Michigan Traffic School: What BDIC Can and Cannot Do

First: why there is no dismissal course

Elsewhere, a judge can often hold a ticket in abeyance while you complete a class. Michigan splits the job differently. The court rules on responsibility and sets the fine; the points are assigned by the Department of State under statute, and courts say plainly that they have no power to lower or erase them.

So BDIC is a narrower tool than dismissal. Your Michigan record still lists the violation, and the court still expects its fine and costs. The difference is that zero points are posted, and the insurer hears nothing about the ticket or its points.

Before the letter: which tickets qualify

The eligible list centers on everyday civil infractions carrying 3 points or fewer. That covers most speeding tickets (up to 15 over on regular roads, up to 25 over on limited access freeways), running a signal or stop sign, failing to yield, tailgating, bad passes, improper turns or lane use, lesser railroad crossing offenses, and a driver under 21 refusing a preliminary breath test.

No criminal offense is ever eligible, and nothing absent from the list is either. Your situation also counts. You are disqualified by having more than 2 points at the time of the ticket, by holding a CDL, by getting the ticket in a commercial vehicle or in another state, or by having a Michigan license that is not valid right now.

• Usually eligible: speeding, stop sign, red light, failure to yield
• Usually eligible: tailgating, bad turns, improper lane use
• Never eligible: criminal charges such as drunk or reckless driving
• Never eligible: CDL holders, commercial vehicle tickets, other states' tickets

A worked example

Say you have a clean record and get caught at 63 in a 55 zone on an ordinary highway. That is 8 over, a 2 point ticket, and it is on the eligible list. You admit responsibility and pay the fine. A few weeks later the letter arrives. If you pass BDIC inside 60 days, the ticket posts with zero points and your insurer never hears of it. But you can never use BDIC again, so some drivers would rather let a small ticket post and keep the course in reserve.

After the letter: the 60 days and the once-only rule

Day one is the date of the state's notice, and the statute gives the Department of State no room to extend, whatever the reason. Inside the window you may enroll more than once, subject to each sponsor's own retake policy. When day 60 passes without a pass, the points go on your record and the insurer is told.

Letting a window lapse, or failing inside it, does not cost you BDIC; another qualifying ticket later produces another letter. Passing does. One pass and you are barred from BDIC permanently.

After the letter: cost, format and proof

BDIC sponsors are private companies on a state-approved list, and Michigan law says none may charge more than $100 per course. You can do the course on a screen or in a room; either way there are 4 hours or more of material before the final exam. Signing up is usually done on the sponsor's site or by phone.

You do not send the court anything. Your sponsor transmits the score to the Department of State, which posts the ticket with no points. The fine is a separate debt to the court; settle it there.

In court: handling the ticket itself

MCL 257.745 lays out your responses: admit, whether at the court, by mail or through someone acting for you; admit but explain, which the court can factor into the fine; or deny. A lot of district courts accept payment through the state's ePay website, but paying there is an admission. According to a court system notice, courts on ePay now let you pay a civil infraction in parts.

Denying normally gets you an informal hearing in front of a magistrate, where no lawyers take part. You can ask for a formal one with a judge instead. Counties each set their own deadlines for hearing requests; Midland County, for example, enters a default judgment when the request is late. Win the hearing and there is nothing for BDIC to fix, because no responsible finding is reported.

Special cases: CDL holders and voluntary classes

BDIC is closed to anyone with a commercial license, even if the ticket came in a family car. Federal rule 49 CFR 383.31 also obliges CDL holders to give the employer written notice within 30 days of any traffic conviction. Their practical choices are to fight the ticket or get a lawyer's view.

Taking a defensive driving or mature driver class on your own may sharpen your skills, or qualify you for a discount if your insurer happens to offer one, but your Michigan record stays the same. And no unlisted sponsor's course, or course finished before the letter arrived, is ever sent to the state.