The Point and Insurance Reduction Program (PIRP), also known as the Defensive Driving Course or Motor Vehicle Accident Prevention Course, is a comprehensive driver safety course that provides knowledge and techniques for safe and lawful driving. Private companies and organizations all over the state offer the course. To be approved by DMV, courses must meet strict standards for the type of information presented and program effectiveness.

Completing a PIRP course does not remove a violation, conviction, or the number of points from your driving record. Even after you complete the course, most violations, convictions, and points will continue to show on your driving record for up to 4 years. Violations and convictions involving drugs or alcohol will remain on your driving record for ten or fifteen years, depending on the violation. If you get 11 points for traffic violations in an 18-month period, your driver license may be suspended.

"Point reduction" means the number of points on your driving record used to calculate the number of total points received within 18 months will be reduced by 4 points and may help you avoid a suspension. 

Completing an approved course will

• refresh your driving knowledge
• help to prevent you from losing your license in the event you accrued 11 or more points on your driving record
  • 4 points are 'subtracted' for the purposes of calculating a suspension if you have 11 or more points
  • the tickets/points do not physically come off your driving record
• reduce the base rate of your auto and motorcycle insurance premiums by 10% each year for three years

 Completing a course does not

• prevent a mandatory suspension or revocation
• eliminate your responsibility to pay a driver responsibility assessment
• give you a way to reduce future driver violation points
• prevent general premium increases or premium increases due to violations or accidents

You must take the course once every 36 months to maintain insurance reduction benefits.

If more than one person named on an insurance policy completes the course, only the principal operator can receive the 10% reduction.

You can take a course in a classroom, online or through other delivery methods such as DVD or digital cable.    

Find Approved Point and Insurance Reduction Program (PIRP) Courses.

Course Fees

The fees vary for each provider.  Contact the provider directly to find out the fee. 

Course Length

The classroom course is 320 minutes long. It is presented in one or more sessions. The course must include essential information about traffic safety. It must cover these and other topics: driver attitude and behavior, defensive driving techniques, and the Vehicle & Traffic Law.  No formal testing is required to complete the course. 

Youthful drivers and drivers participating in the assigned risk pool will receive the insurance premium discount. Any insured driver who is the principal operator and completes a PIRP course will receive the 10% reduction.

Contact your insurance company or agent to learn if a youthful driver who is already receiving a driver education reduction is also eligible to receive a PIRP reduction.

The PIRP course sponsor will notify the DMV within 10 weeks after you complete the course.  DMV will then reduce the active points on your driving record by up to 4 points.

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

If your course completion is not recorded on your driving record more than 10 weeks after you completed it, contact the course sponsor.

If you present your certificate to your insurance company or agent within 90 days after course completion, your liability and collision premium reduction will begin immediately, retroactive to the date you completed the course.  If you present your certificate more than 90 days after course completion, the insurer may issue the premium discount effective from the date presented.

Point reduction applies only to points assessed for violations that occurred within the eighteen months immediately before course completion. It does not affect points for earlier violations, and cannot be used as "credit" against future violations or points. You can only use a Point & Insurance Reduction Program course to reduce points once in an 18-month period.

Point reduction cannot reduce your point total to lower than zero.

If your license has already been revoked or suspended, the point reduction will not affect that action. Point reduction does not prevent or cancel a mandatory revocation or suspension for DWI, DWAI, or three speeding violations within 18 months.

If a violation hearing has already been scheduled, the point reduction will not affect that action.

The DMV point system and your insurance company’s "point" systems are separate and not related. Point reduction on your driving record does not affect points assigned by your insurance company for violations and accidents.

Completion of a course under the Point & Insurance Reduction Program also cannot prevent or reduce the calculation of points affecting a Driver Responsibility Assessment.