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John Fabel | Last Updated: September 21, 2022 With over 1.5 million residents potentially on the road at any given time, driving in San Antonio can be challenging. With limited public transportation, driving “across town” can mean being behind the wheel for an hour or more. Throw in a scenic and meandering downtown riverwalk, approximately 40 million annual visitors, and things can get as spicy as the salsa at Mi Tierra.
San Antonio can be a dangerous place to drive, both physically and fiscally. San Antonio averages 40-50,000 collisions per year, 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 US, 100,000 speeding tickets are written every day, and, no doubt, San Antonio 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. San Antonio 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 San Antonio? 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).
San Antonio’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; being in the presence of humans again might even make it more so. Now I’m not gonna lie; classroom defensive driving in San Antonio is hard to find anymore. Here are some schools where you can still make that happen.
Austin Driving School
Based in Austin with two locations in San Antonio, Austin Driving School is state-certified, bonded, and insured, offering defensive driving and many other driving courses. They also offer teen drivers ed, adult drivers ed, and courses for minor in possession offenders, DWI offenders, and drug offenders. In all of its offerings, Austin Driving School is committed to saving lives, reducing stress, and promoting responsible driving habits.
Visit AustinDrivingSchool.com for locations or call (512) 280-4499
Ayala and Associates
Established in 1971, Ayala & Associates Driving School has helped many young people in San Antonio get their first license and has helped many others correct mistakes made with those licenses through ticket-dismissing defensive driving classes. These defensive driving courses each Saturday. Courses are offered on a drop-in basis and are TDLR licensed and approved.
5015 De Zavala Rd St 102, San Antonio, TX 78249 or call (210) 690-6276
Rhodes Driving School
Serving San Antonio for over 30 years, Rhodes Driving School puts safety first. With three locations in the greater San Antonio area, Rhodes Driving School is a convenient option for learning how to become a safer driver. A scheduled classroom defensive driving course is available, as well as DWI and DUI courses. Rhodes is currently developing a defensive driving course exclusively for mature drivers.
7724 Eckhert Rd, San Antonio, TX 78240 or call (210) 695-8883
Central Park Driving School
Central Park Driving School is currently providing in-person defensive driving courses for ticket dismissal and insurance purposes on the second Saturday of every month. Their courses are state-approved and taught by certified and experienced instructors.
7115 Blanco Rd #114, San Antonio, TX 78216 or call (210) 344-4351 or you can Find them on Facebook
Comedy Speed Relief
Comedy Speed Relief aims to get your ticket dismissed with as much laughing as possible with four San Antonio locations. With a promise of “Fun. Fast. Done.,” these guys encourage you to “Laugh your class…off.” Professional comedians teach all classes.
Visit MyComedySpeedRelief.com for locations or call (210) 432-5233
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 San Antonio
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 process for dismissing a is best illustrated by a flowchart found on the City of San Antonio’s website.
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 a possibility if you are the holder of a Commercial Drivers License (CDL) or if you have dismissed a ticket with defensive driving in the past 12 months.
Driving in San Antonio
San Antonio is home to an excellent highway system, but the sheer number of cars that travel them can bog them down in a hurry. Some guy with a calculator (and way too much time on his hands) figured out the annual amount of time drivers spend on selected stretches of San Antonio freeway:
Drivers on:
- Interstate 35, between Loop 410 and Loop 1604, spend 208,144 hours in traffic
- Interstate 35, between I-10 and U.S. 281, spend 204,931 hours in traffic
- Interstate 10 spend 161,960 hours in traffic
More Cool Stuff About San Antonio
When most people think of San Antonio, they immediately picture the Riverwalk or the Alamo. While those two are clearly iconic features of Mission (or Alamo or River) City, there’s much more to Texas’ second-largest city than that.
San Antone Stuff You Maybe Didn’t Know
- Fried Chicken Fan?—Way back in 1952, the Church’s Fried Chicken opened their first restaurant across the street from the Alamo.
- Animal Lover?—With 3,500 animals spread across 35 acres, San Antonio is the location of the third largest zoo in the U.S.
- Remember the Alamo?—Yep, you and about 2.5 million other folks every year, easily making it the most visited attraction in Texas.
- A Church Older Than Our country?!?—Also, yep. San Fernando Cathedral first opened in 1738 and still has an attendance of 5,000 every weekend.
- Love a Good Festival?—The saying “Everything’s Bigger in Texas” certainly applies to Fiesta San Antonio. The 10-day event is held every April as it has been since 1891.
- Like a Good Climb?—Then head to the top of the Tower of the Americas, San Antonio’s tallest building. It’s only 952 steps to the top. Hope you brought comfy shoes!
- Like to Brag About Texas’ Bigness?—Not just the second biggest city in Texas, San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the nation.
- Like to Shop?—San Antonio’s El Mercado is a shopper’s delight. With over 100 restaurants and shops, you won’t find a bigger Mexican market without traveling to Mexico.
Whatever you decide to see in San Antonio, be careful driving to get there. Texas’s second biggest city can pose a lot of traffic challenges. Consider taking a defensive driving course to make sure you get to your “whatever” safely.
