may allow you to complete a defensive driving course to dismiss your ticket.

Your judge will make this decision on a case-by-case basis. Contact the Alabama court that is handling your case for more information.

The court should provide you with information about your deadline to complete the course and the steps to take once you pass.

For information about defensive driving courses to dismiss a traffic ticket, please visit the Alabama Traffic Service Center website, choose your county, and click the general information tab.

Alabama Defensive Driving Car Insurance Discounts

You may be able to complete a defensive driving course to earn a discount on your auto insurance.

While Alabama defensive driving/traffic school discounts are often aimed towards young and elderly drivers, drivers of all ages may be eligible for a discount.

Contact your car insurance provider for more information.

Driving Record Points in Alabama

When you are convicted of a traffic violation, the Alabama DPS will add points to your driving record.

While classroom and online defensive driving courses may be used to dismiss a traffic violation, they cannot be used to remove points that already exist on your driving record.

Points associated with your traffic convictions will no longer count as points for possible suspension after 2 years. The points will remain on your driving record.

If you receive too many traffic tickets and earn too many driving record points, your driver's license could be suspended. You can check your driving record to see if you are at risk of a suspended license.

For more information, please visit our pages on Driving Records and Suspended Licenses in Alabama.

Defensive Driving Course Requirements

Generally, both classroom and online defensive driving courses will take the same amount of time and cover the same topics.

An Alabama traffic school may take you about 8 hours to complete and will cover topics including:

  • Safe driving habits.
  • Alabama traffic laws and violations.
  • Sharing the roads.

Your court or insurance company may require you to take a specific course, but it is usually your choice whether you take a classroom or online format.

Completing Your AL Defensive Driving Course

If you are taking defensive driving to dismiss a traffic ticket, your court will likely give you a time limit to complete the course.

If you are completing Alabama traffic school voluntarily, your time you take to complete the course will depend on your course provider.

At the end of your program, you'll need to pass a final exam.

After passing your defensive driving course, you may need to provide the court with your completion certificate.

Contact your car insurance provider or your Alabama court for specific information about your next steps after completing defensive driving.

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