Insurance after a ticket: what a course can change
Insurers set their own rates. A few states write numbers into law: a minimum discount for a defensive driving course, or a rule about what insurers may see. This guide lists the figures states publish. Where none is published, the discount varies by insurer.
5states publish an insurance figure for a voluntary course
Rules checked . Updated .
Your driving record is part of your premium
Insurers read your driving record when they price a policy. The California Department of Insurance says insurers use the record of every driver in the household to decide whether to insure you and at what price, and that a surcharge usually follows an accident or a moving violation that was the covered driver's fault. Source: California Department of Insurance, Automobile Insurance, Form 101 revised February 5, 2025.
California also sets a floor. A Good Driver, licensed for at least three years in a row with no more than one point on the record, must pay at least 20% less than a driver who does not qualify, at the same company. One ticket can carry a point, and the California rule keeps the point of one masked ticket in any 18 months off the record insurers see (checked October 2026).
What each outcome leaves for your insurer
| Outcome | What stays | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Dismissal | No conviction, once you meet the terms. | Arizona, Illinois, Mississippi, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah and Washington |
| Masking | California and Michigan keep the ticket from insurers. Florida withholds adjudication and adds no points. Kentucky keeps it off its 3 year public record. | California, Florida, Kentucky and Michigan |
| Points off | The conviction stays. The course lowers the point total the state counts. | 22 state rules, for example New York and New Jersey |
| Insurance only | The ticket stays as it is. A voluntary course may bring a discount. | Louisiana, Minnesota and Montana |
The masking guide sets out what each of the four masking states keeps, and from whom.
Defensive driving discounts written into state law
Five state rules put a number on the discount for a voluntary course (checked October 2026). Each figure holds on the terms its source sets, often an age floor, and your insurer applies it.
| State | Published figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | At least 5% for at least 24 months, for drivers 60 and older | Conn. Gen. Stat. 38a-683, Premium discount for senior citizens completing an accident prevention course |
| Louisiana | Up to 10% for 36 months, where the insurer has filed a reduction | Louisiana R.S. 22:1457 Discounts; rate reductions |
| Minnesota | At least 10% for drivers 55 and older, renewed every 3 years | Minn. Stat. 65B.28, Accident prevention course premium reductions |
| New York | 10% off the base rate of liability and collision premiums for three years | Point and Insurance Reduction Program (PIRP), NY DMV (Internet Archive capture of 2026-08-13) |
| Pennsylvania | At least 5% for drivers 55 and older | Mature Driver Improvement Course, PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services |
Two of the figures come with conditions. Louisiana's reduction does not apply when a court ordered the course. New York's figure comes with the Point and Insurance Reduction Program, the same course that lets the DMV subtract up to 4 points when it counts toward a suspension (New York rule, checked October 2026).
Everywhere else, the discount varies by insurer
Another 15 state rules mention a voluntary course that can count toward an insurance discount, with no figure: California, Delaware, Washington, DC, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Virginia and Washington. In those states, and in every other, whether you get a discount, how much and for how long varies by insurer.
The checker prints a figure under an answer only where the state publishes one. Otherwise it says: Insurers set their own rates; ask yours.
What to ask your insurer
- Does a moving violation change the premium, by how much, and for how long?
- Do you give a discount for a defensive driving or accident prevention course, which courses count, and for how many years?
- Does a course taken for a ticket count, or only a voluntary one? Louisiana's law leaves out a course a court ordered.
- Which record do you read, and does it show a dismissed or masked ticket?