Florida Basic Driver
Improvement (BDI) Course Details
Did you know that a driver's insurance premium can increase
by hundreds of dollars for just one Florida traffic
ticket? If you received a Florida ticket, you can sign
up for our 4-hour online Basic Driver Improvement course
to receive the following benefits:
-
Keep points
off your license (no points on driving record). This
applies to both Florida license holders and drivers
from out-of-state.
-
Keep your
insurance costs from increasing.* Florida
law states that your insurance company cannot increase
your rate, non-renew, or cancel your policy if you
attend Florida traffic school for your Florida ticket.
(This does not apply if you were responsible for a
crash.)
-
Receive
an 18% reduction of your civil fine.
-
Keep your
"safe driver" status. This
applies if you had a "safe driver" notation
on your license before you received your Florida traffic
ticket.
-
Reduce
your risk of future crashes or violations. Several
research studies have shown that drivers who apply
the knowledge they receive from our Program for Driver
Improvement course reduce their risk of being involved
in future crashes or receiving more traffic tickets.
NOTE: You cannot elect to attend
this course if you have already elected for another
traffic ticket within the past calendar year, if you
have elected five times previously, or if you hold a
commercial driver's license (CDL).**
*§626.9541, Florida Statutes, **§318.14(9),
Florida Statutes
Other Reasons for Attending a Basic Driver Improvement
Course
In addition to point removal, you can also attend this
course for any of the following reasons:
-
4-hour
Court Ordered Traffic School. The 4-hour
Florida Basic Driver Improvement course can be taken
if you have been ordered by a Florida court to attend
traffic school.
-
4-hour
Judge Ordered Traffic School. The 4-hour
Florida Basic Driver Improvement course can be taken
if you have been ordered by a Florida judge to attend
traffic school.
-
Traffic
Collision Avoidance Course (TCAC). The
4 hour Florida Basic Driver Improvement course can
be taken if you have been ordered by the Florida Department
of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) to attend
a Traffic Collision Avoidance Course (TCAC).* Most
drivers who fall into this category will have received
a letter from DHSMV directing them to attend a TCAC
course because they have been involved in two traffic
crashes within a two-year period, a crash involving
at least $500 property damage, or a crash in which
injuries occurred. Failure to attend a TCAC course
can result in cancellation of your Florida driver's
license.
-
Insurance
Discount. Florida law allows a driver
to voluntarily attend a state-approved 4-hour
Basic Driver Improvement course in order to obtain
a discount of up to 10% off his or her automobile
insurance premium.** Our course has been approved
for this purpose by the Florida Department of Highway
Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV). Please check with
your automobile insurance provider to find out if
you can obtain an insurance discount by taking our
research-proven-effective course (the DTA Program
for Driver Improvement). NOTE: This
is not the 6-hour mature driver course that can be
taken by drivers 55 and older to obtain a mandatory
10% insurance discount.
-
Fleet Training
/ Business and Industry. Employers
in increasing numbers are directing their employees
who drive company vehicles to attend our online driver
improvement course. The result is that these companies
are able to increase their profit margin by reducing
safety risks, property loss, and down time. Select
this option if your employer, safety manager, or supervisor
has asked you to complete a driver improvement course,
or if you would simply like to brush up on your defensive
driving skills.
*§322.0261, Florida Statutes, **§627.06501,
Florida Statutes
What Does the BDI Course
Teach?
The BDI course teaches participants to use DTA's IPDE
(Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute) strategy to anticipate
traffic hazards and deal with them in ways that minimize
risk for the driver. Simulated traffic crash scenarios
are used to demonstrate how the IPDE strategy should be
used in situations such as a rear-end collision, a side-impact
collision, and a passing maneuver collision. Other topics
in the BDI course include an overview of the highway transportation
system, the dangers of driving after drinking alcohol,
and how to respond properly in emergency driving situations.
DTA's BDI course is the only Florida Basic Driver Improvement
course that teaches students how to control their emotions
and attitudes through the understanding of the concept
of Attitude States. Using Dr. Eric Berne's groundbreaking
theory of Transactional Analysis (TA), the BDI course
teaches students that each of us has three Attitude States
-- Parent, Adult, and Child -- that constantly influence
our behavior. Learning how to identify these Attitude
States is the key to controlling them, which can be critical
during potentially hazardous activities such as driving
a motor vehicle. Students learn that by remaining in the
Adult Attitude State, they can reduce their chances of
being involved in a crash or of committing a traffic violation
that could result in a citation.
|
