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John Fabel | Last Updated: September 18, 2022 Driving in Midland can be challenging, with nearly 140,000 residents potentially on the road at any given time. With the bustling oil trade all around, driving can sometimes get as spicy as the salsa at the Cancun Grill.
Midland can be a dangerous place to drive, both physically and fiscally. Midland averages nearly 4.200 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, Midland 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. Midland drivers can bring these numbers down by taking defensive driving (also known in Texas as “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 Midland? 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).
Midland’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.
If You Have Received a Ticket in Midland
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 Midland process is outlined on the City of Midland website. The instructions on that page include the words “Click on the link below to print a request for,” but there’s no link in sight. Fortunately, there is a phone number (432-685-7315) where you can direct your questions.
It’s very important that you get on this right away. Midland will only give you 14 days from the date of your ticket to ask them about defensive driving,
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 Midland
Midland is a fairly easy town to navigate by car, and residents should be thrilled that the average one-way commute time to work is only 18.8 minutes, way less than the U.S. average of 26.4 minutes.
How people in Midland get to work:
- 85.5% drive their car alone
- 10.4% carpool with others
- 1.9% work from home
- 0.3% take mass transit
More Cool Stuff About Midland
Even though Midland is kind of in the middle of nowhere, that doesn’t mean there’s not a lot to see and do in and around town.
- Need to Cool Off?—Visit Doug Russell Pool or the Washington Aquatic Center, where you’ll find slides, dedicated areas for younger children, rock-climbing walls, and more
- Ready for Some Baseball?—Catch a Midland Rockhounds game. The Rockhounds are an A.A. affiliate of the OaA’snd A’s.
- Want Some World Class Entertainment?—Head over to the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center for concerts, Broadway shows, or a night with the symphony.
- Curious What Made this Town? If you’re thinking oil, you’re absolutely right, and you can learn all about oil and its impact at the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum
- Like to Learn New ThinThere’There’s much to discover indoors at the Museum of the Southwest and the Blakemore Planetarium, or explore the outdoor beauty of the Sibley Nature Center
- Former home to two Presidents, two Governors, and a First Lady, a $5 tour of GeorBush’sBush’s Childhood Home might be an interesting way to spend an afternoon
No Matter Your Plans
Be careful driving to get there, whatever you decide to see or do in Midland. 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 wherever” safely.
