New Mexico Defensive Driving – Frequently Asked Questions
Course Information
- Is this course approved?
- Which defensive driving courses do you offer in New Mexico?
- I'm not sure if I'm eligible to take a New Mexico driver improvement course. How do I find out?
- How long will this course take?
- What types of things will I study?
- Do I have to take a final exam?
- Why can't I take my final exam at home?
- What is the testing and grading policy?
- Is there any way I can fail the course?
- Why does this course have timers?
- Is there a time limit to complete this course?
Course Information
Yes! Our New Mexico defensive driving courses are state-approved by the New Mexico Department of Transportation (DOT) to meet all requirements for a ticket and point dismissal, as well as license reinstatement.
We offer 2 courses to meet the needs of every driver:
- New Mexico Driver Improvement course – Court-Referred: For drivers who have received a traffic ticket and have been referred by the court to complete a defensive driving course for ticket and/or point dismissal.
- New Mexico Driver Improvement Course – Point Suspension: For drivers whose driver’s licenses have been suspended, and have received a court-order to take a driver improvement course for license reinstatement.
Each of these courses is also available in Spanish. These courses can also be taken for insurance discount purposes, if your insurance carrier offers rate reductions for successful completion of a driver improvement program.
Ticket and point dismissal is granted on a case-by-case basis in New Mexico, and requirements will differ from court to court. Generally, you will be eligible if:
- You possess a valid, non-commercial New Mexico driver’s license
- Your violation is a non-criminal minor moving violation
- Your license has not been suspended or revoked
If your license has been suspended and you’ve received a court order for a driver improvement course, then you have already met requirements/received permission to enroll in our Point Suspension course.
Check with your specific court before enrolling in our course. We have all of the eligibility requirements and steps to take for the New Mexico Defensive Driving courses listed on our How It Works page.
The New Mexico Court-Referred Driver Improvement course meets the state-mandated 6-hour length requirement, while the Point Suspension course meets the required 8-hour length.
Both courses are broken up into 12 single-subject chapters. You may work through your course all in one day if you choose, or you may spread it out over a longer period of time. How long it takes is completely up to you!
Each of your 12 course chapters focuses on single topics that pertain to New Mexico driving and traffic laws. These topics include:
- Highway safety
- Alcohol- and drug-impaired driving
- State traffic laws
- Driving emergencies
- Vehicle maintenance
Yes, you do. The final exam is 50 multiple-choice questions, and you will need to achieve a passing score of 70% or higher. You may retake the exam as many times as you need to pass.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You must take your final exam at an approved testing center or notary public, per New Mexico state law. You will have the opportunity to choose a testing center near you during registration. If you need to retake your final exam, you must wait 24 hours, and must therefore schedule another appointment at your testing center in order to complete your retake.
The state of New Mexico mandates that you complete your final exam at an approved testing center or notary public. We (and all other online defensive driving schools) must comply with these state requirements. Your exam is still taken right on our site, so you will log in with your username and password as usual – you will just do it on a different computer at an approved location.
Each of the 12 chapters contains a quiz that reviews important content from that chapter. There are 10 questions per quiz, and you need to obtain an 80% or higher to pass onto the next chapter. The quizzes will provide you with an excellent opportunity to master the course material and prepare for your final exam. You will be provided with feedback on any incorrect answers, and you may retake your quizzes an unlimited amount of times.
You will then take your final exam at the end of your course, with 50 multiple-choice questions and a required passing score of 70% or higher. You may retake the exam if you do not pass on your first try. You are allowed unlimited attempts.
Absolutely not! You have unlimited retakes on your chapter quizzes and final exam, so if you fail to achieve a passing score on your first try, you may simply retake the chapter again until you do.
This course is required by New Mexico law to span 6 or 8 hours in length, depending upon your reason for taking the course. To comply with this law, we (and all other online defensive driving schools) are required to place timers on each page of the course. We realize that some students may read faster than the timer will permit you to advance, but state regulations prohibit us from changing this function. The timers cannot be disabled for any reason.
Deadlines are typically determined by the New Mexico courts. While we allow you 180 days to complete your course before your account is suspended, the court may require you to finish your course much sooner than that. Make sure to determine their deadline before beginning the course.
Regardless of court deadlines, you MUST complete the course within 180 days of registration. Any student who has not successfully completed the course within 180 days will be terminated without notice and will not be eligible for a refund.
