There’s good news if you just got a ticket for a minor driving infraction. You can complete Florida traffic school online through a variety of providers and avoid having points recorded on your driving record.
Online Florida traffic school courses also satisfy court orders for more serious convictions and can help you get your license reinstated. In this article, we’ll look at the ways to use online traffic school courses in Florida and introduce you to American Safety Council – the leading provider of online driver safety classes in the Sunshine State.
How Florida Traffic School Online Courses Work
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) allows drivers to take online traffic school courses for a variety of reasons. The most common reason for taking a class is to prevent points from being recorded on your license after receiving a minor citation. A judge may also order you to take a longer course after a more serious violation.
Courses come in four-, eight-, and twelve-hour blocks to satisfy different state regulations. You need to spend at least that many hours in the course, but you can also take more time if you need. Just be sure to finish the course before the end of the court’s time limit.
Keep in mind that traffic school is not the same as drivers ed. Drivers ed is required to get a permit. You can also take drivers ed online in Florida, but that’s different from traffic school. (Traffic school courses are sometimes called defensive driving courses in Florida.)
Types Of Florida Traffic School Courses
The types of traffic school courses you can take depend on your situation. Learn more below.
Optional Basic Driver Improvement Course (BDI)
You can complete a basic driver improvement course to avoid points being added to your Florida driver’s license if you receive a non-criminal moving violation. You can do one course every twelve months up to a total of five courses in your lifetime.
You must elect to take a BDI course within 30 days of the traffic ticket. If not, the points will be added to your record. You also need to pay the fine for the ticket within those 30 days.
After that, you’ll have 60 to 90 days from the date of the citation to finish your course. Online Florida traffic school courses notify the FLHSMV of completion within a few business days. It’s a good idea to call the FLHSMV to double-check that it has been notified.
If your basic driver improvement course (also called a traffic collision avoidance course or TCAC) is court-ordered, you may be required to attend in person. This will be stated on your court papers. If not, you can take the course online. Here’s a list of all approved providers of BDI courses in Florida:
$15 Florida BDI (Miami-Dade County only) | Funny Driving LLC (Orange and Osceola County citations only) |
---|---|
1SafeDriver.com | Funny in Florida (traffic safety consultants) |
Aceable (Miami-Dade County citations only) | Gold Traffic School (Miami-Dade County citations only) |
American Safety Council | Highway Traffic School (Miami-Dade County citations only) |
American Safety Institute, Inc. | iDriveSafely |
At Your Pace Online (Miami-Dade County citations only) | Lowest Price Traffic School |
Best Price Traffic School | Metro Traffic School |
Cheap-Easy-Fast-Florida-Traffic School (Miami-Dade County citations only) | Miscrianti (Miami-Dade County citations only) |
Comedy Defensive Driving | National Highway Safety Administration (Miami-Dade County citations only) |
Comedy Driving Traffic School | National Safety Council |
CyberActive (Miami-Dade County citations only) | National Traffic Safety Institute |
Defensive Drivers Discount (Broward County citations only) | NexLearn (Orange and Osceola County citations only) |
Driver Training Associates, Inc. | Online Traffic Education (Orange and Osceola County citations only) |
DriverEducators.com, LLC | Safe2Drive |
DriveSafe, Inc. | Too Cool Traffic School (Hillsborough citations only) |
DriveSafeToday.com, Inc. | Traffic School by The Improv Comedy Club |
Dummies Traffic School.com | Traffic School Online.com |
Florida Educational Driving School | U-Drive Safe |
Florida Fun Traffic School | Wise Traffic School |
Florida Safety Council |
Mandatory Basic Driver Improvement Course
Florida will require you to take traffic school if you commit certain offenses. These are:
- Failure to obey a traffic control signal
- Failure to obey a steady red light
- Failure to stop for a school bus
- Racing on the highway
- Racing on the highway (spectator)
- Reckless driving
You will have 90 days from the date of a citation to complete the basic driver improvement course.
3 Crashes In 3 Years
If you have been at fault in three crashes within the last three years, the State of Florida will require you to do a twelve-hour advanced driver improvement course along with four hours of behind-the-wheel training. You can use an online provider for the advanced driver improvement course.
