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What do driver safety courses, defensive driving courses, and driver improvement programs all have in common? Not only do they teach you how to drive more safely; they also can set you up for a long list of cash-saving benefits. Here’s what you need to know about California’s defensive driving school laws.

Why Would One Take a Defensive Driving Course in California?

In addition to learning how to be a better driver, California’s defensive driving courses come with a few great benefits. They can mask (or hide) traffic ticket convictions and points from your public driving record and can even earn you a sizable discount on your insurance premiums. We’ll talk about these benefits in detail below.

Of course, there are also other less common reasons to take advantage of California’s defensive driving school programs. One such reason is for personal education. Taking these courses can equip you with a set of safe driving skills that can keep you protected and secure when driving for years to come.

To Mask a Traffic Ticket

In some states, taking a defensive driving course will remove a traffic ticket from your record altogether. In California, it doesn’t quite work that way. However, the benefits of having a traffic ticket masked can be quite similar to having a traffic ticket removed from your record.

According to sections 1808.7(a) and 1808.7(b) of the California Vehicle Code (CVC), successfully completing a state-approved defensive driving course will earn you the following benefits: One traffic conviction will be considered “confidential, shall not be disclosed to any person” (except a court), and “shall be used only for statistical purposes by the department.”

Unfortunately, if your violation matches one or more of the following circumstances, then it will not be eligible to be masked:

• You hold a commercial driver license (CDL) in California.
• You hold a CDL in another state.
• The violation occurred in a commercial motor vehicle.
• The condition would result in more than one point being added to your record.

To Keep Points off Your Public Driving Record

Similar to how the completion of a state-approved defensive driving course can mask a traffic conviction, it can also conceal points from the public. Section 1808.7(b) of the CVC states, “No violation point count shall be assessed … if the conviction is confidential.” 

What that means is that, if the violation that added those points to your license is masked as part of completing a defensive driving course, then the points will not be added to your driving record. Of course, you will not be able to obtain these benefits if the violation is not masked (see the list of exceptions mentioned above).

To Earn an Insurance Rate Reduction

In addition to the other benefits mentioned above, you could potentially qualify for a discount on your insurance premiums after successfully completing a state-approved defensive driving course in California. How great that discount will be depends on who your insurance provider is.

Defensive Driving School Eligibility

Unfortunately, not everybody is eligible to participate in one of California’s defensive driving schools. In order to qualify for enrollment into one of these programs, you will need to meet all of the following requirements:

• Have not completed another defensive driving course within the last 18 months.
• Have a valid driver license.
• Have committed a traffic violation in a non-commercial vehicle.
• Have received a ticket for an eligible moving violation that did not result in a misdemeanor conviction and is not related to drugs or alcohol.
• Have paid the required court fees associated with your ticket.

Cheap Driving Schools’ Prices and Contact Information

The price of defensive driving school courses varies from place to place, depending on who is providing the classes. Here are the ten most affordable defensive driving schools in the state of California:

How Long Is a Defensive Driving Course?

Defensive driving courses in California can take more or less time depending on how quickly the teachers can get through the coursework. Louder and more unruly students can cause a class to take longer than one with quiet and respectful students. That being said, the average time taken to complete a defensive driving course in California is about two and a half hours (150 minutes).

Defensive Driving Online in California

Like many other states, California has entered the modern era! The state government understands the importance of the Internet in regulating the community, especially in the day and age of COVID-19. With that in mind, you can quickly and easily enroll in an online defensive driving course if an in-person course just isn’t for you. And doing so comes with the following benefits:

• Online courses can more conveniently fit into your schedule.
• Online courses can be taken from any computer (and some tablets and smartphones) anywhere in the world.
• Online courses often come with the ability to chat to live support staff.
• Online courses sometimes have convenient “Pay Later” options.
• Online courses often come with money-back guarantees.

Online Programs

Here are three great online programs that offer defensive driving courses approved for California courtrooms:

• The Online Traffic School, Inc.
• Drive Safe Online
• Drive Safe Today