Virginia Driver Improvement Attendance Reasons & Codes

Adult taking an online driving course on a laptop at a kitchen table — Identify who sent you and confirm the course type before choosing a Virginia attendance code.

Choose your Virginia driver improvement attendance reason from who required the course and the benefit you want. The seven codes tell DMV why you attended; choosing a code does not itself secure points, an insurance discount, or a court result.

Start with whoever sent you: a court, DMV, an insurer, or no one. Then confirm whether you need the standard or commercial clinic. Check the code before you pay and again before the clinic reports completion.

The codes are COU, DMV, INS, VOL, CMC, CMD, and CMV. If the code shown during signup looks wrong, ask the clinic to check it before you finish.

General information only: This article explains Virginia’s statewide attendance-code framework. It is not legal or insurance advice. Follow the current court order, DMV notice, and insurer instructions that apply to you.

Quick answer: Who sent you to the clinic?

Use this order of questions before choosing a code:

Did a court order the clinic? Start with COU, or CMC if the commercial-driver path applies.
Did Virginia DMV send a notice requiring the clinic? Start with DMV, or CMD for the commercial-driver course.
Did your insurer confirm that this clinic qualifies for a rate discount? Start with INS. If you are 55 or older, ask whether you need the separate mature-driver course instead.
Are you taking the course by choice for points? Start with VOL, or CMV if you need the commercial clinic.

Virginia DMV says you are not court directed if you have not been to court. A pending ticket or upcoming hearing does not by itself make COU the correct code.

Next, confirm whether you need the standard or commercial clinic. DMV’s commercial program covers CDL holders and drivers who committed an offense in a commercial motor vehicle. Check any court or DMV instructions before selecting the course.

Compare the seven attendance codes

Read across each row before selecting a code.

What caused the attendance?	Code	Immediate point result	Proof or confirmation to have	Do not assume
A court required the standard clinic	COU	Up to five safe-driving points with court authorization and the required document; otherwise, none	Court instruction and point authorization	A ticket alone makes you court directed or the course changes the case
Virginia DMV required the standard clinic	DMV	Same five-point credit as VOL for drivers 18+: demerits subtracted first; unused credit as safe-driving points, subject to the cap. DMV says a DMV-required driver under 18 gets no safe-driving points.	Current DMV notice	VOL or INS can replace DMV
You are attending for a possible insurance benefit	INS	No points. An offered under-55 reduction runs for two years. You can receive that benefit only once in two years.	Insurer confirmation for the policy, course, and format	The discount or an online format is automatic
You chose the standard clinic for a point benefit	VOL	Subtracts up to five demerit points; unused credit is applied as safe-driving points. Same benefit once in two years.	Point balance, last benefit date, and VOL confirmation	Every completion adds five safe-driving points or provides both benefits
A court required the commercial clinic	CMC	DMV says up to five safe-driving points once every 24 months, with court authorization and the required document; otherwise, none. Check with DMV whether active demerits are reduced first.	Court order and commercial-course confirmation	The course changes a covered CDL or commercial-vehicle conviction
Virginia DMV required the commercial clinic	CMD	DMV says up to five safe-driving points once every 24 months; check with DMV whether active demerits are reduced first.	DMV notice and commercial-course confirmation	The standard clinic satisfies the requirement
You chose the commercial clinic	CMV	DMV says up to five safe-driving points once every 24 months; check with DMV whether active demerits are reduced first.	Commercial-course and CMV confirmation	CMV creates an insurance or court result

The codes and court-document conditions come from DMV’s attendance-reasons page. Standard-clinic point mechanics and repeat-benefit limits are in Va. Code Section 46.2-498(C)-(D). The commercial point description, hours, and timing are DMV’s guidance on its commercial clinic page; that page does not explain whether active demerits are reduced first. The under-55 insurance rule is in Section 38.2-2217(B).

Your safe-driving balance cannot exceed five, so a course may produce a smaller net change.

Virginia attendance-code selector: court COU or CMC, DMV DMV or CMD, confirmed under-55 insurance INS, voluntary points VOL or CMV; age 55 and older asks about a separate mature-driver course

Choose the authority first, then the standard or commercial course path; a ticket alone does not decide the code.

See Virginia Driver Improvement Clinic for formats and point rules.

Check the instructions before paying

Read the court order, DMV notice, or insurer’s instructions for the course type, deadline, and proof required. A reference to a ticket does not tell you which attendance code to select.

A court order or written court instruction

Use the court path only when a court has ordered the course. Choose COU for the standard clinic or CMC for the commercial clinic.

Check the order or notice for four items:

The exact course required.
Whether online completion is allowed.
The due date and how to notify the court of completion or noncompletion.
Whether the court authorizes safe-driving points.

Virginia DMV says it is your responsibility to determine whether the court accepts an online clinic. Confirm before enrolling. The ordinary online clinic also does not satisfy a commercial-clinic requirement.

