by
John Fabel | Last Updated:
April 29, 2021 There are many reasons to take a traffic school course:
- The Big One—You got yourself a ticket
- The Smart One—You’d like to save some money on insurance
- The “Have-to” One—You drive a vehicle for work and the boss says you gotta
- The Incredibly Rare One—You want to brush up your skills to become a better driver
Question is, how are you going to get it behind you? My kid brother is fond of saying that if you give the hardest job to the laziest man, he’ll find the easiest way to do it with the least amount of effort expended.
As with most anything else in our lives these days, the “easiest way” is to do it online. There are a few classroom courses still to be found, and classroom courses can be fun. However, if you fall into the category my brother speaks of, an internet course is probably the best option.
I do realize that if you have already Googled “Florida traffic school,” you probably choked at the number of options available. How do you know where to begin?
We’d like to give you a hand here. We’re going to discuss eligibility requirements for Florida driver safety courses and give a quick review of the five Florida providers that we think are the best. And, if you don’t agree with us, we’re also going to provide a list of all the current providers in the state. Get ready to do some scrolling, it’s a pretty long list.
For ticket dismissal, traffic school is generally the best way to deal with it, but you do have other options.
Who Is Eligible to Attend Traffic School?
The answer to that question depends on why you are taking the course. If you are taking it for a job requirement or for an insurance discount, there are no restrictions on whether or not you can take a course. On the other hand, if ticket dismissal is your goal, the Florida HSMV has some rules you must follow.
BTW—If this is your first time taking a course, you may notice that sometimes I say “driver safety” and other times I say “traffic school.” In Florida, courts call them “driver improvement courses” while some providers might call them defensive driving or driver safety classes. Not to worry; as long as the course is approved by the FLHSMV it will get the job done, no matter what it’s called.
- Drivers CAN attend traffic school if:
- Any driver charged with a moving or non-moving traffic violation that would result in points assessed to their driving record
- They have not attended traffic school for a violation in the last 12 months or have dismissed a ticket with defensive driving 5 times in the past
On the other hand…
- Drivers CANNOT attend traffic school:
- For criminal offenses
- If the driver holds a commercial drivers license (CDL)
The full process for ticket dismissal is individual by county. For example, Broward County says this:
- If you choose to elect driving school, you must pay the fine payment (along with an additional $7.00 driving school affidavit fee) and submit a completed Driving School Affidavit within 30 days from the date the citation was issued.
- Enroll with an approved State of Florida driving school and complete the driving school course within 90 days of your election. Upon completion, send the original certificate of completion to the Broward Clerk of Courts.
- You may not exceed 5 driving school elections in a lifetime. Failure to complete the driving school course within 90 days will result in the assessment of points, additional fees, and a possible suspension of driver license.
- This option is not available if you have a commercial driver license, or have been charged with exceeding the speed limit by more than 30 MPH.
If you’ve checked with your county and you are eligible, let’s find you a course. On the other hand, if you have some more questions about how the whole process works, here is some info that you might find useful.
Our Recommendations (The Top 5)
Florida’s Top-Rated, FLHSMV Approved Online Traffic Schools
Website | Name | Phone | Register NOW! |
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Let’s Break ‘Em Down
More than anything, online traffic school courses offer freedom and schedule flexibility not found in a classroom course. What makes one better than another? Let’s look at a few reasons, plus what their students say about them.
I Drive Safely
iDriveSafely was one of the first online driver safety providers in the industry. They have served over 5,000,000 customers over their long history and have maintained a very good reputation. The school has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and a nearly 5-star rating on TrustPilot.
- What students are saying—
- Mary N. says “The course was easy to follow.”
- John S. says “It was specific to my state and very thorough.”
- Janet W. says “I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was.”
- Advantages of i Drive Safely
- Trusted by 5,000,000 customers
- Great ratings by customers, Trustpilot, and the BBB
- Works well on mobile devices
Aceable Online Traffic School
Now we turn our attention from one of the oldest courses in Florida to one of the newest, Aceable defensive driving. The company launched in 2006 with a revolutionary drivers ed phone app and they have been innovating and disrupting ever since. The company, headquartered in Austin, then developed a traffic school course on this same platform, making it hands down the best traffic school course to take on a mobile device. The course was developed by a team of driving experts and online learning specialists from Harvard so you can be sure the information contained in the course is not only accurate and powerful but is presented in a way to ensure maximum retention. For traffic school on the go, Aceable is certainly the way to go.
- What students are saying—
- Eliseo says “Absolutely amazing highly recommended”
- Logan says “Amazing. Taught me a lot!”
- Emmett says “The way Aceable is set up great for people who are working jobs and going to school”
- Advantages of Aceable
- One of a kind phone app
- Customer service available through email, live chat, or social media
- Money-back guarantee
DefensiveDriving.com
This traffic school might be considered “the Grandaddy of them all.” After all, they have been at it long enough to nab the domain DefensiveDriving.com! You can’t argue with history. Opened in February of 2000, it’s been one of the top names in online education for over 20 years. Another fact that DefensiveDriving.com is proud of is their average 4.7 (out of 5) rating from over 100,000 reviews on ShopperApproved.com The numbers don’t lie. You’re in good hands with this online course.
- What students are saying—
- Vanessa says “Very easy site to navigate through…I feel the course has raised my driver awareness and it would be a benefit for all drivers!”
- David says “Great and convenient!”
- Jennifer says “I had a great experience with the site.”
- Advantages of DefensiveDriving.com
- Live chat and phone assistance available
- Animations and videos to help make time go by faster
- Same day certificate processing
Drive Safe
Drive Safe is a division of the National Safety Council, producers of the first driver safety course ever. Originally debuted in 1964, they have been leaders in driver safety training ever since. They branched into the online market in the late ’90s, under the name Drive Safe. Between classroom and online courses, the NSC has trained nearly 75 million drivers over the years.
- What students are saying—
- Judy says “This course was informative.”
- Michael says “The course was easy to follow.”
- Sudeep says “This is a very helpful course…”
- Advantages of Drive Safe
- Industry leader
- Backed by the National Safety Council
- Newly updated, 10th edition course
Traffic School by My Improv
My Improv started in the driving business over 30 years ago and was founded in partnership with the World-Famous Improv Comedy Club. Their course was written by professional Hollywood writers and the curriculum, while addressing a serious subject, does so in a humorous and light-hearted way. As an added bonus, they will throw in four tickets to your nearest Improv comedy Club if you choose their course.
- What students are saying—
- Guillermo G. says “I really recommend this online driving school…”
- Saurabh G. says “The entire process is simple, with a nice interface!”
- Casey W. says “As blissful as traffic school can get.”
- Advantages of MyImprov
- Humorous
- Flexible
- Short (as little as two-question) unit quizzes
If None of These “Float Your Boat”
Florida has more (a LOT more) online defensive driving/traffic school choices. Here’s a list of all the ones we know of.
More FLHSMV Approved Online Traffic School Providers
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 | Gold Traffic School (Miami-Dade County Citations Only) | ||
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 | Too Cool Traffic School (Hillsborough County Only) | ||
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John Fabel
I have a long and checkered history with defensive driving. I took my first "court invited" course at age 15 and realized immediately that there had to be a better way. Since that first experience, I have gone on to teach defensive driving classroom courses and to author four internet courses in 2 states. After nearly 25 years in the industry, I can help you find a course that will be the best fit for you.Recommended Reading
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