South Dakota Defensive Driving Course: Points, Tickets and Insurance
If you are considering a South Dakota defensive driving course after a ticket, first check what you expect the class to change. A course advertised for South Dakota does not, by itself, establish a point reduction, ticket dismissal or insurance discount.
You can take a class to refresh your driving skills. For a ticket or insurance benefit, the next step is to ask the office handling your case or the insurer covering your car which course it will accept.
General information only: This guide explains South Dakota rules and published program information. It is not legal advice.
Quick answer: Speeding offenses carry no points under South Dakota’s point schedule. The state’s published point rules provide no course credit. Pennington County offers traffic diversion to drivers it accepts, while an insurance discount depends on your insurer’s terms rather than the former state mandate. 1 6 5 9 7
| Your goal | What to check first |
|---|---|
| Remove points after a speeding ticket | Speeding is excluded from the point schedule; a class cannot remove points that were never assessed. 1 |
| Reduce points for another moving offense | The published point rules offer no course-credit process. 6 5 |
| Seek ticket dismissal | Ask the county state’s attorney about your case. Pennington County publishes a traffic-diversion option. 9 |
| Lower your insurance bill | Ask your insurer whether your policy has a course discount and which classes qualify. |
| Refresh your driving skills | Compare the Safety Council’s course descriptions, then confirm the schedule and cost. |
Speeding carries no points, but the ticket still matters
South Dakota’s point statute expressly excludes speeding from the two-point category for other moving offenses. No separate entry assigns speeding points. 1
The DPS summary labels that category “Other Moving Violations” without showing the speeding exclusion. Read it alongside the statute rather than assuming a speeding ticket adds two points. 6 1
A speeding conviction can still appear on your driving record, but there is an important exception. Except for convictions arising from operation of a commercial motor vehicle, SDCL 32-12-61 bars entry of speeding convictions for 10 mph or less over the posted limit, and speeding convictions received from another state. DPS may keep those convictions in a separate record that is not available to the public. 4
Ask your insurer how it treats your particular ticket. A point total and a record-entry rule are different questions, and neither settles what an insurer will see or how it will rate the ticket.
The broader suspension statute also addresses repeated traffic-law violations and requires DPS to use the statutory point schedule. A zero-point speeding offense is not a promise that every licensing consequence is impossible. 3 Commercial drivers have additional federal rules, discussed below.
If the final conviction is for a different offense, such as reckless driving, that offense’s point value applies. 1
A class does not provide point credit
The point statutes, DPS’s point rules and its point guidance provide no way to subtract points by completing a defensive driving course. 1 2 6 5
DPS’s point rules once had a “Reduction of points” section; it was repealed in 1998. 5
The state schedule assigns these values to convictions: 1
| Conviction | Points |
|---|---|
| Driving while intoxicated | 10 |
| Reckless driving | 8 |
| Eluding or attempting to elude a police officer | 6 |
| Drag racing | 6 |
| Failure to yield right-of-way | 4 |
| Improper passing | 4 |
| Driving on the wrong side of the roadway | 4 |
| Stop sign or stop light violation | 3 |
| Other moving offenses, excluding speeding | 2 |
DPS also notes that driving under the influence requires license revocation. The ten-point entry does not replace that separate consequence. 6
You are subject to suspension at 15 points within any 12 consecutive months or 22 points within any 24 consecutive months. 2 6 5 At that point, DPS rules require a suspension: 60 days for a first suspension, six months for a second, and one year for a third or later. 5
DPS assesses only the highest-value offense when several offenses arise from one incident. It assesses out-of-state convictions as if the violations occurred in South Dakota. 6 5
If you receive a suspension notice, follow its response instructions. DPS says a hearing is available on request before suspension; buying a class is not a substitute for responding. 6
Pennington County has a local traffic-diversion option
Pennington County’s State’s Attorney offers Traffic Diversion based on driving and criminal history. Successful completion leads to a declined pre-charge citation or dismissal of a traffic citation. 9
The office considers drivers with safe histories who accept responsibility. It is generally offered to people who have not been in Diversion before. DUI charges and people currently on state or federal probation or parole are excluded. 9
You’ll accept responsibility in writing, either by initialing a document or writing a letter. If the diversion agreement fails, the office can use that document as evidence when the ticket goes to court. 9
If contacted about PreCharge Traffic Diversion, call back within 24 hours. You can also request diversion at court or call 605-791-1671. If your ticket requires a court appearance, attend the hearing and request diversion there. 9
Requirements may include a driving review class or correcting an infraction. The program usually lasts one month and may take up to three. Participation has no fee, but assigned classes, services or other fees may cost money. Keep attending scheduled hearings. 9
Ask the office which class, deadline and proof apply before enrolling. For a ticket from another county, ask that county’s state’s attorney about available options; Pennington County’s rules do not establish eligibility elsewhere.
