FAQs

Certificate Questions

1) Can I expedite the shipping of my certificate?

Yes! We offer several different shipping options to help you receive your certificate when you need it. Visit our Delivery of Certificate page to see what options are available.

2) How quickly is my certificate processed? When will I receive my certificate?

If you complete the course before 3:00PM CST on a business day*, then your Certificate of Completion will be processed and shipped the same day.

If you complete the course after 3:00PM CST, or on a non-business day**, then your Certificate of Completion will be processed and shipped the following business day.

* Business day refers to Monday – Friday, excluding Observed Holidays

** Certificates will not be processed, shipped or delivered on Saturdays, Sundays or Observed Holidays

You should receive your certificate in 5-7 business days, if you use our complimentary standard shipping method of Regular US Mail (Regular USPS Mail does not provide tracking or guarantee delivery). We also offer other shipping options for additional fees, if you need your certificate delivered sooner. See our Delivery of Certificate page for available shipping options.

3) Can I still take the iDefensiveDriving.com course if my court deadline is today?

We suggest you contact your court first.  It would not be in your best interest to purchase the course and complete it if the court will not give you credit.

4) Can I have my certificate shipped directly to the court?

Texas law prohibits us from sending your certificate to the court.  We are required to send all certificates directly to the student.

5) What if I’ve lost my certificate?

Please contact us using the email form on our 24/7 Support page and request a reprint if you have misplaced your certificate or it contains incorrect information.

Common Course Questions

6) The court is requiring a copy of my driver record. Can iDefensiveDriving.com get that for me?

Some other courses might lead you to believe your driver record may be hard to get, and they have the ability to get it for you quickly…for plenty of extra money, of course. But actually, obtaining your own driver record is a quick, easy and inexpensive process. Click here for details on how to obtain your own driver record.

7) Why did I get a message that my personal information could not be validated, and what is a Student Affidavit?

We are required by the state of Texas to use Third Party Validation (TPV) sources to validate the identity of the students who register for the course. Using the Driver’s License # and License Plate # you enter during registration, we obtain information from those TPV sources, and use it to ask you random Personal Validation Questions throughout the course. Per state requirements, you must answer at least 70% of the validation questions correctly to receive credit for the course.

If your identity cannot be validated by our TPV sources, then we will be unable to present the necessary validation questions. You can still complete the course, but will also be required to download and print a student affidavit, which must be completed and notarized, and returned to us before we can process your certificate.

You are given the opportunity to download the affidavit, if necessary, as soon as you register at the beginning of the course. If you do not download the affidavit at that time, you are given another opportunity to download it once you complete the course. The notarized affidavit can be returned to us via email or regular mail.

By email: [email protected]

By mail: iDefensiveDriving.com
Attn: Student Verification
20403 FM 529 Suite 250
Cypress, TX 77433

The affidavit can be downloaded from this link:
http://www.idefensivedriving.com/wp-content/uploads/Student_Affidavit.pdf

8) Can completing a defensive driving course reduce my insurance premiums?

Often times, yes!  Most insurance providers have a predetermined discount they will apply to your policy for completing defensive driving.  Contact your insurance provider for details.

9) What will happen if I don’t meet the deadline given to me by my court?

Your citation will be added to your driving record, and your insurance provider will be notified.  This could cause your insurance rates to increase.

10) Do I have to complete the course in a certain amount of time?

iDefensiveDriving.com will allow you 120 days to complete the course.  If you have not completed the course in 120 days from the day you registered, your account and course information will automatically be cancelled.

However, the most important time limit you must consider is the one your court gives you, which is usually shorter than the 120 days we allow.  Make sure you know when your course completion certificate is due according to the court.

11) Why do I have to wait on the timer to expire before I move on to the next page?

In compliance with course length requirements, all online driving safety schools are obligated to include timers on each page of the course.  State law prohibits us from adjusting or removing these timers for any reason.

12) Is it possible for me to fail the course?

Absolutely not! If you don’t make the 70% mark on a quiz, then you just start the chapter over and take a new quiz.  You can retake the chapters as many times as you need!

13) How am I graded?

A short quiz of 4 to 5 questions is administered after each chapter. These quizzes test your comprehension and mastery of the course material. You must correctly answer at least 70% of the questions on each quiz to receive credit for completing each chapter.

14) Will I have to take a big test at the end of the course?

No way!  iDefensiveDriving.com is designed to test your comprehension as you go. You will take short, 4 or 5 question quizzes after each chapter. Once you finish the last chapter you’re done!

15) How long will it take to complete the course?

The state requires all driving safety courses to be at least 6 hours in length. With iDefensiveDriving.com, however, you don’t have to sit in a classroom, or even in front of your computer, for 6 straight hours.  It’s totally up to you how you complete the course.  You can finish all at once, or you can chip away at it 15 minutes at a time.  We save your place so you can log in and out as many times as you want!

