Florida

You must complete a basic driver improvement course (Traffic Collision Avoidance Course) if you want to retain your driver license in the following circumstance:

• You were a driver in a crash and are found at fault and someone was transported to the hospital
• You had two crashes in a two-year period, which resulted in property damage greater than $500.
• Passed a stopped school bus
• Highway Racing
• Highway Racing - Spectator
• Reckless Driving
• Running a red light

If you receive a ticket for a non-criminal moving violation, and you do not hold a commercial driver license, you may elect to attend a basic driver improvement course in lieu of points on your driving record.

In some cases, you may choose to attend a basic driver improvement course to receive insurance discounts. This discount is solely at the discretion of your insurance company.

Drivers with a Class A, B, or C license may not make an election under this subsection.

If, as a result of a moving violation, you elect to attend and complete a basic driver improvement course, you will receive the following benefits:

Your insurance rates cannot go up and your policy cannot be cancelled because of the violation, unless involved a crash where you were found at fault.

Points may not be added to your driver license record, adjudication of guilt is withheld, and safe driver status is maintained if applicable.

You may not make an election under this subsection if you have made this election in the preceding 12 months. A person may make no more than five elections in a 10-year period.

Within 30 days from the date you received the traffic citation and prior to attending class, you must:

• Inform the Clerk of Court in the county where you received the citation that you want to go to traffic school, and
• Pay an election fee to the Clerk of Court in the county where you received the citation.

A full list of your options for satisfying your traffic citation is on the back of the citation. You are required to choose one of the three options within 30 days of receiving the citation.

If you choose to pay the civil penalty or are adjudicated guilty by a judge, your driver record will be assessed as follows:

If you accumulate:

• 12 points in 12 months, your license will be suspended for 30 days;
• 18 points within 18 months results in a 3 month suspension;
• 24 points within 36 months results in a 12 month suspension.

When you take an approved driver improvement class as a result of an applicable traffic violation, the violation is included on your driver record as "adjudication withheld" (Florida Statutes, 318.14(9)):

• No points are assessed against your driver's license
• Civil fine/penalty may be reduced up to 18%
• Your Safe Driver status is maintained (as long as there was no traffic accident involved)
• Your insurance company cannot raise your premium or refuse to renew a policy for motor vehicle insurance (solely because of a non-criminal traffic infraction) when there was no traffic accident involved. Exceptions are when you: have a second infraction within 18 months, have a third infraction within 36 months, or exceed the speed limit by more than 15 miles per hour.
• Register Here for 4 Hour Basic Driver Improvement Course

Do I still have to pay a civil fine when I take a driver improvement class? If yes, how can I find out what my ticket will actually cost?

When you take a driver improvement course, the civil fine may be reduced by up to 18 percent as required by law. This reduction is from the amount indicated by the ticketing officer on the traffic citation. To find out exactly how much your fine will be as a result of taking a driver improvement course, you may contact the Traffic Division of the Clerk of the Courts in the county where you received the citation. If you live in another county, you must still contact the county where you received the citation. The ticketing officer may have provided you with an envelope which can be used to indicate your desire to attend a driver improvement course; or you may need to visit or contact the Clerk of the Courts office for additional information required by that county.

Yes, you will need to provide the course completion certificate to the Clerk of the Courts office in the county where you received the citation. That office will be able to provide their exact requirements, including how they will accept the certificate, whether by mail, in person, etc.

NO PAPER CERTIFICATES ACCEPTED AT DRIVER LICENSE OFFICES

Convenient on-line reporting lets traffic schools automatically report course completions to DHSMV so the Driver License offices can view students who successfully complete Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE), Basic Driver Improvement (BDI, TCAC, Red Light), and Advanced Driver Improvement (ADI).

You may choose to take a driver improvement course once in any 12-month period (calculated from the date of your traffic violation and not by calendar year) and no more than 5 times in your lifetime (Florida Statutes, 318.14(9)). Exceptions include Broward County and Miami-Dade County where you may be able to take the 8-Hour course in the same year if you have already taken a 4-Hour course during that year; or where approved by a judge on a case by case basis.

This is a 12-hour online Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles-approved course and is applicable to a driver whose driving privileges have been suspended by the State of Florida for excessive points as indicated or as an habitual traffic offender (non-DUI related), or by court order per the following sections of Florida Statutes: 322.264 - Habitual Traffic Offender (HTO); 322.27 - authority of department to suspend or revoke license; 322.291 - driver improvement school required in certain license suspensions and revocations. (Sorry, Currently We Do Not Offer This Course)