What Is Michigan’s BDIC Program and How Does It Work?

Michigan’s BDIC program, formally the Basic Driver Improvement Course, is a one-time option that lets eligible drivers keep points off their record and hide a minor traffic ticket from their insurance company. You don’t apply for it. After a qualifying citation is processed, the Michigan Department of State checks your record and mails an eligibility letter giving you 60 days to enroll in and finish an approved course. The ticket, the fine, and the court costs remain yours; what the program blocks is the points and the insurance disclosure.

Will You Get the Offer

Eligibility is decided by the Department of State under MCL 257.320d, and every condition must be met.¹

You hold a valid, non-commercial Michigan operator’s or chauffeur’s license when you enroll.
You do not hold a CDL. Commercial license holders are disqualified even if they were driving a personal vehicle at the time of the stop.
Your driving record has two or fewer points on it when the violation is processed.
Your license is in good standing. Restricted, suspended, or revoked licenses disqualify you, and so does never having been issued a Michigan license.
You received only one moving violation from the traffic stop. Two citations from the same incident ends the option.
You have never completed a BDIC before. It’s a lifetime one-time program with no reset.

If you meet every item, the letter is automatic. If you don’t, no letter arrives and the points proceed as usual.

Which Tickets Qualify

The program covers civil infractions worth one, two, or three points. The Department of State publishes the specific list.² Typical qualifying tickets include speeding 1 to 15 mph over the limit, disobeying a stop sign or signal, following too closely, improper lane use, improper passing, failure to signal, and failure to yield.

Four-point and six-point violations are out because they exceed the three-point ceiling. Any criminal offense is automatically excluded, so charges like operating while intoxicated, reckless driving, and fleeing an officer will never produce a BDIC letter.²

How the 60 Days Work

The clock starts on the date printed on your eligibility letter, and that address comes from whatever the Secretary of State has on file. If the letter goes to an old address and you never see it, the deadline still runs. No extensions are granted.³

Pick a sponsor from the Department of State’s approved online or classroom lists. State law caps the course fee at $100, and many providers charge less.³ You’ll need your license number and the court case number from the citation to register.

Enrollment, completion, and the sponsor’s submission of your certificate to the Secretary of State all have to happen inside the 60-day window.¹ The course ends in a final exam you have to pass. Once the sponsor reports your passing result, the state withholds the points.

What the Course Actually Does

Two things, both narrower than drivers often assume:

The points from the ticket are not added to your Michigan driving record.¹
The violation is not disclosed to your insurance company. Michigan insurers run their own evaluations of driving violations, so keeping the ticket out of their view can prevent a rate increase.⁴

And here’s what it does not do:

It does not erase the ticket. The citation itself still appears on your driving record, and courts can still see it.⁴
It does not waive any fines, court costs, or fees. Those are still owed in full.⁴
It does not shield probationary license holders from a Driver Assessment reexamination or other license sanctions that may still follow.⁴

Missing the Deadline or Failing the Exam

If the certificate isn’t submitted to the Secretary of State within 60 days, the points go on your record and the violation becomes visible to your insurer. The Department of State has no authority to grant extensions.³ Because the BDIC is a one-time opportunity, a missed deadline also means losing the program for any future ticket.

Failing the final exam within the 60-day window produces the same outcome: points on the record.⁴ Some sponsors allow a retake if time remains, so ask about retake policy when you enroll rather than on day 59.

Court-Ordered BDIC Is Not the Same Program

A Michigan court can order any driver to complete a basic driver improvement course as part of sentencing or a plea deal, and the eligibility rules above do not apply in that situation. A driver with a CDL, three or more points, or a prior BDIC completion can still be ordered to take the course.¹

The important difference is the result. A court-ordered course does not keep points off your record. If you were ineligible for the voluntary BDIC, completing a court-ordered version still leaves the points added under MCL 257.320a. The course can satisfy what the judge required, but it does not carry the point-blocking or insurance-shielding benefits of the voluntary program.¹

1
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.320d – Basic Driver Improvement Course
2
Michigan Secretary of State. Tickets (Civil Infractions) Eligible for the Basic Driver Improvement Course
3
Michigan Department of State. Basic Driver Improvement Course (BDIC) Eligibility
4
Michigan Department of State. Basic Driver Improvement Course (BDIC)