New York Defensive Driving Course FAQs

Yes, this course is approved by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (NYS DMV). Our DMV Sponsoring Agency number is #029.

You may verify our approval by visiting the official New York DMV website.

New York requires online and classroom-based Defensive Driving courses to include at least 320 minutes of education. Since this course is 100% online, you do not need to complete it all at once. You may take breaks as often as you like during the 30-day period you have to complete the course. The course will automatically save your progress.

The Defensive Driving course is available in English and Spanish. You may choose your language preference during registration.

Yes, you can complete this course entirely online. No classroom-based learning is required.

This defensive driving course is 100% online. You may take it anywhere, from any device. Even from the comfort of your own home!

Yes. This course will reduce your point total by up to four points, depending on when the points were assessed. It will also give you a mandatory 10% automobile insurance discount for 3 years.

To qualify for point reduction, you must have received the violation and points within the 18-month period before the date you complete the course.

For most students, course completion is automatically reported to the DMV after successful completion of the training program. Automatic reporting is a free service provided to students who submitted a New York Driver's License or Client ID number during course registration.

DMV processing times can vary, and it may take up to 10 weeks for the point reduction to appear on your record. Once your course completion is reported, the DMV will automatically reduce up to four points on your record. You don't need to take any additional steps.

If you did not provide a driver's license number or Client ID number, you will need to submit your course certificate to the DMV to receive point reduction benefits. Your certificate will be delivered to you by USPS standard mail within 7–10 days. You must visit the DMV and provide your official certificate, which is printed on security paper. The DMV will not accept a photocopy.

To receive the 10% insurance discount, most students must submit a copy of their course certificate to their insurance provider. The process can vary from company to company, so please contact your provider to learn how to submit your certificate correctly.

If you enrolled in the course through our GEICO referral site and you have an active GEICO insurance policy, we will automatically report your course completion. You do not need to take any additional steps to redeem your discount.

New York drivers can take a defensive driving course only once in any 18-month period for point reduction. Note that point reduction does not prevent or cancel a mandatory license suspension or revocation for certain violations, including DWI, DWAI or three speeding violations within an 18-month period.

You may take the course once every 36 months to keep your insurance reduction benefits.

The discount can be applied to only one driver for each covered vehicle. The insurance reduction applies to all motor vehicles principally operated by the motorist who completes the course.

Due to New York DMV requirements, you'll need to confirm your identity at several checkpoints throughout the course. We use security questions and voice biometrics, two fast and simple methods that ensure you are the only person who participates in this training.

Security Questions

At the start of the course, you will be prompted to answer a series of security questions about personal details. These questions will appear on your screen at random points throughout the course, and you must answer them correctly within 45 seconds to continue the course. You can miss or incorrectly answer up to three security questions throughout the course. If you miss a fourth security question check, you will be locked out of the course and must purchase it again to continue your training.

Voice Biometrics

You will also be required to confirm your identity using voice biometrics, a validation technique that takes samples of your voice. With this method, you'll be prompted to provide a voice sample at random intervals using your device's microphone. A headset is not required.

Tip: To avoid missing any checkpoints, be sure to log out of the course any time you are not able to actively participate in the program. If an authentication request pops up, be sure to complete it before navigating away from the screen.

While there are no official age limitations for IPIRP training, the course is designed for licensed drivers ages 16 and older.

No, you do not need to pass a final exam to earn your certificate. However, you must pass brief knowledge check questions throughout the course, as well as brief quizzes at the end of each of the course's four learning modules.

You have up to three attempts to pass each knowledge check or quiz. Due to Department of Motor Vehicle requirements, you will be locked out of the course and required to re-register if you fail to pass a knowledge check or quiz after three tries.

Tip: Once you enter a knowledge check or quiz screen, do not navigate away before submitting your answers. Doing so may count as one of your three attempts.

The New York DMV requires students to successfully pass a one-question content quiz per lesson and four end-of-module quizzes to earn their certificate of completion. Each module quiz contains five multiple-choice questions, and you have up to three attempts per quiz to get a passing score of 75% or higher. You will be locked out of the course and required to re-register if you fail any quiz three times in a row.

