Very good course, well paced and well presented.
Mark SantamariaGoogle review
4.9/5 · 2,766 reviews
FLHSMV-Approved
Florida Defensive Driving Course — keep points off your record.
Florida's official name for this course is Basic Driver Improvement (BDI). It is the FLHSMV-approved defensive driving course you take after a ticket. $24.95 covers everything, and we notify your court for you.
- The state-approved defensive driving course — accepted in all 67 counties.
- Keeps points off your driving record.
- Guaranteed to pass — open-book exam, unlimited free retakes.
- 100% online — phone, tablet, or computer, at your own pace.
- We file your completion with the FLHSMV for you.
$34.95
$24.95
Save $10
all-inclusive · no hidden fees
Got a Florida ticket? You're in the right place — this is the course that keeps the points off. No ticket, just after an insurance discount? Heads-up: this course is for drivers who got a ticket. It is not an insurance-discount class. Ask your insurer which course earns a discount.
Accepted by all Florida courts
FLHSMV-approved provider
2,766 Google reviews
116,000 drivers
served since 2014
FLHSMV-Approved
All 67 Florida Counties
Keeps Points Off Your Record
Open-Book Final Exam
100% Online
Self-Paced
Completion Filed for You
Phone, Tablet, or Computer
Serving Florida Since 2014
We've helped over 116,000 students
One Course, Four Names
Defensive Driving, Traffic School, BDI — It's All the Same Course
In Florida, defensive driving has an official name. It's the Basic Driver Improvement (BDI) course — the course you take after a traffic ticket.
Your citation paperwork might say "driver improvement course". Your friends call it "traffic school". You searched for "defensive driving". The FLHSMV calls it BDI. Four names, one 4-hour, state-approved course — and one certificate that covers all of them. There is no separate "defensive driving certificate" in Florida. Completing BDI is how Florida does defensive driving.
Prefer the official-name version? Our Basic Driver Improvement course page covers the same course under its FLHSMV name. Same price, same checkout, same certificate.
- Defensive driving course
- Basic Driver Improvement (BDI)
- Traffic school
- Driver improvement course
One 4-hour course. One certificate.
Whichever name your citation, your clerk or your search used.
Simple & Fast
How Florida defensive driving works
You handle one step with the court. We take it from there.
1
Notify your court
Tell the Clerk of Court on your citation that you're electing the course. Do it within 30 days of your ticket. How to elect traffic school, step by step.
2
Pay your fine
Pay the civil penalty and any election fee. Your county sets the fee, and it goes to the court — not us.
3
Complete the course
4 hours online, any device, at your own pace. Start, stop, and pick up where you left off.
4
We file it
We e-file your completion with the FLHSMV, usually the moment you finish. It reaches your court within 24 to 48 hours.
The Choice
Pay the ticket, or take the course?
| What changes | Pay the ticket | Elect the course |
|---|---|---|
| Points on your record | Assessed on conviction | None — adjudication withheld |
| The civil penalty | Paid in full | May drop, up to 18% |
| Court appearances | Depends on the citation | None for an elected case |
| What it costs you | The fine | The fine, plus the course |
One Clear Price
$24.95 for the defensive driving course, Florida-wide.
Same course, same checkout, same $24.95 as our BDI page — because it is the same course. There's no separate "defensive driving" price, no certificate fee, and nothing added on the payment page. Whichever name you searched, you pay $24.95 once.
| $24.95 covers | Highway Traffic School |
|---|---|
| The 4-hour FLHSMV-approved course, under any of its names | ✓ |
| E-filing with FLHSMV, usually the moment you finish; reaches your court within 24 to 48 hours (elected cases) | ✓ |
| Your certificate, downloadable the moment you finish | ✓ |
| Accepted by every Clerk of Court in Florida — all 67 counties | ✓ |
| Open-book exam, unlimited free retakes, any device, 24/7 | ✓ |
| A "defensive driving" surcharge, certificate fee or processing fee | ✕ None |
Eligibility
Can you take defensive driving for your ticket?