Under Va. Code Section 46.2-505(C), you must notify the court whether you attended and satisfactorily completed the course, as the order requires. Failure to attend and complete it as ordered may be punished as contempt.

Under Va. Code Section 46.2-505(A), the court decides whether you receive safe-driving points. DMV will not award them without the required court notice. Give the clinic the court’s written point authorization.

Signing up is not a substitute for a court decision. If you are still deciding how to handle a ticket, review Traffic School vs. Court before treating the clinic as a case strategy.

A Virginia DMV notice

A notice from DMV points to DMV for the standard course or CMD for the commercial course. Follow the due date and course type in the current notice.

A DMV-required course stays on the DMV path even if you also want points. An earlier traffic case does not turn that notice into a court order.

For a DMV-required standard course, Va. Code Section 46.2-498(C) subtracts five demerit points first. If you have fewer than five, the benefit is a demerit reduction and/or safe-driving-point award, subject to the five-point safe-balance cap.

The safe-driving-point result depends on age. DMV says a driver under 18 receives no safe-driving points when DMV requires attendance. That statement addresses safe-driving points, not every possible point change. Follow your current notice and any further DMV directions.

Confirmation from an insurance company

Use INS when you take the clinic to seek a rate discount. It awards no points.

Do not select INS based only on a provider ad or a broad promise of lower rates. Before you pay, ask your insurer:

Whether your policy offers the Virginia discount.
Whether the exact clinic and course format qualify.
Which driver, vehicle, or coverage receives the benefit.
What proof the insurer needs after you finish.
When any approved change would take effect.

For drivers 54 or younger, Va. Code Section 38.2-2217(B) lets insurers offer a reduction for an approved clinic; it does not require them to. Court- or DMV-directed attendance does not qualify. When offered, the statutory reduction lasts two years.

If you are 55 or older, ask about a separate DMV-approved mature-driver course. Under Section 38.2-2217(A) and (D), qualifying voluntary classroom completion requires an appropriate three-year reduction. Insurers may allow it for a qualifying secure online course. Court-assigned and self-instructed mature-driver courses do not qualify. Confirm the course and format with your insurer and provider.

The broader traffic-school insurance discount guide explains why insurer confirmation before signup matters.

No order: voluntary attendance

If neither a court nor DMV sent you, decide which result you want before signup.

Choose VOL for the standard points path.
Choose INS only after confirming the insurance path with your insurer.
Choose CMV when you take the commercial course by choice.

Va. Code Section 46.2-498(C)-(D) requires voluntary attendees to select either points or an insurance benefit. One course does not provide both.

For VOL, DMV first subtracts up to five demerit points. If you have fewer than five, DMV applies the unused credit as safe-driving points where the record allows. A driver at the cap with no demerit points gets no net point change.

The same point or insurance benefit is limited to once in two years. After one year, you become eligible to attend for the other benefit if the earlier course did not provide it.

For a broader explanation of demerit and safe-driving balances, see the driver-license points overview. This page is limited to choosing the attendance code, not calculating the resulting balance.

A CDL or commercial-vehicle offense

Virginia DMV’s commercial clinic program covers CDL holders. It also covers drivers who committed an offense in a commercial motor vehicle.

The commercial clinic lasts eight hours. DMV says completion earns five safe-driving points once every 24 months. Your safe balance still cannot exceed five. Its commercial guidance does not explain whether active demerits are reduced first. Ask DMV how completion will affect both balances on your record.

CMC has an extra rule. A court-required attendee receives points only if the court authorizes them and the clinic gets the document.

What the court, DMV, insurer, and clinic each decide

The court controls the court order

The court decides whether you must attend, what deadline applies, and whether you receive safe-driving points. It also controls the lawful case result. A clinic cannot promise a dismissal, reduction, deferral, or point award for the court.

Commercial cases have another limit under Section 46.2-505(B). For an offense in a commercial motor vehicle, a court cannot reduce, dismiss, or defer the conviction because you took the course. The same bar applies to a CDL holder’s offense in a noncommercial vehicle. Ask a lawyer if you need advice about the charge.

DMV controls the driving-record result

DMV defines the codes and records the point result tied to the reported reason. Clinics must send course results to DMV electronically within 24 hours.

Check the code before you finish. The clinic’s deadline to send the report does not mean your expected result will already show on the record.

The insurer controls insurance eligibility

For drivers under 55, the insurer decides whether to offer the two-year discount. It also decides whether you qualify under its filed rules. INS shows why you took the course; the code does not qualify you for a discount or award points.

The clinic records and reports the attendance

Tell the clinic why you are taking the course, as DMV requires. Ask which code it saved when you signed up and which it will report.

The clinic cannot provide a court’s missing point approval or decide the outcome of your case. It also cannot change your insurer’s decision about whether you qualify.

What to Do If You Chose the Wrong Code

Contact the clinic as soon as you spot a mismatch. The steps below are practical troubleshooting advice, not a DMV correction procedure. Official guidance does not promise that a reported reason can be changed.

