Florida Basic Driver Improvement Customer Service

More Frequently Asked Questions

• General Information
  • Is your course approved by all courts in Florida?

    Not yet. Currently, we are certified and licensed by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to offer our course only in the County of Miami-Dade for ticket dismissal and court ordered reasons. If you received a letter from the DHSMV, you can take our course for any county in Florida.

  • Is Florida Basic Driver Improvement the right course for me?

    You should take the Florida BDI course if you got a ticket and want to avoid having the points added to your driving record. If you have a commercial driver's license, you cannot attend a Basic Driver Improvement course.

    Also, if you got a letter from the DHSMV indicating that you need to take a Traffic Collision Avoidance Course, you can attend this Basic Driver Improvement course to satisfy the DHSMV requirement.

  • I was ordered by a Judge to take a BDI course; Is this the right one?

    Maybe. You need to find out from the Judge which course he or she ordered you to take. This course is a 4-hour Basic Driver Improvement course. If that’s what the Judge ordered, then you are in the right place!

  • I was ordered by the Florida DHSMV to take a BDI/TCAC course; Is this the right one?

    Yes. The Basic Driver Improvement course and the Traffic Collision Avoidance Course are the same. When you register, select the specific reason for taking the course, so we can accurately report your completion to the DHSMV.

  • What is a Traffic Collision Avoidance Course (TCAC)?

    A Traffic Collision Avoidance Course is the same thing as a Basic Driver Improvement course. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles requires that you attend in order to retain a valid driver’s license status, if you:

    • Were involved in a crash, were found at fault, and
      • Someone was transported to the hospital, or
      • Have had two crashes in a two-year period, which resulted in property damage over $500.
    • Passed a stopped school bus
    • Were a participant of highway racing
    • Were a spectator in highway racing
    • Were cited for reckless driving
    • Ran a red light
  • If I get stuck, can I get help from a family member or friend?

    No! The Florida DHSMV, as well as the Terms of Use that you must agree to upon registration, require that you, the person who received the ticket or notice from DHSMV, complete all course material and the final exam without the assistance of any other person. If you are having difficulty understanding the course material, or you have a question, please contact one of our friendly representatives for assistance.

  • Is Highway Traffic School entirely online?

    Yes. The course and the final exam are entirely online. You can access the course from any computer or device that has internet connectivity. You can log on and off as often as you please, so you can start and stop your course whenever you like. That way, you take our course at your leisure, instead of spending an entire day sitting in a classroom.

  • What happens if I lose my internet connection while taking the course?

    Nothing! Our system keeps track of your progress and saves it to the server. So even if you lose your internet connection, you can continue right where you left off.

  • Is the Highway Traffic School website secure?

    Yes! Highway Traffic School uses state of the art security technology to make sure your personal and credit card information is secure! Whenever you submit personal information on our website, it is encrypted via “HyperText Transfer Protocol” (HTTP) with “Secure Sockets Layer” (SSL) as it travels to and from our servers. We do not store your credit card information or share your personal data with anybody!

• About the Course
  • How often can I take a basic driver improvement course?

    According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles you can attend a Basic Driver Improvement course only once every 12 months, and no more than 5 times during a lifetime.

    If you got a ticket and elect to attend a BDI course:

    • Points will not be added to your driving record
    • Adjudication of guilt is withheld
    • Safe driver status is maintained
    • Insurance rates will not go up, unless you were involved in a crash where you were found at fault
  • Will points be assessed against my driving record if complete Florida BDI?

    No. When you are eligible and successfully complete a Basic Driver Improvement course, points will not be added to your driving record.

  • How do I know if I am eligible to attend Florida traffic school?

    If you received a ticket for a non-criminal moving violation, and you do not have a commercial driver’s license, you can elect to attend a Florida Basic Driver Improvement course, in lieu of points being added to your driving record.

    You may attend a BDI course only once every 12 months, and no more than 5 times during your lifetime.

    To check your eligibility, visit: https://services.flhsmv.gov/dlcheck/.

  • I want to attend a Florida BDI course. What do I need to do?

    If you wish to elect Basic Driver Improvement in lieu of points being added to your driving record, you must:

    • Inform the Clerk of the Court in the county where you received your ticket and pay the civil penalty within 30 days of the violation. You can do this by going to the Florida Clerks website at: https://www.myfloridacounty.com/traffic_tickets/index.html. Select your county from the bottom left corner of the page and then click “Pay Traffic Tickets Online.”
    • Complete your Basic Driver Improvement course within 90 days of paying your civil penalty. This may vary from court to court. If you are unsure, check with the Clerk of the Court where you received your citation.
  • I have a commercial driver’s license; can I take the Basic Driver Improvement course?

    No. If you hold a commercial driver's license you are not eligible for the Florida Basic Driver Improvement course, regardless of whether you were driving a commercial vehicle or your personal vehicle at the time of the violation.

  • I received a ticket in Florida, but my driver’s license is from another state. Can I take the BDI course to avoid a point being added to my driver’s license?

    Each state has its own laws about when to assess points against your driving record. You should check with the state where your driver’s license is issued before registering for any course. Completing a Florida Basic Driver Improvement course does not guarantee that points will not be added to your driving record in your state.

  • How soon can I start the Basic Driver Improvement course?

    Once you register with Highway Traffic School, you can begin your BDI course immediately.

  • How long does it take to complete the Florida traffic school course?

    The Florida Basic Driver Improvement course will take approximately 4 hours to complete. Florida state law requires that all BDI courses are a minimum of 4 hours in length.

    Don’t forget, you can start and stop as often as you like. Our system will remember where you left off, so you can take the course at your leisure. There is no need to complete the course all at once, unless you want to.

  • Do I have to complete the basic driver improvement course in one day?

    No. Highway Traffic School has designed the course so that you can start and stop whenever you choose. There are no limits as to how many times you can log in and out of the website, so you can set your own pace.

  • What is your cancellation/refund policy?

    Please refer to our Refund Policy for details.

• Completion
  • Can I review the course material while I am taking the final exam?

    Yes. The final exam is open book.

  • What happens if I don’t pass the final exam?

    Most students pass the final exam the first time. The exam consists of 40 questions and a passing score is 80%. If you don’t pass the final exam the first time, you can retake the final exam as many times as you need to pass. You can always go back and review material during or after the exam.

  • Do you send my certificate directly to the DHSMV?

    Yes. We automatically submit your completion report to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles when you pass the final exam. It may take up to 48 hours for the completion to be noted on your driving record.

    Please note: We don’t send completions to any court. If this course was taken for a ticket dismissal or court ordered, you would need to appear in court and show your certificate of completion to the clerk.

  • How fast will my certificate of completion be processed?

    Once you complete your course, your certificate is available immediately. We automatically submit your completion report to the DHSMV when you pass the final exam.

    Please note: It may take up to 48 hours for the completion to be noted on your driving record.

  • How do I get a duplicate copy of my certificate of completion?

    You can always download, print, or save a copy of your certificate of completion directly from our website, for no additional charge, and it is available immediately once you pass the final exam.

    If you need a printed copy of your certificate of completion, you can purchase one during registration or from your course history page.