McLennan County Ticket Dismissal and Defensive Driving Requirements
If you received a ticket in McLennan County, Texas, which includes Waco, Lorena, McGregor, Mart, Crawford, among other cities, you have a few options:
- Plead not guilty and contest your ticket in a court of law
- Plead guilty and pay the fine, adding points to your license
- Plead guilty and, if you're eligible, take a Texas driving safety course, also known as a Texas defensive driving course, which will keep points from appearing on your driving record
Taking a Texas defensive driving course will benefit you for many reasons, the least of which keeps the ticket off your Texas driving record. Taking a state-approved course will keep points from being added to your Texas driver's license, which will, in turn, prevent your car insurance premium from increasing.
To apply for a Texas defensive driving course option, you must inform the Court of your intention to elect this option within ten days of receiving your ticket. To qualify for a Texas defensive driving course, you:
- Must possess a valid Texas driver's license
- Have valid liability insurance
- Have not taken a driving safety course in the past 12 months
- Were not cited for driving 25 mph over the speed limit
- Were not cited for driving over 95 mph
- Do not possess a commercial driver's license
Please note that the Texas driving safety course can only remove one moving violation citation from your record.
To request the Texas defensive driving course option, you may appeal by mail or in person. To do so, you need to either to send a copy of or bring with you a copy of a valid Texas driver's license, proof of current liability insurance, and money to pay the citation fee.
If the Court approves the driving safety course option, you must take and complete a state-approved Texas defensive driving course within 90 days. You must also provide a certified copy of your driving record and give it to the Driver Records Bureau, Texas Department of Public Safety for a $10 fee.