Missouri DIP · Eligibility, Explained
Am I eligible for the Missouri DIP?
If the court says yes — and only the court can. Missouri’s Driver Improvement Program is court-ordered point protection: you appear, plead, pay the fine, and ask. When the court orders DIP and you finish inside 60 days, the points are never assessed. Here’s exactly who qualifies, who doesn’t, and how the ask works.
Ask the court first — permission comes before any course, every time
Licensed statewide (License #OL021) — verify us on the Missouri Safety Center list
The fine print, up front
Three numbers that run the whole program
The 60-day clock starts at conviction, so the smart order is: get the court’s OK, then enroll the same day.
How the ask works
How the Missouri Driver Improvement Program works, step by step
- You Appear at the court on your citation That court makes the call — not the Department of Revenue, and not any school. Got a ticket from a state trooper? Read the paperwork. In Fine Collections Center counties, the guilty-plea option can include DIP approval. Before you pay
- Your court, then the DOR The court decides whether to order DIP Case-by-case, and discretionary. The Missouri Safety Center puts it plainly: there is no guarantee the court will allow you to attend. Ask the court before you enroll in any course. In court
- You Plead guilty and pay your fine DIP is not a way out of the ticket — the conviction happens either way. The date of that conviction is day zero of your sixty days. Day 0
- Highway Traffic School Take the 8-hour course online Online or in person is your choice by statute; ours is fully online, at your own pace, and you can sign in and out as often as you like. $19.95 all-in, with the completion form free the moment you pass. Within 60 days
- You Carry the completion form to your court clerk The clerk signs the court's section. You take the form to the clerk and mail it to the DOR yourself; we don't file it. In Missouri the form is the filing, and it is yours to carry. When you pass
- You Mail the signed form to the DOR — the points are never assessed The signed form must reach the Department of Revenue within fifteen days of completion. The director of revenue then stays the assessment for that conviction. The conviction itself stands; the points never land. Within 15 days
The honest fence
Who qualifies — and who never will
You need a valid, non-commercial Missouri license to start. After that, the law lists exactly which tickets count. Here is that list, row by row. Find the violation on your ticket and read across.
| Your ticket — or your license | Can the court order DIP? | Where the rule lives |
|---|---|---|
| Any other moving violation (the generic 2-pointer) | Yes — the court's call | RSMo 302.302.1(1) |
| Speeding | Yes — the court's call | RSMo 302.302.1(2) |
| Careless and imprudent driving | Yes — the court's call | RSMo 302.302.1(4) |
| Injury or property damage certified on one of those | Yes — the court's call | RSMo 302.302.3 |
| A motorcycle violation | Rider training instead | RSMo 302.133–302.137 |
| A second DIP inside 36 months | No | RSMo 302.302.5 |
| Any violation committed in a commercial vehicle | No | RSMo 302.302.5 |
| You hold — or must hold — a CDL, any state, any vehicle | No | RSMo 302.302.5 |
| Leaving the scene of an accident | No — off the list | RSMo 302.302.1(3) |
| Driving while suspended or revoked | No — off the list | RSMo 302.302.1(6) |
| Driving while intoxicated | No — off the list | RSMo 302.302.1(8)–(10) |
| Any felony involving a motor vehicle | No — off the list | RSMo 302.302.1(11) |
Not sure where your ticket lands? Email support@highwaytrafficschool.com — a real person will walk your citation through the rules with you. Or text or call 1-888-406-1726, Mon–Sat, 7am–7pm PT.
The payoff
What the Missouri DIP does to your points
The conviction happens. The points don’t.
Missouri law calls it a stay of assessment — RSMo 302.302, subsection 5. Complete the court-ordered DIP on time, and the points for that conviction are never added to your record. That protects you from the 8-points-in-18-months suspension math. The conviction itself can still appear on your record, and your insurer makes its own call. $19.95 gets you the 8-hour course, the completion form, and unlimited exam retakes — nothing added at checkout.
Want the full course rundown first? Everything that’s included, on the course page. Counting points instead? The Missouri points guide.
Eligibility questions, answered
Missouri DIP eligibility FAQ
Am I eligible for the Missouri Driver Improvement Program?
That's the court's call — Missouri DIP happens only when the court on your ticket orders it. The typical yes: a Missouri driver with no CDL and an everyday moving violation. Think speeding, careless driving, or a generic 2-point ticket. And no DIP used in the past 36 months. Ask the court for permission before you spend a dollar on any course.
Which tickets qualify?
The everyday moving tickets. That means speeding, careless and imprudent driving, and the general 2-point tickets most drivers get. The serious ones do not qualify. DWI is out. So is leaving the scene of a crash. So is driving while suspended or revoked. So is any felony with a vehicle.
What does completing DIP actually do?
The points are never assessed for that conviction — Missouri law calls it a stay of assessment (RSMo 302.302.5). The conviction itself still happens and can appear on your driving record. Whether your insurance rate changes is up to your insurer. What DIP protects is your license's point math.
I have a CDL. Can I take DIP?
No. Missouri law (RSMo 302.302.5) rules out DIP for any CDL holder. It also rules it out for anyone who is required to hold a CDL, in Missouri or any other state. It does not matter what vehicle you were driving. The same rule bars any ticket earned in a commercial vehicle, whatever license you hold. The Department of Revenue says the same. Courts cannot keep a CDL holder's conviction off the record another way, either.
How often can I use DIP?
Once in any 36-month period. The statute says a completion won't be accepted in lieu of points more than one time in thirty-six months, so a second DIP inside three years buys nothing — the points for that conviction are assessed normally. Count from your last completion, not from the ticket.
Does DIP dismiss my ticket?
No. You plead (or are found) guilty and pay the fine first. DIP is what keeps the points off afterward — not a way out of the ticket. If you're looking for dismissal, that's a different conversation with the prosecutor, not a course.
My ticket went through the Fine Collections Center. How does DIP work there?
Missouri's Fine Collections Center handles many state trooper tickets. There, paying the fine with a guilty plea can come with authorization to complete DIP. Check the paperwork that came with your ticket. If you plead not guilty, the citation goes to the local court — the usual ask-the-judge path applies.
Is the course really online — and how long is it?
Yes — Missouri law explicitly gives you the choice of an online or in-person course. The standard is the National Safety Council's eight-hour defensive driving benchmark. Ours is fully online, and you can sign in and out as often as you like.
Court said yes? Your 60 days are running.
8 hours online, $19.95 all-in, completion form the moment you pass.
Start My Course — $19.95 →Questions first? Email support@highwaytrafficschool.com — we reply 7 days a week. Text or call 1-888-406-1726, Mon–Sat, 7am–7pm PT.