Indiana Defensive Driving Course: Choose a BMV-Approved DSP
Want Indiana’s four-point credit? Choose a Driver Safety Program (DSP) approved by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), pass the course, and pay for it. If the BMV sent you a notice, read it first. Check any court course terms as a separate step.12
Start with what you need the class to do. A four-point credit does not mean a clean record: the BMV says a DSP does not remove the citation from your history.3
Use this guide to find an approved course, choose a format that works for you, and check the result after class. It covers taking a course for credit and acting on a BMV notice you already have.
General information only: Last reviewed October 2, 2026. This is not legal advice about your ticket, court case, or driving privileges.
Start with the paperwork you already have
Before you sign up, find your BMV notice, any court papers, and proof of any past course. Write down what you want the class to do. Then note who you need to ask about it.
| Your reason for looking | Your first check |
|---|---|
| You want voluntary four-point credit | Find a BMV-approved DSP and check whether a prior credit affects a new entry. |
| You received a BMV DSP notice | Read the notice and ask the BMV about anything unclear before choosing a provider. |
| Your court paperwork mentions a driving course | Ask the court or program contact which course and format satisfy that paperwork. |
Have both a BMV notice and court papers? Keep both at hand. The BMV says a court order may not call for a BMV-approved DSP. Check that the course is approved for BMV credit, then check that it meets your court terms.[court]
Say you find an online class called “traffic school” that fits your schedule. Look for it on the BMV list if you want the credit. If you have a court agreement too, ask the person named in it about that exact class. This check can help you avoid paying for the wrong course; it does not promise that one class will meet both needs.
What the four-point credit does
The rule in 140 IAC 1-4.5-7(a) grants a four-point credit on your record when you successfully complete and pay for a bureau-approved DSP. You need to meet all three terms: the course must be approved, you must pass it, and you must pay for it.[credit]
The credit stays in effect for three years. The rule allows one such credit entry every three years for passing an approved DSP.4
If you have taken a course before, find your old proof and ask the BMV to check your past credit. Do this before you pay for a new class to get a new credit entry. A receipt date alone may leave you with questions. Tell the BMV when you took the course and ask what its record shows.
A credit does not erase the citation
The BMV’s DSP page says the course does not remove a citation from your driving history.[record] The rule in 140 IAC 1-4.5-4(d) also says a violation stays on the record after its points become inactive.5
When you check your record after class, look for the credit itself. The ticket still being there does not tell you whether the credit was entered. Ask the BMV to check that entry if you cannot find it.
If you hope a course will cut your insurance bill, ask your insurer about your own policy before you pay. This guide makes no promise about a rate cut. Keep that question apart from the BMV credit.
Use the BMV list before comparing courses
Start with the approved DSP list on the BMV’s course page. The BMV names its approved providers there.6
An ad for “Indiana defensive driving” is a place to start your search. Match the course provider’s name to the BMV list. Then check the exact class on the sign-up page. If a name or course description does not match, ask why before you pay.
The list shows online, DVD, and classroom formats.7 Check which ones your chosen provider offers.
Choose a format you can finish. For an online class, ask if it works on your phone or computer and lets you save your place. For an in-person class, check the address and dates. For a DVD course, ask what you need to play it and how to send in your work. Course features can be hard to judge from an ad, so ask about the parts that matter to you.
Ask about the full purchase and completion process
Once you have checked approval, ask the provider:
- What is the total charge for the exact course I need?
- What must I do to successfully complete it?
- What happens if I have an access problem or cannot attend?
- What completion document will I receive, and how do I obtain another copy?
- Who sends completion information to the BMV, and how can I confirm that it was sent?
Save the answers with your sign-up email. Keep a screenshot of the terms you relied on. If the checkout page and a later support reply do not match, you can point to what you were told when you paid.
Next, weigh the course against your needs. Can you use the format? Are the costs clear? Do you know how to finish and get proof? Those checks are more useful than choosing on price alone.
If the BMV has already told you to take a DSP
Act on a BMV notice as soon as you can. Under IC 9-30-3-12©, the BMV must suspend your driving privileges if you fail to attend or satisfactorily complete a DSP required under that section.8
This guide does not decide whether the notice was sent for the right reason or work out your due date. Read it and ask the BMV to explain any part you do not understand.
