Washington Voluntary Defensive Driving Program

Improve Your Driving Voluntarily

When it comes to driving, nobody’s perfect, and everybody could use a refresher or two every once in a while. I Drive Safely’s Washington voluntary defensive driving course is tailored to drivers who simply wish to better their driving skills for the road, or want to qualify for an auto insurance discount. By learning much of the same material found in a defensive driving course, you can increase your knowledge of the road, increase your awareness of other drivers, and become a safer, more responsible driver.

Online Defensive Driving for Maximum Freedom

I Drive Safely’s voluntary defensive driving course is fully online – you can take your time refreshing your driving skills from the comfort of your home. Being 100% online means you get to reap all of the benefits of a traditional traffic school without any of the stressful hassles.

• Study at home, at the library, or even at the park – all you need is a computer and an Internet connection.
• Set your own schedule and pace – complete the course in one huge chunk, or take it one chapter at a time.
• Study whenever you want – day or night, our course is available 24/7.
• Log in and out as many times as you want – our auto-save feature ensures that you’ll always be able to pick up where you left off.

With I Drive Safely, you get to dictate your course on your own terms.

State-Approved and State-of-the-Art

Our voluntary defensive driving course is fully approved by courts across the state of Washington. It covers a large amount of useful topics, including:

• Washington traffic law and rules of the road
• How to prevent car accidents
• Defensive driving techniques
• Highway and city driving etiquette

Each topic is laid out clearly in its own easy-to-understand chapter. Filled with interactive animations and entertaining 3D graphics, our course has been developed with the help of professional driving instructors to maximize engagement and knowledge retention.

After you complete all the chapters, you must pass a final exam to officially complete the course. Don’t worry about passing the first time, though – students are offered unlimited retakes for their final exam. So it doesn’t matter if you fail the first, second, or even fifth time – you’re practically guaranteed to pass in the end.

Certificate Delivery On the Fly

Once you complete our voluntary defensive driving course, we’ll get your completion certificate out to you as soon as possible.

We Offer All the Resources You Need

We pride ourselves on making our course material as informative and comprehensive as possible. However, if you do have any questions, we have a team of professionally trained customer support representatives who are more than happy to give you all of the answers you need. Our team is available 7 days a week, so you can give them a call or e-mail whenever you have the time. We’ll make sure you your questions answered efficiently and accurately.

How to Take a Voluntary Defensive Driving Course in Washington

Your process for taking our Washington defensive driving course can be different depending on your circumstances and reasons for taking them. Whether you need to defer a minor traffic ticket, fulfill a court order to take a defensive driving course, or earn a discount on your auto insurance rates, there are specific steps you’ll need to take before your goals are met.

To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of requirements for each circumstance. Find the scenario that best fits you, and follow the steps to traffic school success.

How to Defer a Traffic Ticket

How to Fulfill a Court Requirement

How to Earn a Discount on Monthly Insurance Rates

How to Defer a Traffic Ticket

The state of Washington does not dismiss traffic tickets, but you may be able to prevent the court from reporting your citation to the Department of Licensing (DOL), which would raise your insurance rates and stay on your driving record. You may only defer a traffic ticket once every 7 years.

1. Contact your court before your appearance date and request to defer your ticket with a defensive driving course.

To be eligible:

• Your ticket must be for a minor moving violation.
• You must NOT have deferred a ticket within the last 7 years.
• You must NOT have any other citations pending.

2. Enroll in and complete your I Drive Safely Washington Level 1 4-hour defensive driving course.

3. Submit your completion certificate to your court by the deadline given.

Your particular court may allow you to mail your certificate of completion, or they may require you to bring it in person. Clarify your court’s specific procedures.

4. Check your driving record.

After the court processes your course completion, wait a few weeks and request a copy of your Washington driving record from the DOL. You should see a ticket deferral listed in conjunction with your defensive driving course. This will also ensure that your ticket isn’t reported to your insurance company.

How to Fulfill a Court Requirement

1. Attend your court date and state your intention to complete an online defensive driving course.

Based upon your conviction and driving history, your court will refer you to take one of two different courses:

• The Level 1 4-hour defensive driving course, for first-time minor offenders; or
• The Level 2 8-hour defensive driving course, for habitual or serious violators

2. Enroll in and complete your I Drive Safely Washington defensive driving course.

3. Submit your completion certificate to your court by the deadline given.

Your particular court may allow you to mail your certificate of completion, or they may require you to bring it in person. Clarify your court’s specific procedures.