After you register for your training, you have 30 days to complete the course.

No. You have 30 days to complete this course. During this time, you may log out and in as many times as you would like. While we recommend completing at least one course module per session, your progress will be automatically saved as you complete the course material.

After successfully completing the online defensive driving course, you will receive your official certificate of completion by mail. The certificate is printed on security paper and sent via USPS standard mail, which is typically delivered in 7–10 days.

Once you complete the course, you have the option to purchase expedited shipping. The state of New York requires you to provide your official certificate for point reduction.

If you took the course for point reduction or ticket dismissal purposes and you provided a New York driver license during registration, you don't need to do anything else. We will automatically report your completion to the DMV.

If you did not enter a New York driver license when registering, or if you took the course for a court-ordered purpose, you will need to contact the DMV and provide an original copy of your completion certificate. The DMV will only accept the original certificate you received by mail.

If you took the course for insurance discount purposes, provide the original copy of the certificate to your insurance provider.

If you need to verify that the defensive driving course completion is on your record, you may request a copy of your driving record from the DMV.

In most cases, students must submit a copy of their course certificate to their insurance provider to receive insurance reduction benefits. Please contact your insurance provider to find out how to submit the certificate properly.

If you enrolled in the Defensive Driving course through our GEICO referral site and you have an active GEICO policy, we will automatically report your course completion to your provider.

We will send you a certificate of completion when you graduate via the delivery method you choose. If you present this certificate of completion to your insurance company or agent within 90 days after course completion, your liability and collision premium reduction will begin immediately. This reduction will actually be retroactive to the date you completed the course.

If you present your certificate more than 90 days after course completion, your insurer could issue the premium discount effective from the date presented.

If you did not receive your original certificate or need to obtain a duplicate copy, please contact our Customer Care team for assistance. For the fastest response, contact us via LiveChat.

If you are having trouble loading the course or advancing, here are some steps that should get you back on track! We recommend following these steps in order and progressing until you've found a solution that works for you.

1. Review your course timing requirements and ensure you accessed all of the content

Each course module is timed, and the timer must run down to zero before you can click the continue button to advance. Please check your course's module time and allow the timer to elapse. Also, look for other advancement buttons and be sure to complete all required interactions.

2. Refresh the webpage

If the course does not automatically advance you to the next page once you've satisfied the timing requirements, refresh the webpage and attempt to resume the course.

3. Switch your browser or change browser settings

Sometimes default browser settings can conflict with the course display.

• Rather than navigating through numerous menus and options, one simple solution is to try switching to another browser. For example, you could try switching from Safari to Google Chrome.
• If you are using a mobile device, try switching the viewing mode to "desktop viewing mode."
• Lastly, try opening your browser of choice in an incognito mode.

4. Clear your cache

When browsing online, web browsers store, or "cache," website data like images and scripts to help improve your experience. Clearing your web browser's cache removes these stored assets, and this may help resolve display or navigational issues.

To clear your cache in Google Chrome, click the Chrome menu (icon with three vertical dots) and select More tools. Next, click Clear browsing data. Make sure that the Cached image and files box is checked. See more details on how to clear your cache in Chrome here.

To clear your cache in Mozilla Firefox, click the menu button (icon with three horizontal lines) and select Settings. Next, select Privacy & Security. Scroll down to Cookies and Site Data and click Clear Data. See more details on clearing your cache in Firefox here.

5. Disable third-party browser extensions

While third-party browser extensions can be useful, some have been known to cause problems on various online platforms. You can try disabling select extensions and reloading the course webpage.

If disabling an extension stops the issue, you can either remove it or keep it disabled while completing your course. Disabling an extension will turn it off without removing it, while deleting an extension will remove it entirely. Follow these links to learn more about managing extensions in Chrome and Firefox.

6. Restart your computer or device

Computers and devices should be restarted frequently to optimize performance and system health. This is why "turn it off and on again" is often tech support's favorite piece of advice. Try restarting your device to see if it fixes the issue.

