Which Florida Driving Course Do I Need? Driver Safety Class Guide

Match the Situation to the Course, Not the Course Name

Florida does not have one generic driver safety class. It has separate courses with separate approvals, separate hour requirements, and separate ways of reporting completion. The situation you are in decides the course, and picking by name is how people end up buying a defensive driving program that a clerk will not accept.

Find your row below, then read the section that explains it.

First Permit: Under 18 and 18 and Over Take Different Courses

If you are under 18 and have never held a license in any state or country, the course you need is DETS, a 6-hour program that became mandatory on August 1, 2025. The older 4-hour TLSAE course is no longer accepted for new minor applicants, except for teens who completed TLSAE before that date, who can still use the certificate for one year from completion.

If you are 18 or older and getting your first Florida license, the requirement is still the 4-hour TLSAE drug and alcohol course. The two courses look interchangeable and are not.

One exception: some school district driver education courses, including the state's Traffic Safety Classroom courses and programs offered under the Driver Education Licensing Assistance Program, can substitute for DETS. If your high school offers driver ed, ask the district before you pay for anything online.

A Civil Ticket: BDI, the Fine Reduction, and the Limits

For a non-criminal moving violation, the course is Basic Driver Improvement, commonly called traffic school. Electing it and completing it means adjudication is withheld, so no points land on your record. Florida also reduces the civil penalty by 18 percent when you elect traffic school, under Florida Statute 318.14(9).

The limits are real and they are enforced. You can elect BDI once in any 12-month period and no more than 8 times in a lifetime, and commercial driver license holders are not eligible. You must elect the option with the clerk of court in the county where you were cited, usually within 30 days of the citation date. Completing a BDI course without electing it first does not dismiss anything.

Court Orders, DUI, and Suspensions Use Three Different Courses

A judge who orders a course is not ordering BDI. Some circuits, including Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Orange, and Seminole, use an 8-hour court-ordered program for drivers with repeat violations in a short window, and the order usually names the course and the deadline. Follow the order literally and file the certificate with that court.

A DUI case runs through DUI school, Level I or Level II depending on the charge and history. That is a licensed treatment and education program with its own providers, not a traffic school, and it is separate from anything you would take for a ticket.

A suspension built on points runs through ADI, a 12-hour course used for reinstatement. ADI does not remove points and does not dismiss a ticket, so taking it to fix a citation is a wasted purchase.

What "Online" Does and Does Not Change

Any of these courses can be sold as a driver safety class online or a defensive driving program. Those are marketing labels, not Florida course names. What matters is whether the course is approved for your purpose: a state-approved BDI course satisfies a ticket election, and a generic certificate does not.

FAQ

Which Florida driving course do I need for a traffic ticket?

Basic Driver Improvement, a 4-hour course. Elect it with the clerk of court in the county where you were cited, complete it by the deadline, and make sure the certificate reaches that clerk. You get no points and an 18% reduction in the civil penalty.

Is a defensive driving program the same as traffic school in Florida?

Not as a legal category. Florida approves Basic Driver Improvement for ticket dismissal. A course marketed as defensive driving only helps you if it is approved as BDI and you elect it correctly with the clerk.

Do I need TLSAE or DETS for my learner's permit?

If you are under 18 and never held a license, you need the 6-hour DETS course. If you are 18 or older getting a first Florida license, you need the 4-hour TLSAE course. TLSAE completed before August 1, 2025 can still be used by minors for one year from completion.

Can I take the same course for a court order and for points?

Usually not. A court-ordered course and ADI are separate from BDI and are not accepted for ticket dismissal. Read the order or the suspension letter and take exactly the course it names.

Pick the Course, Then Start It Today

The wrong course costs you the price of the course plus the deadline you missed. The right one is usually a 4-hour online program you can finish in an afternoon. LowestPriceTrafficSchool.com offers the state-approved BDI course for tickets from $4.94 plus any applicable fees, and the DETS and TLSAE courses for first-time drivers at $29.95 each. If you are still unsure, read the document in your hand: a citation, a court order, or a suspension letter names the course you need.