A Basic Driver Improvement (BDI) 8 hour course can be taken for the following reasons:

If you receive a ticket for a non-criminal moving violation, and if you elected to attend a 4 hour basic driving improvement course within 6 or 12 months time, you may *elect to attend an 8 hour basic driver improvement course in lieu of points on your driving record.

*Note: It is important to check with the clerk of court for the county in which you received your citation prior to electing an 8-hour basic driver improvement course. Not all counties offer this as an elected option.

In most cases, a judge or magistrate ordered you to attend an 8-hour basic driver improvement course.

If, as a result of a moving violation, you elected or court ordered to attend to complete a 8 hour basic driver improvement course, you will receive the following benefits:

• Your insurance rates cannot go up and your policy cannot be cancelled because of this violation, unless this involved a crash where you were at fault.
• Points may not be added to your driver license record, adjudication of guilt is withheld, safe driver status is maintained if applicable, and the fine is reduced. NOTE: 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 their lifetime.

Within 30 days from the date your 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 (reduced traffic citation fine) 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 your citation OR, the officer provided you with a handout describing your options. You are required to choose one of the three options listed in that handout within 30 days of receiving the citation.

Points

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

Also note if you accumulate:

• 12 points in 12 months, your license will be suspended for 30 days;
• 18 points within 18 months results in a 90-day suspension
• 24 points within 36 months results in a one-year suspension

Drivers 15 - 17 Years of Age

If you are driving with a Florida learner’s license, you must hold it for at least 12 months without a traffic conviction before you may apply for an operator’s license. You may avoid conviction by electing to attend and completing a basic driver improvement course approved by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

If you are driving with a Florida learner’s license or a Florida operator’s license and you receive 6 points, you are restricted to driving for business purposes only for 12 months or until you reach the age of 18. Restriction time is increased if additional points are accumulated. You may avoid conviction by electing to attend and completing a basic driver improvement course approved by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Click here to Get Started Now in the BDI-8 hour course and SAVE!
 

Still have questions? Call Paula at (561) 338-6400.