Signing up for an online traffic school in Miami, Florida isn’t something most people do by choice. Chances are, you have been ordered by a traffic court to complete one of the following traffic school programs:
- Florida 4 Hour Basic Driver Improvement (BDI) Course
- Florida 8 Hour Defensive Driving Course (DDC)
- Florida 12 Hour Advanced Driver Improvement (ADI) Course
Knowing that you are not attending one of those courses by choice, I decided to create a small list of the 3 best online traffic schools in Florida. What do I mean by “best”? Well, first of all, all of the courses I’ve recommended are approved by the state of Florida in every court jurisdiction, so if you’ve been told you need to take a traffic school course, any of the below courses will work. I also focused on the fastest, easiest, and cheapest courses. In case you were wondering, yes. I have been through all of the below courses personally. Isn’t my life exciting!?
Actually, I’m a certified driving instructor and my passion is driving safety, teaching others how to drive defensively, and making our roadways safer. I’ve even been involved with the development of various online driver training programs. While the courses I was involved with were centered around truck driver training, I have gained a huge understanding of how these online traffic schools work, the companies behind them, and what sets them apart. So without further delay, here are the 3 best Miami Florida online traffic schools.
iDriveSafely
iDriveSafely is almost always the course I recommend first, because they are simply the best. This is the fastest course allowed by Florida state law, the price is fair, they provide 24/7/365 customer support, and they have an awesome reputation in places like Yelp and other review sites including an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. You also have the ability to complete the course at your own pace. They basically keep track of you spot, so if you want to finish it all in one sitting that is fine, but if you want to spread it out over time, that’s also fine. In addition, they offer the course in multiple formats. You can get a text-only version, a read-along audio version, or even a full blown video based course if you want to spend a couple extra bucks. I personally think the video based course is worth the extra few bucks, but the plain ol’ text based course will get the job done in the same amount of time. If I were to sign up for a Miami online traffic school, this would be it.
Improv Traffic School
One of the things that really sucks about taking an online traffic school in Miami is the “course timer” that is required by law for all Miami, Florida online traffic schools. Let’s say, for example, you have to take the 8 hour defensive driving course. You can’t just blow through the course in 30 minutes, finish all the quizzes and exams, and be done with it. If only traffic school was so painless. Instead, courts in Miami, Florida require that each page be timed. Even if you’re finished on a certain page, you might have to wait for another 10 or 20 minutes before you can proceed. That’s why the Improv Comedy Club chain decided to create their comedy based online traffic school course. This online traffic school was created by stand-up comedians and includes hilarious videos, images, skits, and even some games mixed in. Waiting for the course timer has never been so enjoyable (I say that with some sarcasm). They have also been around for 20+ years with literally millions of people completing their traffic school programs. Like iDriveSafely, they have an A+ Better Business Bureau rating, provide 24/7 customer support, it’s competitively priced, and it’s the fastest course allowed by law. All in all, a great choice if you have a goofy sense of humor.
Go To Traffic School
While I would personally choose one of the top two courses I recommended, I also know that some of you care about nothing but price. You don’t care about stand-up comedians, a pristine Better Business Bureau rating, or U.S. based customer service. All you really care about is getting this crap done as fast as possible and for the lowest price. You need to be careful about shopping strictly on price, because some of the lower priced online traffic schools in Florida are REALLY bad. However, in spite of Go To Traffic School having a ‘B’ rating with the Better Business Bureau, off-shore customer service, and a few other minor disadvantages, it’s actually a pretty solid course. Better yet? They GUARANTEE that they will be the cheapest online traffic school in Miami. If you find one cheaper, let them know and they will match the price. So for you bargain shoppers, this is probably the best bet.
Is Taking A Miami Online Traffic School Better Than A Classroom Based Course?
YES! Don’t even think about taking your Miami traffic school in a classroom. Usually, these classes are held either on one very long day, or two shorter days. They typically are about the same price as an online traffic school and really don’t offer any advantages. Some people might like to sit in a stuffy classroom with a bunch of traffic violators while getting lectured at by some driving instructor, but for the rest of us, taking the course online is a far better way to go. Grab your computer (or phone or tablet), sign up for one of the above recommended online traffic schools (any of them will work), put on a movie and just get it done. Heck, even clothing is optional!
In all seriousness, in my opinion, there is absolutely no advantage to taking your Miami traffic school in a classroom. Do yourself a favor and take it online.
Am I Eligible for Miami Online Traffic School?
Speeding citations are considered civil infractions. These civil infractions are not punishable by a jail sentence, and in fact in most cases can be disposed of by a fine payment, or even by taking a traffic school course.
Unless yours is a serious violation, a court appearance is not necessary. If your citation involved speeds in excess of 30mph of the limit or included an accident where serious injury occurred, you will not be eligible. You will also not be eligible if you left a child under six years old in a vehicle by themselves.
This program is only available for a total of five times in your driving career. If you have previously taken a Driver Improvement Course, at least a year must pass before you can take another Miami driving school course.
Here’s how it works:
- You must provide the Clerk with your payment in full. This must occur before the end of 30 days after getting your ticket. Major credit cards are accepted, or checks should be made out to the Miami-Dade County Clerk of Court. Payment can also be done by phone or on the internet.
- You will then get 120 more days to successfully complete your Miami traffic school course.
- If this is the option you select, you must pay and complete Florida traffic school within 120 days or you will end up getting your license suspended, face more fines, and get points added to your driving record.
If you are still unsure of your eligibility, check the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles traffic school eligibility tool.
What Is The Miami Online Traffic School Course Like?
I mentioned some of the differences in the courses above, but in the end they will all be about the same. You will be required to go through several sections covering things like traffic laws, drinking and driving, distracted driving, the dangers of speeding, etc. After each section, there is a small quiz which you must score an 80% or better on. Those quizzes are super easy and even if you fail, you can take them as many times as you need to until you pass. We even have answers to the iDriveSafely course quizzes and tests here.
Once you complete all of the sections and quizzes, you will need to pass a final exam. You have to be a little more careful with the final exam because you are only given 3 chances to pass with an 80% or higher. Fortunately, even the final exam is easy and you shouldn’t have any problems passing them. These online traffic schools WANT you to pass, so they make it as easy as they legally can.
I hope you found my top 3 Miami online traffic school reviews to be helpful! Please feel free to share your experience in the comment section below.
Drive safely!