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If you’ve come here to read about defensive driving schools in Florida, chances are one of two things have happened: You’ve recently been convicted of a traffic violation or you’ve decided your insurance premiums are too expensive. Either way, Florida law considers defensive driving school to be one great solution for each of those problems.

Why Would One Take a Defensive Driving Course in Florida?

There are three main reasons why you might want to take a defensive driving course in Florida: the court says you have to, you recently got a traffic ticket, or you want to reduce your car insurance premiums. All three of these needs or wants can be resolved by successfully completing a basic defensive driving course in the state.

Court Ordered

In some cases, courts will require that the defendant (that’s you) attend traffic school as part of the verdict. This only applies if you are convicted (found guilty) of certain violations. For example, it’s not uncommon for some local courts to require you to complete a defensive driving course as part of reinstating your driver license after being convicted of a DUI.

For a Citation

Probably the most common reason why drivers in Florida choose to take defensive driving courses is because of state law that enables them to use certificates of completion to get out of traffic tickets.

If you are charged with an eligible violation, you can petition the court to allow you to take a Basic Defensive Driving (a.k.a. BDI) course instead of paying the fine. Then, after completing your four-hour BDI course and obtaining a certificate of completion, you may be able to have your ticket dismissed entirely.

To Reduce Insurance Rates

Another great reason to take a defensive driving course in Florida is to reduce your insurance premiums. State law requires that anybody who successfully completes a state-approved defensive driving course be considered for an insurance rate reduction of up to 10%.

The actual amount that you will receive depends on your insurance provider and what kind of course you took. That being said, it is important to make sure that you select a course that has been approved by the state government under its defensive driving programs.

How Much Does Defensive Driving School Cost in Florida?

Unlike a few other states, Florida’s state government has not set state-wide limitations on the pricing of defensive driving courses. That means you have options! You can choose more expensive courses with better classrooms and more experienced teachers or you can choose more affordable options with less spectacular amenities. 

Either way, so long as the course is approved by the state, you will be able to reap all the benefits of successfully completing it.

The cost of defensive driving schools in Florida can vary from as low as $6 to as high as $40. Granted, most courses will be in the $20 range. 

How Long Are Defensive Driving Schools in Florida?

There are different kinds of defensive driving schools in Florida. However, when most people say the phrase “defensive driving school,” they tend to be referring to the four-hour BDI course that we talked about earlier in this article. That course, of course, is only four hours long.

How Often May I Take a Driver Improvement Course in Florida?

Florida has two limits on how often you can take a driver improvement course in the state. The first limit is based on the time since you last completed a similar course. You can only attend a defensive driving course once in a 12-month period. That means, in order to take your second course, you will have to wait a full year after completing your first course.

The second limit is based on the number of times that you’ve taken defensive driving courses in your lifetime. You are only allowed to take defensive driving courses five times in your life, no matter how far apart you took them. 

Best Defensive Driving Schools in Florida

When you Google “defensive driving schools in Florida,” there are almost 5,000,000 results. Who has the time to research even one percent (50,000) of those results? Trick question! We do and we already have. The table below contains the information of what we here at WinIt believe to be the best defensive driving schools in the state of Florida:

Each of these schools offers courses that have been approved by the state government for use in every local court in Florida. Provided that you take a defensive driving school program in the county in which you were court-ordered to take it or where you received your traffic ticket, you should be good to go.