Driving safety courses—also known as defensive driving or traffic school—are designed to improve a driver’s knowledge, awareness, and attitude toward driving a motor vehicle. Laws vary from state to state but in many states a driver who has been issued a traffic ticket or citation may have the ticket or citation dismissed upon successful completion of a driving safety course—whether online or in person.
In Michigan, driving safety courses, often referred to as basic driver improvement courses (BDIC), can be taken by drivers to improve their driving skills and knowledge. Under Michigan law, eligible drivers who receive a non-criminal traffic ticket for a moving violation may have the opportunity to take a BDIC to prevent points from being added to their driving record. The course must be completed within 60 days of the eligibility notice from the Michigan Department of State. Successful completion of the course will result in the points not being added, although the record of the violation itself will still be visible to insurance companies. It's important to note that not all violations are eligible for this program, and drivers can only use the BDIC program once in their lifetime. Additionally, commercial driver's license (CDL) holders are not eligible for the BDIC program for violations committed in a commercial vehicle.