West Virginia defensive driving course rules
In West Virginia a defensive driving course takes 3 points off your record; the ticket stays. It applies once a year.
Rules checked
West Virginia has no course that dismisses a ticket. A voluntary DMV approved Defensive Driving Course takes 3 points off your record once every 12 months, for drivers 18 or older or holding a full level three license. The conviction stays on the record. Take the course only after the points appear on your record, and check that it is a classroom course the DMV lists. A point suspension of 14 points or more is not changed by the course.
- What a course does
- Points taken off; the conviction stays
- Speed limit for the course
- Not published
- How often
- Once a year
- Deadline to ask
- Not published
- Speeding points
- 0 to 6 points
- Points count for
- 2 years
The West Virginia rule
Every field of the rule. The number points to its source at the foot of the page.
- The program
- Defensive Driving Course (Driver Improvement course)
- What it does
- Points taken off; the conviction stays
- Set by each court
- No
- Speed limit for the course
- Not published
- Bar at double the posted limit
- Not published
- Open to CDL holders
- Not published
- Open to tickets in a commercial vehicle
- Not published
- Open to learner and provisional licenses
- No
- Open to drivers licensed in another state
- Not published
- How often
- Once a year, the rule does not say what the window counts from
- Lifetime limit
- Not published
- Deadline to ask
- Not published
- Court fee for the course
- Not published
- Course length
- 7 hours
- Course price the rule publishes
- Not published
- Crashes
- Not published
Who qualifies
- Not published for CDL holders. Ask your court.
- Not published for tickets written in a commercial vehicle.
- Learner, permit and provisional license holders do not qualify.
- Not published for drivers licensed in another state.
- Speed limit for the course: not published. Your court decides.
- Once a year, the rule does not say what the window counts from.
Deadline and how to ask
- Ticket writtenDay 0
- Deadline to askBy the date on your citation
The state rule names no day count. The date on your citation or notice applies.
Points in West Virginia
| Violation, as the state lists it | Type | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding 10 mph or less over the posted speed limit has no point value (except for a commercial driver's license holder or a commercial motor vehicle) | Speeding | 0points |
| Speeding eleven (11) m.p.h. or more over the posted speed limit but less than fifteen (15) | Speeding | 3points |
| Speeding fifteen (15) m.p.h. over the posted speed limit but less than twenty (20) | Speeding | 5points |
| Speeding twenty (20) m.p.h. or more over the posted speed limit | Speeding | 6points |
| Speeding in school zone | Speeding | 6points |
| Failure to obey traffic control signals or traffic light signals | Red light or stop sign | 3points |
| Failure to obey stop signs and other traffic signs and control devices | Red light or stop sign | 3points |
| Improper right-hand and left-hand turns | Lane change or turn | 2points |
| Driving to left side of roadway | Lane change or turn | 3points |
| Following too closely | Following too closely | 2points |
| Defective or improper equipment, improper registration or expired inspection decal: no point value | Equipment or registration | 0points |
| All other moving violations | Other moving violation | 2points |
| Reckless Driving | Other moving violation | 6points |
Source: W. Va. Code of State Rules 91CSR5, effective 4/9/2025 (opens in a new tab)
Check a West Virginia ticket
The form opens the checker with West Virginia filled in. Add the violation and the date from your ticket.
West Virginia traffic school questions
Can a defensive driving course take points off in West Virginia?
In West Virginia a defensive driving course takes 3 points off your record; the ticket stays. It applies once a year. The program: Defensive Driving Course (Driver Improvement course).
How often can you take traffic school in West Virginia?
Once a year, the rule does not say what the window counts from.
How many points is a speeding ticket in West Virginia?
West Virginia gives 0 points for 1 to 10 mph over (Speeding 10 mph or less over the posted speed limit has no point value (except for a commercial driver's license holder or a commercial motor vehicle)); 3 points for 11 to 14 mph over (Speeding eleven (11) m.p.h. or more over the posted speed limit but less than fifteen (15)); 5 points for 15 to 19 mph over (Speeding fifteen (15) m.p.h. over the posted speed limit but less than twenty (20)); 6 points for 20 mph over or more (Speeding twenty (20) m.p.h. or more over the posted speed limit).
How long do points stay on your license in West Virginia?
Points count for 2 years in West Virginia.
Sources
Checked against these pages in .