Should You Take a Refresher Driving Course After 75
A refresher course rarely hurts and it can lower your premium, but whether it's worth taking depends on your state and your insurer.
Yes, for most drivers it's worth taking
A refresher course is worth taking for most drivers over 75. It costs little in time, it often qualifies you for a discount on your policy, and in some states it satisfies part of what's required to renew your license.
Whether it changes your premium depends on your insurer, and whether it affects your license depends on your state. The course itself is the same regardless. What it does for you is not.
What your state requires of you
Some states ask drivers past a certain age to renew in person, pass a vision test, or take a road test more often than younger drivers. A few let a completed driving course stand in for part of that, or extend the time between renewals. Others don't give the course any weight at all.
This is set by your state's motor vehicle agency, not by the course provider and not by your insurer. Check your state's renewal notice or its DMV website for what's actually required of you, rather than assuming the course covers it.
If your state does count the course toward a license requirement, timing matters. Taking it well before your renewal date gives you room to retake a road test or correct a vision problem if the course points one out.
Whether your insurer rewards it
Many insurers offer a discount for completing an approved driving course, and for older drivers this is often the main reason to take one. But the discount isn't automatic. You usually have to send the insurer your completion certificate yourself, and the course has to be one they recognize.
Ask your insurer two things before you register for a course: which providers they accept, and what you need to send them afterward. An insurer that doesn't recognize the course you took won't apply the discount, no matter how useful the course was.
Also ask how long the discount lasts. Some insurers apply it for a set period and expect you to retake the course to keep it, so a course taken once years ago may no longer be doing anything for your premium.
Questions people ask about this
How often do I need to retake a driving refresher course?
This is set by your insurer, not by the course provider. Some apply the discount for a fixed period and remove it unless you retake the course. Ask your insurer directly how long a completion certificate is good for.
Does a refresher course replace a road test?
In some states it can count toward part of what's required at renewal, but this varies by state and isn't universal. Check your state's motor vehicle agency for what the course does and doesn't satisfy.
Can my insurer raise my rate because of my age alone?
Insurers weigh age alongside other things like your driving record and the car you drive, and how they weigh it varies by company. Ask your insurer how age factors into your premium and what, if anything, offsets it.
What happens if I fail the vision test at renewal?
The outcome depends on your state. Some allow a restricted license, such as daytime-only driving or a requirement to wear corrective lenses, while others require further testing. Your state's DMV can tell you what applies.
Will taking the course help if my license is already restricted?
It may help with your insurer, since the discount usually isn't tied to whether your license carries restrictions. It won't necessarily remove a restriction already placed on your license. Ask your state's licensing agency what, if anything, can change that.
See how taking the course might affect what you'd pay before you decide.
Find your state's renewal notice or check its DMV website to see what's actually required of you at your next renewal. Call your insurer and ask which refresher courses they accept, what they need from you afterward, and how long the discount lasts once applied. Register for the course with enough time before your renewal date to act on anything it turns up, like a vision issue. Keep your completion certificate and send it to your insurer yourself, since most won't apply the discount until you do. If your license carries a restriction, ask your state's licensing agency directly whether the course changes anything there.
