Traffic School Florida General Information

Traffic school Florida is a generic term that describes a short course (in most cases 4 hours, but 8 in for certain court ordered situations) designed to educate drivers in defensive driving strategies and concepts. Other common terms for traffic school Florida that mean the same thing are basic driver improvement, bdi, traffic collision avoidance course, and Florida traffic school.

Why do people attend traffic school Florida?

The reasons for attending traffic school are many and varied. Most people attend traffic school Florida to keep points from being assessed for a Florida traffic ticket. This in turn can prevent a driver's insurance rate from increasing (§626.9541, F.S.) Others complete a traffic school Florida program because they have been ordered by a judge or court to attend such a course. The latter reason is commonly referred to as court ordered or judge ordered traffic school Florida attendance.

In some cases, people attend a traffic school Florida course voluntarily in order to obtain a discount of up to 10% on their automobile insurance premium. While Florida law authorizes such a discount, drivers are advised to check with their insurer first to verify that they are eligible for the discount for attending a BDI course. This type of traffic school Florida attendance is often called insurance discount attendance.

The Florida DHSMV sometimes requires traffic school Florida attendance when certain conditions exist in a driver's record. For example, drivers who have caused two or more crashes within a two-year period or who have caused a crash resulting in more than $500 damage are required to attend a Traffic Collision Avoidance Course (TCAC). TCAC is not a special type of traffic school course, but rather the same 4-hour Basic Driver Improvement course that a person would elect to attend to dismiss the points from a Florida traffic ticket. The only difference is that the reporting school must note TCAC attendance on the student's traffic school completion certificate, or the completion will not be registered properly with the State, leading to cancellation of that person's Florida driver license.

Another common reason drivers attend traffic school Florida is voluntary attendance to fulfill the requirements of an employer. This type of attendance is most often required of people who drive a company vehicle, and it enables the employer to reduce losses and possibly gain a fleet insurance discount. This type of voluntary traffic school attendance is usually known as fleet training or business and industry attendance.

Is traffic school Florida regulated by the DHSMV?

In most states, the traffic school industry is regulated by a state government entity such as the Department of Motor Vehicles. There is no federal oversight of traffic schools, nor does the federal government develop minimum standards for the approval of traffic school programs, as such standards are developed at the state or county level (if at all). In Florida, traffic school course providers are responsible for monitoring the activities of their own classroom agencies, rather than the DHSMV. However, DHSMV does review the traffic school Florida courses to ensure that they meet the minimum content standards that have been developed.

Many people (and even some state agencies) erroneously believe that traffic school Florida is regulated by the National Safety Council. The National Safety Council does offer traffic school programs, but it is not a government entity. In addition to the National Safety Council, most states have multiple safety council chapters that serve their local area (these might or might not be part of the National Safety Council). While many of these chapters are non-profit organizations, they are not government entities. The National Safety Council does not have any regulatory authority over any traffic school Florida programs other than the programs that it owns.

Many online sites that are owned by private traffic schools are designed in such a way that they appear to be official government websites. These sites typically mimic the design of a site operated by a state DMV, and often contain the phrases "stateof" or "dmv" as part of their primary URL. Consumers should be advised that information found on such sites is not monitored by any state government agency and could contain inaccuracies. Legitimate state agency websites will usually end in a .gov extension and will include information confirming that they are the official site for that particular state agency. (For example, see http://www.flhsmv.gov, the official state site of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.)

Whom should I contact if I have a complaint about a particular traffic school Florida?

Since most Florida traffic schools are privately owned businesses, you can direct your complaint to the Better Business Bureau chapter in your area. For traffic schools in other states, you can contact your state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or the equivalent (sometimes the Department of Transportation). Complaints can also be directed to the office of the attorney general in your state, particularly if you believe that you are the victim of a scam, bait and switch advertising, or unfair treatment.