Idaho guide

Idaho defensive driving: how the 3-point reduction works

In Idaho, a defensive driving class lowers the point total on your driving record. It does not dismiss a ticket or remove a conviction. Here is what the class can and can't do for you.

  • 1 min read
  • 3 sections
  • Cites official state sources

What the course does

Under IDAPA 39.02.71.400, after you complete an approved defensive driving class, ITD may remove three points from the point total on your Idaho record.

  • You can do this once every three years, counted from the date you complete the class.
  • The points come off your total, not off a specific conviction.
  • You can't save a reduction for a future ticket. If you have no points today, there is nothing to remove.
  • It won't reverse a suspension that has already been imposed for too many points.

When you pass our course, we email your certificate to ITD for you and copy you on it. There is nothing for you to file.

Source: IDAPA 39.02.71, Driver’s License Violation Point System

What the course does not do

The same rule says a driving conviction cannot be removed by attending a defensive driving class or a traffic safety education program. If you need the ticket itself dismissed, this course won't do that.

Source: IDAPA 39.02.71, Driver’s License Violation Point System

City traffic safety programs are different

Idaho Code § 50-336 lets a city offer its own traffic safety education program. For an eligible infraction, that program can keep points and insurance-rating charges off your record. It has to be offered when you're stopped, accepted when the citation is written, and completed within 45 days.

Our ITD-approved class is not a city program. Using one can make you ineligible for the other for three years.

Source: Idaho Code § 50-336, city traffic safety education program

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