In-person and online driver improvement courses are available for any moving or non-moving violation as long as it is not criminal in nature and the driver holds a commercial driver license (CDL) regardless of the type of vehicle they’re driving at the time. Upon receiving their citation, drivers should receive information about the improvement course from the officer, which can be used to notify the county clerk of intent to take a course (drivers have between 60 and 90 days from the date of the citation to complete and course). If drivers are not provided with information, they may contact the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles office to learn more.
Following the completion of the course, drivers must provide a completion certificate to the clerk’s office in the county where the citation was issued. Drivers successfully completing the course receive the following benefits:
Of course, drivers still need to pay the ticket’s fine as well the cost of the driver improvement course, but these costs are ultimately much lower than what would likely be assessed and doled out over time by insurance companies if points were accrued. Here’s a look at how the point system works:
Moving violations | 3 points |
15 mph or less over speed limit | 3 points |
Littering | 3 points |
Child restraint violation | 3 points |
Moving violation resulting in a crash (non-speeding) | 4 points |
15 mph or more over speed limit | 4 points |
Passing stopped school bus | 4 points |
Reckless driving | 4 points |
Leaving the scene of an accident with damage | 6 points |
It’s important to note that failure to attend a driver improvement course is considered an admission of guilt, and additional fines and fees will be applied, and points for the violation will be added to your driving record.
Driver improvement courses are not mandatory, but rather a way to avoid the accumulation of points on your driving record. These courses differ from a Florida Basic Driver Improvement (BDI) course and a Traffic Collision Avoidance Course (TCAC). These courses are court ordered and must be completed within 30 days following any of these events:
In completing the course, as with non-mandatory courses, points will not be assessed and fines will be reduced.
Finally, there is also an Advanced Driver Improvement (ADI) course. These must be attended if your driver license becomes suspended due to an accumulation of points. To be suspended for points, a driver must accumulate:
What may often seem like a minor driving violation can often have major consequences. Florida is the number one state for accidents involving pedestrians, and it’s also near the top of the list for vehicle crashes. So, we encourage you to always drive safe and use your best judgment. And, if you’ve been involved in an accident and think you deserve compensation, don’t hesitate to give us a call to discuss your case.