16) Can I take this course on my tablet or smartphone?

Does your device have a good internet connection? If so, it’s good enough for us! Your convenience is a priority to us, so we want you to have access to your course from any of your internet ready devices. You don’t have to be stuck in your office in front of a desktop computer. You can complete iDefensiveDriving.com on the go!

17) Is iDefensiveDriving.com an approved course?

Absolutely! The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has given our course 100% approval, ensuring it satisfies all state requirements for ticket dismissal and insurance discounts.

18) I took a defensive driving course last year. Can I take it again?

It depends on what date you completed the course last year. Per state regulations, you may only complete a defensive driving course once in a 12 month period for ticket dismissal.  Check with your court to verify your eligibility and permission to take the course again.

19) I’m not sure if I’m eligible to take Texas Defensive Driving. How do I find out?

Normally, you are eligible in the state of Texas if:

  • Your ticket was for a minor moving violation
  • You did not receive your citation in a construction zone.
  • You have not previously completed a defensive driving course within the last 12 months
  • Your driver’s license is non-commercial class

Your court should be able to provide you with all the necessary information on your eligibility for a driving safety course.

Payment and Policy Questions

20) Can I have someone help me with the course?

A certificate of completion will not be issued, and completion credit will not be given, if any part of the course is completed by anyone other than the enrolled student.  When you register you are agreeing that you, and you alone, worked through the entire course and answered the quiz questions.  It may be considered a felony to falsify any documents submitted to the court.

21) What is the grading policy for tests?

Each chapter is followed by a short quiz of 4 or 5 questions, which are specific to the course material in that chapter.  You must answer at least 70% of the questions correctly to receive credit for completing that chapter.  If you score below 70% on a chapter quiz, the page timers will be reset, you will be required to review the chapter again, and then take a new quiz.  This process can be continued until you successfully pass the chapter quiz.

Once you have completed each chapter and scored 70% or better on all chapter quizzes, you’re done!  No final exam!

22) Can I cancel my course? Can I receive a refund?

The iDefensiveDriving.com course can be cancelled if requested in writing within 3 business days from the date you registered for the course.  You may request via email using the form on the 24/7 Support page, or refer to our Privacy Policy for our mailing address. If you cancel an uncompleted course before midnight of the third day, other than a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, after the date you enrolled, you will receive a full refund. Refunds are issued within 30 days from when we receive your request for cancellation.

23) What if I do not complete the entire course?

All of the course chapters must be completed, and all chapter quizzes must be passed before a certificate of completion can be issued.  We are not allowed to provide a certificate to anyone that has not met all the completion requirements.

24) What forms of payment do you accept?

We accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover. You may also use any Visa or MasterCard debit card.

Software and Troubleshooting Questions

25) I can’t get a video to start. What should I do?

Go here and check to see if your browser is compatible with HTML5 video. If your browser is not compatible you will need to upgrade your browser. Upgrading your browser ensures you are using a faster and more secure web browser.

26) What if the page timer stops?

If your timer has stalled while taking your course, you can clear your cache on your internet browser. This should prompt the timer to keep moving.

27) The video I was watching just froze. What should I do now?

If the video you’re watching has frozen, you can clear your cache on your internet browser. This should allow the video to play properly.

28) What if the pages on your site aren’t loading?

This could be caused by high traffic volume on the web and/or issues with your Internet Service Provider. Check the quality and speed of your internet connection, and if necessary, disconnect your internet connection and reconnect. You may also try waiting until internet traffic has decreased. If you are still experiencing problems, please contact Customer Support.

29) What if I forget my password?

If you forget any of your login information, click here to reset your password. If you encounter difficulty with retrieving your login information, please contact Customer Support.

30) How do I save my place if I want to stop working and come back to it later?

From when you first begin the course, your progress is automatically tracked and saved. When you log out, it saves your place, and when you log back in, you can pick up where you left off. For your security, the course will automatically save your place and log you out if there has been more than 5 minutes of inactivity after a page timer has expired.

31) Is there a certain internet browser or other software I should use to take the course?

No unusual software is required for using iDefensiveDriving.com. You’ll need an internet browser, such as Internet Explorer 9.0 or greater, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, etc., pointing capability via internal/external mouse or touch screen. Also, your device will need to be equipped for audio to accommodate the sound in videos and narration.

32) Is my personal and payment information secure once I’ve provided it to iDefensiveDriving.com?

Definitely.  Our transactions are over an encrypted SSL connection, which offers an excellent level of security.  All data sent via an encrypted SSL connection is protected from theft and tampering.