Can I Use My Tennessee Driver Education Course (Traffic School) Completion for Both Ticket Dismissal and an Insurance Discount?
Yes. One completion of the Tennessee Driver Education Course can satisfy both a ticket dismissal requirement and qualify you for an insurance discount — as long as you meet the eligibility requirements for each purpose separately. You complete the course once and submit your certificate to each party.
How It Works
Your certificate is a PDF that you can submit to multiple recipients. If your court has granted you permission for ticket dismissal and your insurer offers a discount for completing an approved driver education course, you can:
Submit your certificate to your court to satisfy the ticket dismissal requirement.
Submit your certificate to your insurance provider to request the discount.
There is no rule against using the same completion for both purposes.
What to Confirm Before Enrolling
For ticket dismissal: Contact your court before enrolling to confirm you have permission and to confirm their submission deadline. For the insurance discount: Contact your insurance provider before enrolling to confirm they accept this course and offer a discount.
Both confirmations should happen before you enroll, not after.
Can I Combine Ticket Dismissal and Point Reduction?
These address different things and typically cannot apply to the same violation at the same time:
Ticket dismissal prevents a conviction from being entered — there are no points to reduce.
Point reduction removes points from a conviction already on record.
If a court dismisses your ticket, the violation is not recorded as a conviction and no points are assessed — so there is nothing to reduce through the DSHS point reduction program for that same violation.
However, if you have a separate speeding conviction on your record for which you received a DSHS eligibility letter, you could use the course for point reduction on that conviction and for ticket dismissal on a different citation. These would need to be separate enrollments or — depending on timing — you would need to confirm with the DSHS whether one completion covers both.
Quick Facts
Detail | Information |
One completion for dismissal + insurance | Yes — submit certificate to both court and insurer |
Prior confirmations required | Court permission for dismissal; insurer confirmation for discount |
Ticket dismissal + point reduction (same violation) | No — dismissal prevents the conviction, leaving no points to reduce |
Certificate copies | You can print or forward the PDF as many times as needed |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to tell my court that I am also submitting to my insurer? No. Submitting to your insurer is separate and does not affect your court submission.
My insurer wants the original certificate. Can they require that? Your certificate is a PDF. There is no "original" vs. "copy" distinction — every printed version is the same. If your insurer has specific requirements, ask them to clarify what they will accept.
Can I use my completion for dismissal, point reduction, and an insurance discount all at once? Dismissal and point reduction cannot apply to the same violation simultaneously (see above). But if you have separate qualifying situations — a court-ordered dismissal for one citation and a DSHS point reduction letter for a separate conviction — and your insurer also offers a discount, then yes, one completion certificate can be submitted to all three parties for their respective purposes.