4. Check your driving record.

After the court processes your course completion, wait a few weeks and then request a copy of your Washington driving record from the DOL. You should see a ticket deferral listed in conjunction with your defensive driving course. This will also ensure that your ticket isn’t reported to your insurance company.

How to Earn a Discount on Monthly Insurance Rates

1. Contact your insurance provider and determine your eligibility for a discount.

2. Enroll in and complete your I Drive Safely Washington voluntary defensive driving course.

Since this course is being taken voluntarily, you don’t need to worry about meeting any sort of court deadline. Take your time!

3. Submit your completion certificate to your insurance company.

Depending upon your company’s requirements, you may either mail in your I Drive Safely certificate of completion, or bring it to your insurance agent.

4. Enjoy your reduced insurance premium!

Frequently Asked Questions for Voluntary Defensive Driving in Washington

Course Information

Course Information

1. Is this course approved?

Yes! Our Washington defensive driving courses are approved by individual courts throughout the state for ticket deferral; our voluntary defensive driving course can be taken to help you get a discount on auto insurance. Make sure you check with your insurance provider to see how much of a discount you’ll receive.

2. Which defensive driving courses do you offer in Washington?

Along with the voluntary defensive driving course, we offer courses for drivers who may want or need to attend traffic school as a result of receiving one or more traffic tickets:

The Level 1 Washington 4-Hour Defensive Driving course — For drivers who have received a traffic ticket, and have been referred by the court to take a basic 4-hour course.

The Level 2 Washington 8-Hour Defensive Driving course — For drivers who have received a traffic ticket, and have already taken a 4-hour course; or for habitual traffic offenders who have received a court-order for an 8-hour course.

3. Can I take a defensive driving course if I need to get a traffic ticket dismissed?

The state of Washington does not dismiss traffic tickets, but with your court’s permission, you may defer your ticket and prevent your citation from being reported to the Department of Licensing by taking a Washington defensive driving course. This would prevent your insurance rates from rising.

4. I'm not sure if I'm eligible to take Washington defensive driving. How do I find out?

There are no requirements for your voluntary defensive driving course.

At some point, you may want or need to take a defensive driving course to defer a ticket. We have all of the eligibility requirements and steps to take for the Washington defensive driving courses listed on our How It Works page.

5. How often can I take defensive driving for ticket deferral?

The state of Washington only allows you to defer your ticket once every 7 years.

6. How long will this course take?

The voluntary defensive driving course is 8 hours long, per Washington state requirements.

You may work through the course at your own pace. Take it all in one day, or spread it out over a longer period of time – the choice is yours!

7. What types of things will I study?

Each course is broken down into 8 chapters that focus on a single topic pertaining to Washington driving and traffic laws. These topics include:

• Highway safety
• Alcohol- and drug-impaired driving
• State traffic laws
• Driving emergencies
• Vehicle maintenance

8. Do I have to take a final exam?

Yes, you do. All of the courses feature a 40-question multiple-choice final exam, which requires an 80% score or higher to pass. But don’t stress! If you don’t pass the final, you’ll be able to retake it until you do!

9. What is the testing and grading policy?

Each chapter contains a quiz that tests how well you retained the most important points from each chapter. Each quiz has 10 questions, and you must score an 80% or higher to move onto the next chapter. 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. You will need to score an 80% or higher, and you may retake the exam again if you do not pass on your first try.

10. Is there any way I can fail the course?

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 take it again.

11. Why does this course have timers?

This course is required by Washington law to span 8 hours in length. 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.

12. Is there a time limit to complete this course?

You’ll need to complete the course within 180 days of registration. Any student who has not successfully completed the course within 180 days will have their access terminated without notice and will not be eligible for a refund.

13. Can I earn an insurance discount?

Many insurance providers in Washington will reward drivers who voluntarily complete a traffic school course by reducing their insurance premium for a certain amount of time! By taking our voluntary defensive driving course, you could save as much as 10% on your insurance rate.