by
John Fabel | Last Updated: September 22, 2022 Driving in Mesquite can be challenging, with over 140,000 residents potentially on the road at any given time. In the home of the legendary Mesquite Rodeo, driving can sometimes get as spicy as the salsa at Cafe Del Rio.
Mesquite can be a dangerous place to drive, both physically and fiscally. Mesquite averages around 800 collisions annually, with nearly a third resulting in injuries or fatalities.
Since most accidents are caused by a failure to control speed, law enforcement does its best to slow this trend by writing tickets. In the U.S., 100,000 speeding tickets are written every day, and, no doubt, Mesquite drivers get their fair share. At an average cost of $150 a ticket, the nation’s speeders pay out nearly $5.5 billion dollars in fines, and each of them faces a 22-25% increase in their car insurance premiums for the next three years.
All of these costs could be drastically reduced with better driving by all. Mesquite drivers can bring these numbers down by taking defensive driving (also known in Texas as a “driver safety course”). Tips and reminders of how to navigate the roads safely are the main topics of any driving course. The stated purpose of a TDLR-approved course is to teach drivers to “change their perceptions, attitudes, and skills to make Texas roads and highways a safer place to drive.” Other benefits of taking a defensive driving course include ticket dismissal and insurance savings, all at a reasonable cost.
The Easiest Way to Take Defensive Driving in Mesquite? Do it Online
With the hectic pace of life, the easiest way to complete a course is to take it online. The ability to work at your own pace from your own place makes it the most convenient way, too. Any of the schools listed below offer courses approved for ticket dismissal and/or insurance discount. And you can choose any of them with confidence as they are fully certified by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).
Mesquite’s Best TDLR-Approved Online Defensive Driving Providers
School | Name | TDLR Ref # | Phone | Sign Up |
 | CP-814 | |||
 #1 in TX! | CP-280 | |||
 | CP-262 | |||
 | CP-024 | |||
  | CP-090 |
Online Not for You?
We understand that learning online is not everybody’s preference. If you prefer to “get your learnin’ live,” you can still get out and take defensive driving in a classroom.
Depending on the school, classroom defensive driving has always been fun. Now I’m not gonna lie; classroom defensive driving in Waco is hard to find anymore. Here’s one school we found where you can still take defensive driving in the presence of other humans.
Cy-Fair Driving School
Houston-based Cy-fair Driving School offers 6-hour, TDLR-approved defensive driving courses multiple times each week at their Plano location. These courses are good for ticket dismissal and/or insurance discounts. Reservations required.
Visit CyFairDrivingSchool.com for location information, and call (832) 647-3526 (main) or (832) 326-5628 (cell) to claim your spot.
Major League Driving School
Since 1997, Major League Driving School has been family-owned and operated, offering both teen and adult driver education courses as well as a defensive driving course. There are multiple locations, including Mesquite and Terrell, so it’s convenient to make it to your driving class. Knowledgeable staff is state-certified, experienced, and supportive as you learn how to become a safer, more confident driver.
1200 E Davis St Ste 103, Mesquite, TX 75149 or call 972-289-5400 You can also find them on Facebook
In the bygone B.C. (before Covid) days, schools like Comedy Guys, Funny Bone, and My Improv were famous for their defensive driving classes that were more or less dinner and a show. Hopefully, they’ll be back soon.
If You Have Received a Ticket in Mesquite
Defensive driving courses can be used to improve driving skills and earn insurance discounts, but the benefit most people look for is ticket dismissal.
The first step to taking defensive driving is receiving permission to do so. The Mesquite process for asking “pretty please” starts with filling out this form and returning it to the court within 12 days of the date of your citation. If they approve, you’ll have 90 days to get the rest of the items on their list done and, voilá, your ticket disappears.
You can also request permission online.
Whichever method you choose, be sure your request is made no more than 20 days from the date of your citation.
Dismissal for most citations is possible unless the ticket was written:
- For speeding 25 miles per hour (or more) over the posted limit
- Passing a stopped school bus
- In a posted construction zone, while workers are present
- Leaving the scene of an accident
- Fleeing police
Ticket dismissal is also not possible if you hold a Commercial Drivers License (CDL) or if you have dismissed a ticket with defensive driving in the past 12 months.
Driving in Mesquite
Mesquite is a fairly easy town to navigate by car, but it can take a little time to get to work. The average one-way commute to work in Mesquite is 31.3 minutes, nearly five minutes longer than the U.S. average of 26.4 minutes. This difference might be explained by the number of people that live in Mesquite but work in Dallas
How people in Mesquite get to work:
- 79.9% drive their car alone
- 13.0% carpool with others
- 2.3% work from home
- 0.5% take mass transit
More Cool Stuff About Mesquite
Mesquite’s location gives it easy access to many of the Metroplex’s biggest attractions, but there is much for tourists and locals to do in and around town.
- Watch people drive fast on dirt at the Devil’s Bowl Speedway
- Drive fast on dirt yourself at the Kenny Wallace Dirt Racing Experience
- Get a little taste of culture with a visit to the Mesquite Arts Theatre or the Mesquite Symphony
- Visit what is perhaps the city’s most famous attraction, the Mesquite Rodeo
No Matter Your Plans
Be careful driving to get there, whatever you decide to see or do in Mesquite. Without question, the driving environment here can pose some real traffic challenges. Consider taking a defensive driving course to make sure you get to your “whatever” safely.
