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John Fabel | Last Updated: September 29, 2022 Taking a defensive driving course rarely appears high on anyone’s to-do list, but if you have points piling up on your driving record or your car insurance premiums are getting out of control, a NY PIRP (Point and Insurance Reduction) course may be just the ticket, so to speak. Not ready to jump in yet? Here are a few more answers that may help you decide.
Answers in this post:
How Can A PIRP Course Benefit Me?
How Often Can a PIRP Course be Taken?
Does a PIRP Course Take a Long Time to Finish?
Where Can I Find a PIRP Course?
How Many Points Does a PIRP Course Remove from Your Record?
What are the Best Online PIRP Courses in New York?
How Long Do Points Remain on a New York Driving Record?
What Can a New York PIRP Course Do for Me?
Taking a NY DMV-approved PIRP course comes with a host of benefits. For example, if the number of accumulated points on your driving record totals 11 in an 18-month period, your license will be in danger of suspension. Taking a PIRP course will subtract four points from the number of points calculated into your total.
A PIRP course can also be beneficial to your wallet. By New York law, successful completion of a PIRP course qualifies drivers for a 10% discount on the base rate of auto and motorcycle insurance premiums for three years. So in case you are curious if taking a PIRP course for just the insurance savings is worth it, you may want to give this a look.
Beyond these tangible benefits, a PIRP course can serve as a refresher of your driving knowledge. Who knows? The tips and tricks you learn may just keep you out of the mess you find yourself in now!
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How Often Can You Take a PIRP Course in NY?
How often you can take a PIRP course depends on why you are taking it.
You can take a PIRP course once every 36 months to maintain your 10% insurance discount.
It should be noted here that the discount earned from a PIRP course will not protect you from general premium increases by your insurance company. However, your PIRP completion certificate is transferable. Maybe it’s time to do a little insurance shopping.
If point reduction is your goal, it is you can take a PIRP course every 18 months.
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How Long is a New York PIRP Course?
New York state law requires a PIRP course to include 320 minutes (or just a little over five hours) of instruction.
The NY DMV also requires that certain driving topics be covered in a course, topics such as:
- Traffic safety
- NY driving and vehicle law
- NY traffic signs and signals
- Driver attitude and behavior
- Defensive driving techniques
The required time is the same whether the course is taken in person or online.
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Where Are PIRP Courses Available?
New York PIRP courses are available both in live classrooms and online. The classroom version of the course is presented in one or more sessions, and, of course, attendance is mandatory. This may be where online proves to be the better choice. After all, who has time to squeeze into someone else’s schedule these days?
An online PIRP course, AKA an “IPRP,” offers the convenience of being available whenever you are and the flexibility of being completed all at once or a piece at a time. Moreover, you can log in and out of the course as often as you wish. The only restraint is that you must complete the course within 30 days of registration.
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How Does Point Reduction Work with a PIRP Course?
After successfully completing a PIRP course (in-person or online), two things will happen.
First, your course provider will notify the DMV of your completion. The PIRP school has ten weeks to provide this information. After ten weeks, you can check your driving record by ordering your driving record online or completing a Request for Driver and/or Vehicle Record Information (MV-15). If, after ten weeks, the point reduction does not appear, contact your PIRP course provider. It is important to note here that the point reduction you earn with a PIRP course only applies to points received in the previous 18 months.
Second, you will be presented with a certificate of course completion. This certificate can then be submitted to your insurance company so you can begin enjoying your 10% discount. You will have 90 days to get this certificate to your insurer.
It should be noted here that a classroom course provider can legally take up to eight weeks to provide you with a completion certificate. Here is another situation where an online course is the better choice. An online course will make your certificate available immediately upon completion of your course. So start enjoying your savings sooner by taking your PIRP course online.
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Need More Help Deciding on a Course?
For help deciding, you can read reviews of our number one choice (as well as a couple of others), or you can just get started with any of the other fine, NY DMV-approved providers in the chart below. Or, in case three options are not enough, we also have a list of all of the online PIRP providers in New York.
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How Does the New York Point System Work?
The New York Driver Violation Point System allows the NY DMV to easily identify and take action against high-risk drivers. While there are a number of reasons why a license can be suspended or revoked, a sure way is to rack up 11 points on your driving record in an 18-month period.
The DMV assigns points for moving violations. The number of points is associated with the severity of the infraction.
- 2-point violations include—Failure to signal, disobeying a traffic control device, or an improper turn.
- 3-point violations include—Failure to yield, improper lane change, or running a red light.
- 5-point violations include—Reckless driving, failure to stop for a school bus, or texting.
The points assigned for speeding tickets depend on how far over the posted limit the ticket was written for.
- 1-10 over the limit—3 points
- 11-20 over the limit—4 points
- 21-30 over the limit—6 points
- 31-40 over the limit—8 points
- 40 or more over the limit—11 points
You can access your current point total by creating a MyDMV account online.
If you have enough points added to your record, you will not only be out the cost of the fines and increases to your insurance premiums but you may also be required to pay a Driver Responsibility Assessment fee. Points are costly. Be sure to keep your record clean.
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John Fabel
I have a long and checkered history with defensive driving. I took my first "court invited" course at age 15 and realized immediately that there had to be a better way. Since that first experience, I have gone on to teach defensive driving classroom courses and to author four internet courses in 2 states. After nearly 25 years in the industry, I can help you find a course that will be the best fit for you.Recommended Reading
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