Insurance discounts depend on your policy
South Dakota repealed its required accident-prevention course discount for certain insured drivers age 55 and over, effective July 1, 2011. The former provisions, SDCL 58-11-58 through 58-11-61, remain listed as repealed. 7 8
The repeal did not prohibit insurers from keeping a discount. The Division of Insurance’s bulletin explained that discounts continuing under an insurer’s rating rules still had to run for the full three years, and changes to those rules could apply only prospectively. 7
A three-year discount offer is therefore not automatically wrong. Check whether your insurer offers it under your current policy, whether you qualify, and which course it accepts.
Ask before paying:
- Does my policy offer a defensive driving discount?
- Which exact courses qualify, and are online classes accepted?
- How much would I save, and for how long?
- Would I need to repeat the class to renew the discount?
- Where should I send the completion certificate?
Compare the quoted savings with the course price. A discount you cannot use is not a reason to buy a class.
South Dakota Safety Council course options
The South Dakota Safety Council describes two programs that may suit drivers seeking a refresher. Their course descriptions do not establish acceptance for your ticket or insurance policy.
Community-Based Defensive Driving: The Council offers an eight-hour National Safety Council course and a four-hour refresher for people who have already taken an eight-hour course. Classes use lectures, films and discussion, with no behind-the-wheel driving or tests. 10
Alive at 25: This 4½-hour course is designed for young adults aged 14-24. It involves no driving or test and awards a completion certificate. Instructors include South Dakota Highway Patrol troopers. 11
For either program, confirm the current schedule, location and price with the Council. If someone referred you to a course, give that office or insurer the exact course name and format before registering.
CDL and CLP holders need a separate check
Federal rules bar states from allowing diversion that would keep a commercial learner’s permit (CLP) or commercial driver’s license (CDL) holder’s traffic conviction from appearing on the Commercial Driver’s License Information System record. The prohibition applies in any type of vehicle, with exceptions for parking, vehicle weight and vehicle defect violations. 13
Speeding 15 mph or more over the limit is a serious traffic violation under the federal commercial-driver rules. A second conviction for listed serious violations in separate incidents within three years while operating a commercial motor vehicle brings a 60-day disqualification; a third or subsequent conviction brings 120 days. For listed violations in a noncommercial vehicle, the rule also requires the conviction to result in revocation, cancellation or suspension of the license or noncommercial driving privileges. 12
Tell the prosecutor or court that you hold a CDL or CLP before accepting any diversion arrangement.
After the class, confirm the result
Keep your certificate until the office or insurer has processed it.
For diversion, confirm with the State’s Attorney’s Office or court clerk that the expected disposition was entered. For an insurance discount, check your next bill or declarations page and follow up if the agreed reduction is missing.
Common questions
Does a defensive driving course remove points in South Dakota?
The published state point rules provide no course-credit process. A class should not be purchased on a promise of point removal. 1 6 5
Can traffic school dismiss a South Dakota ticket?
Pennington County publishes a diversion option with dismissal or declined-charge outcomes for participants who successfully complete it. Ask the county handling your citation about your eligibility. 9
Is a defensive driving insurance discount guaranteed?
No. The former state mandate was repealed. Confirm any current offer directly with your insurer. 7 8
If your goal is a ticket or insurance benefit, get the accepted course name and completion instructions first. Then keep the certificate until you can confirm the result.
Related Reading
Sources
- SDCL 32-12-49.1 — Point system for offenses
- SDCL 32-12-49.2 — Point accumulation subjecting a license to suspension
- SDCL 32-12-49 — Grounds for suspension, revocation or cancellation
- SDCL 32-12-61 — Individual driver records
- ARSD 61:18:02 — Point accumulation
- South Dakota DPS — Driver Point System for Traffic Offenses
- South Dakota Division of Insurance — Bulletin 11-3, Automobile Insurance Discounts for Drivers Age 55 and Over
- SDCL Chapter 58-11 — Repealed accident-prevention discount provisions
- Pennington County State’s Attorney — Adult Diversion, including Traffic Diversion
- South Dakota Safety Council — Community-Based Defensive Driving
- South Dakota Safety Council — Alive at 25
- 49 CFR 383.51(c), Table 2 — Serious traffic violations and commercial-driver disqualification
- 49 CFR 384.226 — Prohibition on masking convictions
Last updated: October 10, 2026