Before the clinic reports completion

Check the deadline before pausing. If time allows, resolve the code before the final exam. Contact the court or DMV promptly if a deadline is close.
Find the source record. Use the court order, DMV notice, insurer’s written answer, or proof that you chose to attend.
Contact the clinic in writing. Ask which code is attached to your enrollment and whether the clinic has sent your result.
Ask the controlling authority. Contact the court for COU or CMC, DMV for DMV or CMD, and the insurer for INS. Ask which attendance code and course type apply to your requirement or benefit.
Request written confirmation. If the clinic offers to correct an unreported enrollment, ask it to confirm the final code before you continue.
Save the record. Keep screenshots, emails, receipts, the course name, clinic code, and the name of anyone who assisted you.

Do not rely on a phone assurance that conflicts with the written court order, DMV notice, or insurer response.

If completion may already have been reported

Ask the clinic for the recorded attendance code and the date and time it reported completion.
Save the course certificate, receipt, signup record, and source record.
Contact the authority that controls the result. Explain what code was reported and provide the source record.
Ask what correction or review process is available. Do not assume a code change or second course is required. Retaking the course might not fix the issue.
Continue following every court or DMV deadline unless that authority changes it in writing.
Check the final result in the right place: the court record, DMV driving record or point balance, or written proof from the insurer.

For course comments or concerns, DMV lists 1-877-885-5790. Follow up separately with the court or insurer about its requirements; calling DMV does not extend a deadline.

Common Code-Selection Scenarios

“I received a ticket but have not been to court.”

Do not choose COU just because you have a ticket. DMV says you are not court directed until you have been to court. For points, check VOL. For a rate benefit, ask your insurer and then check INS.

Taking a course before court does not guarantee that the judge will accept it or change the case.

“DMV sent me a letter after points accumulated.”

Start with the DMV notice. Use DMV for the ordinary required course. If the notice requires the commercial clinic, use CMD. Do not switch to VOL just because you also want points.

“My insurer suggested defensive driving.”

Ask the insurer to check the rules for your policy. If the standard Virginia clinic meets them and you are using the under-55 path, use INS. That code gives no safe-driving points. If you are 55 or older, ask about the separate mature-driver course instead.

“The court ordered a CDL holder to attend.”

Check whether the order requires the commercial clinic. If so, use CMC. Give the clinic the court document for authorized points. Do not assume the course changes a covered conviction.

“I selected VOL but meant to use the insurance benefit.”

Contact both the clinic and insurer before you finish, while keeping any court or DMV deadline in mind. Ask whether you qualify, which code the clinic recorded, and whether it will fix the record before reporting. Official guidance does not promise a later change.

Records to Keep After Completion

Keep these items in one paper or digital folder:

The court order, DMV notice, insurer’s written answer, or notes showing why you chose the course.
The clinic’s name and DMV listing information.
The signup page showing the attendance code.
Payment receipts and refund terms.
Emails or messages about any code correction.
The course certificate.
Proof submitted to the court or insurer.
A later copy or screenshot showing the expected result.

These records help you explain what happened if the result does not match your source record. They do not replace a filing required by the court, DMV, or insurer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I choose COU before I go to court?

Not just because you have a ticket or expect a hearing. Virginia DMV says you are not court directed if you have not been to court. Use COU when the court orders the clinic.

Can one completion earn safe-driving points and an insurance benefit?

No. Virginia law makes you select one benefit. Use VOL for points or INS for insurance. The same benefit is limited to once in two years; after one year, you become eligible for the other.

Does COU mean my ticket will be dismissed?

No. COU means the court required the course. The court controls the case result and any point award. Finishing the course does not create an automatic dismissal, reduction, or deferral.

What if the expected point change does not appear?

Check the reported code first. For DMV, VOL, or a commercial code, check the demerit balance as well as the safe-driving balance. For the standard DMV or VOL clinic, the credit reduces active demerit points before any safe-driving points post. For a commercial code, ask DMV whether active demerits are reduced first. DMV says a DMV-required driver under 18 receives no safe-driving points.

For COU or CMC, confirm that the clinic received the court’s point authorization. For VOL or a commercial code, check the two-year or 24-month limit and your five-point safe-balance cap. Then contact the clinic and the authority controlling the result.

How quickly does the clinic report completion?

Virginia DMV says clinics must send the result electronically within 24 hours. Check the code before you finish. Save your certificate and enrollment record.

Should I retake the clinic if the code was wrong?

Do not assume a second course will fix the first report. Before you pay again, ask the clinic and the controlling court, DMV office, or insurer what to do.

Confirm the result after finishing

Keep your course certificate. Check that the court, DMV, or insurer has recorded the result you expected. If it has not, use your signup record and course paperwork to explain what is missing.

For a state comparison, see Traffic School by State.

Sources

Last updated: October 14, 2026