The eligibility is BDI's eligibility, because it's the same election. Four checks; your county Clerk of Court always has the final say. The eligibility guide covers each one in full.
- The ticket is a civil moving violation, not a crime. Speeding, running a light, an unsafe lane change — the everyday tickets. Speeding 30 mph or more over the limit does not count.
- Twelve months have passed since your last election, if you've ever made one.
- You're under the lifetime cap of 8 elections.
- You tell the Clerk of Court you're electing within 30 days of the citation date.
Where the election is off the table
- A Commercial Driver License — CDL holders can't elect for point avoidance.
- An election inside the last 12 months, or all 8 lifetime elections used.
- The 30-day window has closed without a word to the clerk.
- A criminal charge rather than a civil infraction.
- A ticket for 30 mph or more over the speed limit. Florida law leaves that ticket out (F.S. 318.14(9)).
Unsure about your situation? Your county Clerk of Court can confirm eligibility before you enroll. Or try the 10-second checker on our BDI page.
Questions, in the order people ask them
Florida defensive driving, answered
Is defensive driving the same as traffic school in Florida?
Yes. In Florida, one course has four names. They are defensive driving, traffic school, driver improvement course, and Basic Driver Improvement (BDI). It is one 4-hour course approved by FLHSMV. BDI is the official name. The other three are what people call it. There is no separate defensive driving certificate. Finish BDI, and you have done Florida defensive driving.
How much does the Florida defensive driving course cost?
$24.95 at Highway Traffic School, all-inclusive. That covers the full 4-hour FLHSMV-approved course. It also covers e-filing with FLHSMV and your completion certificate. No processing fees, no certificate fees, and no charges added at checkout.
Does defensive driving remove points from my Florida record?
It keeps points from ever reaching your record for the ticket you elected it for. Adjudication is withheld, and points are not assessed. It does not erase points already on your record from past tickets. That's why the 30-day election deadline matters: the course protects the current ticket, not old ones.
How long is the Florida defensive driving course?
4 hours, as required by Florida law. You can finish it in one sitting or across multiple sessions. Your progress saves as you go, so you can pick up where you left off.
Can I take Florida defensive driving online?
Yes. The course is 100% online. It works on any smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop. No app download, no classroom, no schedule.
Do I need to tell the court I'm taking defensive driving?
Yes. This is the one step that is yours, and the one deadline that matters. Tell the Clerk of Court on your citation that you're electing the course, within 30 days of your ticket. After that, we handle the filing: we e-file your completion with FLHSMV, usually the moment you finish. It reaches your court within 24 to 48 hours.
Will defensive driving lower my insurance in Florida?
No. This course is for drivers who got a ticket. It is not an insurance-discount class. What it does is keep the ticket's points off your record: the court withholds adjudication and assesses no points. How your insurer treats the ticket is up to your insurer, so ask them, and ask which course earns a discount.
Same course, whatever you call it.
Defensive driving, traffic school, BDI. One course, one price — and your court gets notified automatically.
Start the Course — $24.95
FLHSMV-approved · all 67 counties
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By the Numbers
Florida trusts Highway Traffic School
Live counts from our student records and Google reviews — the same numbers you'll find everywhere on this site.
- Drivers served since 2014
- 116,000+
- Google rating
- 4.9
- Google reviews
- 2,766
- Florida counties covered
- 67
More Florida guides
- All Florida Courses
- Free Permit Practice Test
- Teen Driver License Guide
- Traffic School Eligibility
- How to Elect Traffic School
- Traffic School Certificate
- Clerk of Court Guide
- TLSAE vs. DETS
- First-Time Driver Guide (Adults)
- Hardship License Guide
- Traffic Ticket Points
- Drug & Alcohol Test — the Honest Answer
- Permit Test English-Only Rule
- Parent Proctoring Form Guide