After completing both of these requirements, you must pass an extended road test with a driver’s license examiner. All of this needs to happen within 90 days of your third accident conviction. Otherwise, the state will cancel your license.
Wireless Communications Device Citations
If you get a ticket for using your cell phone or another handheld communications device while driving, you can take a wireless communications course to avoid accruing points on your record. This applies to citations for talking on the phone or texting while driving.
What’s different about this course is that it can get the ticket fee waived. However, you can only take the course once. You are also only allowed to enroll after your first cell phone violation. Subsequent violations are treated as moving violations. You would need to take a basic driver improvement course in that case.
Here are all the approved wireless communication device course providers in Florida:
- DriverEducators.com
- Funny in Florida
- Highway Traffic School
- National Highway Safety Administration
- Online Traffic Education
- Safe2Drive
Which Florida Traffic School Course Do You Need?
The type of Florida traffic school you need will depend on your situation. When you get a ticket, find out if you can complete a four-hour course to avoid points on your record. With more serious violations, a judge will tell you what you have to do.
Best Florida Traffic School: American Safety Council
American Safety Council (ASC) offers online traffic school courses in a handful of states, including Florida. In the Sunshine State, it’s known as the Florida Online Traffic School and can be found at FloridaOnlineTrafficSchool.com. Here are some benefits to using American Safety Council:
- Easy to use
- Save as you go
- Online access from anywhere
- Audio upgrades available
- Available in English and Spanish
- Rushed completion certificates available
- 24/7 support via phone, live chat, and email
4-Hour Basic Driver Improvement Course
ASC offers a four-hour basic driver improvement course approved by the Florida DMV. This type of class is often required if you get minor points on your license. You can use this course to avoid the points and keep your car insurance company from raising your rate.
You can take more than four hours to finish the course as long as it’s within the time limit set by the court. At the end, you’ll take a final exam that you’ll need to pass with a score of 80 percent or higher. You can retake the test within the time limit up to two more times for no additional charge.
8-Hour Intermediate Driver Improvement Course
This course is often called the “judge-ordered” course and is required at the discretion of the court. This course features 15 modules and a final exam. If the time limit set by the court is approaching, you can put a rush on the course completion certificate.
This course costs $59 from FloridaOnlineTrafficSchool.com. Note that this is not the same as the Driving While License Suspended or Aggressive Driving eight-hour courses.
12-Hour Advanced Driver Improvement Course
American Safety Council’s 12-hour ADI course fulfills Florida state requirements to reinstate driving privileges after a suspension. This course may also be prescribed for habitual traffic offenders or specific offenses. The advanced driver improvement course consists of five modules and a final exam.
Traffic Law And Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE)
In addition to the standard Florida traffic school options, American Safety Council offers the traffic law and substance abuse education course. This state-approved course is required for all new drivers before they can get learner’s permits.
If your license is suspended but you need to drive to work, you can take the TLSAE course to apply for a hardship license until your suspension ends.
Understanding The Florida Points System
Florida assigns point values to different types of traffic citations. Any number of points will increase your auto insurance rate. You may pay a few hundred extra dollars per year for having just a few points on your record, or you could pay double for having many points. Here are a few common infractions with their assigned point values.
Traffic Citation | Driver’s License Points |
---|---|
Reckless driving | 4 |
Leaving the scene of a crash | 6 |
Leaving vehicle unattended without information at a crash | 6 |
Careless driving | 3 |
Speeding | 3 |
Extreme speeding | 4 |
Failed to obey traffic control signal | 4 |
Failed to obey traffic sign | 3 |
So how many points are too many on your driving record? In Florida, your license can be suspended for having too many points in the following ways:
Florida License Points Condition | Length of License Suspension |
---|---|
12 points in 12 months | 30-day suspension |
18 points in 18 months | 3-month suspension |
24 points in 36 months | 1-year suspension |
Enroll In Florida Traffic School Online
Whether you need to take a four-, eight-, or twelve-hour course, you can find reliable content at FloridaOnlineTrafficSchool.com. We recommend checking the provider out if you have a chance to remove points from your license in Florida or need to fulfill court obligations.