What is the Michigan Basic Driver Improvement Course (BDIC)?

The Michigan Basic Driver Improvement Course (BDIC) is a 4-hour course on traffic safety and defensive driving topics offered by providers or “sponsors” who have been approved by the Michigan Department of State. The Michigan Department of State allows certain drivers who have received a court order or traffic ticket to take a Basic Driver Improvement Course (BDIC) to avoid points going on their driving record and to keep their ticket information from being sent to insurance providers. This means that if you take a Basic Driver Improvement Course, your insurance company won’t see your ticket and your insurance rates won’t go up because of it.

What happens when I pass the Basic Driver Improvement Course (BDIC)?

If you are taking the course for point avoidance, when you pass the course, we will notify the Michigan Department of State. Then, the Michigan Department of State will not add any points from the ticket to your driving record and will not show the ticket information to insurance companies. The ticket information (but not the points) is still placed on your record, though, and may be used for other purposes. For example, a court can still see the ticket information, and probationary drivers may still be subject to a Driver Assessment re-examination and license sanctions even if the driver successfully completes the course. You are still responsible for any court fees or fines and other expenses related to your ticket.

Can I get my ticket dismissed by taking a Basic Driver Improvement Course?

Technically, completing a Basic Driver Improvement Course "masks" your ticket, rather than dismissing it. When you complete a Basic Driver Improvement Course, you won't have any points added to your driving record and insurance companies won't be able to see your ticket, but your ticket is still on your record and is visible to the courts, law enforcement and government agencies.

Do I still need to pay court fees and the cost of the ticket if I pass a Basic Driver Improvement Course?

Yes, you are still responsible for all court costs, fines and fees related to your ticket. The BDIC only affects whether your ticket information will be available to insurance companies and whether the points will be placed on your driving record.

How do I know the Michigan Department of State will accept my completion of Safe2Drive's Michigan Basic Driver Improvement Course?

How do I know if I'm eligible to take a Basic Driver Improvement Course?

If you’re eligible to take a Basic Driver Improvement Course, you will receive a court order or letter in the mail from the Michigan Department of State telling you that you are eligible. Generally, you are eligible to take a Basic Driver Improvement Course if you received a ticket and the following conditions apply to you:

• You have a valid Michigan, non-commercial license, with two or fewer points on your record.
• The violation was not in a Commercial Motor Vehicle.
• The violation was not a criminal offense.
• The ticket you received is eligible (e.g., must be for three or fewer points, not for careless or negligent driving, etc.). You can view a full list of eligible violations here.

Generally, you are DISQUALIFIED from taking a Basic Driver Improvement Course if any of the following conditions apply to you:

• You are in the 60-day period of BDIC eligibility for a previous ticket.
• You have already avoided points under this program.
• Your license is restricted, suspended, or revoked or you were not issued a Michigan license.
• You have three or more points on your record.
• You held a Commercial Driver's License or were operating a Commercial Vehicle at the time of the ticket.
• The ticket you received is not eligible for the program.
• Out-of-state tickets are not eligible for the BDIC program.

Please Note: You can only take a Michigan Basic Driver Improvement Course once in your lifetime.

How does the Basic Driver Improvement Course work?

Completing a Basic Driver Improvement Course can be done in just 3 easy steps.

1. Register.

Create a username and password, input your contact information, and read some information about the course. That's it! You're ready to get started.

2. Complete the Course.

The Basic Driver Improvement Course consists of short lessons that include videos, games, animations and other interactive multimedia. The course is only 4 hours long--the shortest time allowed by law! You can complete it all at once or over a period of time. We automatically take you to your last spot each time you log in.

There is a multiple-choice quiz after each lesson and a multiple-choice final exam at the end of the course. We allow unlimited retakes of the lesson quizzes and final exam--retake them if you need to until you pass!

3. Completion Processing.

Point Avoidance - When you complete the course, we will process your point avoidance completion to the Michigan Department of State for you. The Michigan Department of State will not add any points from the ticket to your driving record and will not show the ticket information to insurance companies. You do not need to provide any paperwork to your court or to the Michigan Department of State.

Court Order - Upon completion of the course, court-ordered drivers will receive a Certificate of Completion to give to their court. Completions for court-ordered drivers will not be reported to the Michigan Department of State

What happens if I don't complete my Basic Driver Improvement Course (BDIC) by my deadline?

If you don't complete your Basic Driver Improvement Course (BDIC) by the deadline in the letter sent to you by the Michigan Department of State, then the points and your ticket will go on your driving record, and insurance companies will be able to see them. The Michigan Department of State does not give extensions to the 60-day deadline.

How long does it take to complete the Basic Driver Improvement Course?

The Basic Driver Improvement Course takes a minimum of 4 hours to complete, as mandated by the State of Michigan.

What happens if I fail a lesson quiz?

If you fail a lesson quiz, you can retake it until you pass.

What happens if I fail the final exam?

If you fail the final exam, don't worry. You can retake it until you pass.

How will the Michigan Department of State know that I completed the Basic Driver Improvement Course?

When you complete the course, we will process your point avoidance completion to the Michigan Department of State. Points will not go on your driving record and insurance companies won't be able to see your ticket.

We will also give you a Certificate of Completion that you can keep for your records. This is for your records only; you don't need to send it to the Michigan Department of State or to your court.

How can I verify that I got credit for completing the Basic Driver Improvement Course by my deadline and that points did not go on my driving record?

If you would like to verify that the points from your ticket did not go on your driving record, you can submit the form provided by the Michigan Department of State to request this information. Please keep in mind that this process may take up to two weeks.

How much does the course cost?

Our course fee is $17.95. We also charge a $17 processing fee. The processing fee is what the Michigan Department of State charges us to process your completion to them. This is a state-required fee, and we do not pocket any of this fee--it all goes to the MDOS.

What's your course refund policy?

We will issue a full refund to students who request a refund within 30 days of making payment so long as they have not yet completed the course and their due date has not yet passed.