7. Switch devices

If you're using a mobile device or tablet to access your course, try switching to a desktop or laptop device. While you can view your course on a mobile device, we recommend using a desktop or laptop for the optimal experience.

8. Still experiencing issues?

We're sorry to hear you are still having some trouble! Please contact our Customer Care team by visiting https://www.newyorksafetycouncil.com/contact-us/ or using the LiveChat button in the help area of your course. For the fastest support, please provide your Order ID number in your support inquiry.

If you have been locked out of your course, follow the instructions on your course dashboard for guidance on what to do next. If you feel that you have been locked out in error, please contact our Customer Care team for further assistance. For the fastest response, contact us via LiveChat.

Customers who have not yet attempted a quiz, requested or been issued a certificate or completed the course may be eligible for a refund. For eligible students who have already started their course, a $5 administrative fee will be deducted from the refunded amount.

No refunds will be granted for the following:

• Failure to pass quizzes, the final exam or any other course assessment requirements within the allotted number of attempts
• Failure to pass identity validation requirements (including biometrics, security questions or other required methods)
• Course expirations
• Expedited processing or mailing of certificates once the requested expedite has been fulfilled
• Requests submitted after the driving record has been processed

Visit our Defensive Driving page and click on the button that says "Start Here." During registration, please enter a new, unique username. If you are logged into an old course, be sure to log out and visit the Defensive Driving page to register.

In order to prevent a driver's license suspension, you need to respond to the ticket. Information on the back of the ticket will instruct you on how to proceed.

You can answer most DMV Traffic Violations Bureau (TVB) traffic tickets online. Please visit this site for further information or to enter pleas, appeal a ticket, etc. https://dmv.ny.gov/more-info/all-online-transactions#tvb

Please note the DMV Traffic Violations Bureau (TVB) only handles non-criminal moving violations that occur in:

• The five boroughs of New York City
• The cities of Buffalo and Rochester
• Portions of the towns of Babylon, Brookhaven, Huntington, Islip and Smithtown in Suffolk County

On the back of the ticket are instructions on how to plead. You can plead not guilty, fill out the requested information and sign it within 15 days of the recorded violation. The DMV will then send you a letter telling you when and where to go for your hearing.

If you plead guilty, fill out the requested information, mark guilty and sign it. You have to mail it within 15 days of the recorded violation. You can mail your payment in with the ticket or bring your payment to any TVB office.

For more information about how to plead, hearings and appeals, visit:

https://dmv.ny.gov/brochure/traffic-violations-bureau

Upon notification from the traffic court or TVB, the DMV will suspend your driver's license until you respond to the ticket, pay the fine or pay the mandatory surcharge. This is not equivalent to a guilty finding on the ticket.

To remove the suspension, you are required to pay the ticket, fine or mandatory surcharge. You must also pay the suspension termination fee of $35 to the traffic court or the TVB. Contact the traffic court or TVB to remove these suspensions.

If you continue to ignore the ticket after you received a suspension from the TVB for failure to respond to the ticket, you will receive a default conviction. The default conviction is equivalent to a guilty finding. The DMV then suspends your driver's license for your failure to pay the fine. To remove a default conviction from a TVB, you must pay the suspension termination fees.

The DMV does not handle parking violations or regulate parking. You must contact your city, town or village for questions about parking tickets, violations or rules.

Below is the system used by the NYS DMV to penalize drivers according to what violations they committed during a specific time period.

Speeding Violations Mph over speed limit	Points
1 to 10	3
11 to 20	4
21 to 30	6
31 to 40	8
More than 40	11

Violations	Points
Reckless Driving	5
Failure to stop for a School Bus	5
Following too closely (tailgating)	4
Inadequate Brakes	4
Inadequate Brakes (while driving employer's vehicle)	2
Failing to Yield Right-Of-Way	3
Violation Involving Traffic Signal, Stop Sign, or Yield Sign	3
Railroad Crossing Violation	3
Improper Passing or Lane Use	3
Leaving scene of an incident involving property damage or injury to an animal	3
Safety restraint violation involving person under 16	3
Any other moving violation	2