Put the date shown in your notice on your calendar and plan to finish before it. If a page is missing, the dates do not match, or you think the notice is wrong, ask the BMV. Have the notice at hand when you call or write. Resolve those questions while you look for a class.
Tell the course provider that you have a BMV notice. Ask how to finish the class and get proof. Direct questions about the notice itself to the BMV. This helps you get each question to the office that can answer it.
If you are already suspended, ask the BMV what you still need to do before you drive. Do not use the course certificate alone to decide that your license status has changed.
Check any court agreement separately
Under IC 34-28-5-1(f), a prosecuting attorney or an attorney for a municipal corporation may set up a deferral program for cases covered by that law.9 That does not tell you whether you qualify. It also does not promise that taking a class will get your ticket dismissed.
If you have a court order or an offered agreement, find the contact named in it. Ask which class you can take, which formats count, when to finish, and what proof to send. A written reply gives you something to check against the course sign-up page.
Name the course when you ask. “Does this class meet my agreement?” gives that contact a clear question to answer. If you want BMV credit too, check the BMV list as well. A court order may not call for a BMV-approved DSP.[court]
A course ad cannot explain the terms of your own case. Keep your agreement at hand and ask about unclear terms before you choose a class.
Keep proof, then check the result
When you finish, save your receipt, sign-up email, course proof, and messages in one place. Check that your name and other details on the proof are right. If you spot an error, ask the provider how to fix it.
Next, follow up on the result you sought:
- Voluntary credit: Check whether the four-point credit has been entered, remembering the once-every-three-years limit.[frequency]
- A BMV notice: Ask the BMV whether the completion is recorded against the requirement and whether anything remains outstanding.
- Court paperwork: Follow its proof instructions and ask the court or program contact whether the required proof has been received.
If you cannot confirm the result, have the course name and proof at hand when you ask for help. The BMV lists BMVDSP@bmv.IN.gov as its DSP email contact.10 Ask how to send any records it needs. These follow-up steps do not set a fixed wait time for your record to change.
Keep a short note of each call or email: who you reached, the date, your question, and the reply. If you need to ask again, you will have a clear account of what has been done so far.
Choose your course with the result in view
Open the BMV’s approved-provider list and check it against your goal and any notice or court papers. Ask about course approval before you pay. After class, keep your proof until you have checked the credit entry or the course requirement you set out to meet.
Related Reading
- Is Online Traffic School Legit?
- How Driver License Points Work
- Does Traffic School Remove a Ticket From Your Record?
- What to Do After Getting a Traffic Ticket
- Car Insurance Increase After a Ticket
Sources
- 140 IAC 1-4.5-7(a), official Indiana Administrative Code. Successful completion, payment, approval, and four-point credit. Accessed October 1, 2026. ↩
- Indiana BMV, court-ordered DSP guidance. Court orders may not specifically require a BMV-approved DSP. Accessed October 2, 2026. ↩
- Indiana BMV, Citation Points and Driver Safety Program. Agency statement that completion does not remove a citation. Accessed October 1, 2026. ↩
- 140 IAC 1-4.5-7(b), official Indiana Administrative Code. Three-year effect and once-every-three-years credit entry. Accessed October 1, 2026. ↩
- 140 IAC 1-4.5-4(d), official Indiana Administrative Code. Violation retained after point inactivation. Accessed October 2, 2026. ↩
- Indiana BMV, approved DSP providers. Official list location. Accessed October 2, 2026. ↩
- Indiana BMV, approved DSP providers. Listed course formats. Accessed October 2, 2026. ↩
- IC 9-30-3-12©, official Indiana Code. Suspension for failure to attend or satisfactorily complete a program required under this section; cited only for this consequence. Accessed October 1, 2026. ↩
- IC 34-28-5-1(f), official Indiana Code. Authority to establish a deferral program, not individual eligibility. Accessed October 1, 2026. ↩
- Indiana BMV, DSP contact. Published DSP email contact. Accessed October 2, 2026. ↩
Last updated: October 2, 2026.
