Texting While Driving in Texas: Points, Rate Hikes & Timeline

A texting while driving conviction in Texas adds 2 points to your driving record under the state's Driver Responsibility Program. Those 2 points stay on your Texas DPS record for 3 years from the conviction date, not the citation date. Texas assigns points based on conviction, not citation. If you receive a ticket in March but don't finalize the conviction until May, the 3-year clock starts in May. Most carriers review your record at renewal and apply their surcharge schedule when they see the moving violation conviction code. The 2-point assignment applies whether you were cited under Transportation Code §545.4251 for texting in a school zone or §545.425 for general use while driving. Both convictions appear on your driving record with the same point value and trigger the same insurance consequences.

Carriers in Texas treat texting convictions as moving violations and apply surcharge schedules that increase premiums 10-25% for drivers with one violation on record. A driver paying $125/mo for full coverage typically sees their rate jump to $138-156/mo after a texting conviction appears at renewal. Preferred carriers like State Farm and Allstate typically apply a 12-18% surcharge for a first moving violation. Standard carriers like Progressive and GEICO often apply 15-22% increases. Non-standard carriers writing higher-risk drivers may add 20-30% or decline renewal entirely if this conviction follows another recent violation. The surcharge applies for 3 years from the conviction date on most carrier schedules. Some carriers like USAA review violation history at each renewal and may reduce the surcharge slightly in year 3 if no additional violations appear. Others maintain the full surcharge for the entire 36-month period. Carriers pull your Texas DPS driving record at renewal, not continuously. If your conviction appears 2 months before your policy renews, you won't see the increase until renewal. If it appears 1 week after renewal, the surcharge typically applies at your next renewal 6 or 12 months later, depending on your policy term.

Texas uses a 2-tier point system. Accumulating 6 or more points in 3 years triggers a driver license suspension. A single texting conviction adds 2 points, so you're one-third of the way to suspension threshold after one conviction. If you accumulate 6 points through three 2-point violations within a 36-month rolling window, Texas DPS suspends your license. The suspension notice arrives by mail 30 days before the effective date. You can request a hearing within 20 days of the notice to contest the suspension or request occupational license eligibility. Texas also assessed annual Driver Responsibility Program surcharges until September 2019, when the legislature repealed the program. Convictions occurring before September 1, 2019 may still carry DRP surcharge debt, but new texting convictions no longer trigger state-assessed fees beyond court fines and court costs. Carriers do not wait for a suspension to react. Two moving violations within 12 months often trigger non-renewal or forced assignment to a non-standard policy even if total points remain below 6. Three violations in 36 months typically results in declination by preferred and standard carriers, leaving non-standard carriers as the only willing writers.

Texas does not allow defensive driving courses to remove points from convictions that occurred in a commercial vehicle, resulted in a crash causing injury or death, or involved drivers under 25 with learner permits. For standard moving violations like texting, completing a Texas-approved defensive driving course within 90 days of your conviction date prevents the conviction from appearing on your public driving record and blocks the 2-point assessment. You must request defensive driving eligibility from the court before your appearance date or within the timeframe stated on your citation. Courts grant one defensive driving dismissal per 12 months. If you completed a course for a speeding ticket 8 months ago, you cannot use defensive driving again for this texting conviction. Completing the course after the 90-day window does not remove points already assessed. Once the conviction appears on your DPS record, the points remain for 3 years. Some carriers offer a discount for completing a defensive driving course even if it doesn't remove the conviction, but the discount rarely offsets the moving violation surcharge. The only path to rate reduction after a conviction finalizes is time. Carriers review your 3-year driving history at each renewal. After 36 months from the conviction date, the violation drops off the lookback window and your rate returns to your base premium tier, assuming no additional violations appear during that period.

Preferred carriers like State Farm, Allstate, and American Family typically continue coverage for drivers with one moving violation, applying their standard surcharge schedule at renewal. A second violation within 24 months often triggers non-renewal or assignment to a non-standard subsidiary. Standard carriers like Progressive, GEICO, and Nationwide write drivers with 1-2 moving violations more aggressively than preferred carriers. Progressive's pricing model absorbs single violations with moderate surcharges and often remains competitive through the first renewal after a conviction. GEICO applies tiered surcharges but may offer better total premium than preferred carriers for drivers with one violation. Non-standard carriers like Acceptance, Dairyland, and Direct Auto write drivers with 3+ violations or suspended licenses. If your texting conviction is your third moving violation in 36 months, expect preferred and most standard carriers to decline renewal. Non-standard carriers charge 40-80% more than standard carriers for equivalent coverage limits, but they remain the only option for drivers exceeding standard underwriting guidelines. Carriers and surcharge schedules vary by state and change periodically. Request quotes from at least three carriers at renewal after a conviction appears. The carrier offering your best rate before the violation may not remain competitive after the surcharge applies.

Shop for new quotes 30-45 days before your policy renews after a texting conviction appears on your record. Your current carrier applies their surcharge at renewal, but competitors may offer lower total premiums even with the violation. Staying with your current carrier rarely makes sense if they apply a surcharge above 20% and you've been insured with them less than 2 years. Loyalty discounts with most carriers max out at 5-10%, which doesn't offset a 20%+ violation surcharge. A competitor applying a 15% surcharge with no loyalty discount often delivers lower total premium. If you've been insured with the same carrier for 5+ years and they apply a below-average surcharge for your violation, staying may make sense. State Farm and American Family often apply lower first-violation surcharges to long-tenured customers. Switching to save $8/mo forfeits a loyalty relationship that may offer better treatment when a second violation appears. Never let your policy lapse while shopping. A coverage gap of 30 days or more in Texas adds an additional surcharge when you reinstate coverage. Carriers treat lapse as a separate risk factor from violations, and the combined surcharge often exceeds 40% of your base premium. Bind your new policy to start the day your current policy expires, not after.