Defensive Driving vs. Basic Driver Improvement

It can be confusing, so let's look at the differences between defensive driving and Basic Driver Improvement Courses.

How were you informed?

If you've been told by the court in person you need to complete a defensive driving course, you're in the right place. However, if you received a letter from the court stating your eligibility to take a Basic Driver Improvement Course (BDIC), we've got you covered. Simply visit MichiganDriverImprovment.com if you need a BDIC instead of a defensive driving course.

Here are the key differences between the two courses:

Online Defensive Driving Course

If the court has ordered you to complete a Defensive Driving course (also referred to as Defensive Driving traffic school), our court-approved course lets you satisfy all court requirements online. In some cases, we even notify the court of your course completion for you — see our list of Michigan courts we report to here.

• Court-ordered and mandatory
• Six-hour course (state-minimum length)
• Can be taken multiple times

Basic Driver Improvement Course (BDIC)

If you're eligible for a Basic Driver Improvement Course, you'll receive a letter from the court informing you which will include a course completion deadline — view a sample letter here. Our Online Basic Driver Improvement Course, available here, is the easiest way to meet BDIC requirements and prevent points from being added to your driving record.

• Optional and voluntary
• Letter of eligibility sent by the court
• Four-hour course (state-minimum length)
• Must have two or less points on driving record
• Can only be taken once — no previous BDIC course completion