The Florida Senate

318.1451  Driver improvement schools.--

(1)  The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall approve the courses of all driver improvement schools, as the courses relate to ss. 318.14(9), 322.0261, 322.095, and 322.291. The chief judge of the applicable judicial circuit may establish requirements regarding the location of schools within the judicial circuit. A person may engage in the business of operating a driver improvement school that offers department-approved courses related to ss. 318.14(9), 322.0261, 322.095, and 322.291.

(2)  In determining whether to approve the courses referenced in this section, the department shall consider course content designed to promote safety, driver awareness, accident avoidance techniques, and other factors or criteria to improve driver performance from a safety viewpoint.

(3)  The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall suspend accepting proof of attendance of courses from persons who attend those schools that do not teach an approved course. In those circumstances, a person who has elected to take courses from such a school shall receive a refund from the school, and the person shall have the opportunity to take the course at another school.

(4)  In addition to a regular course fee, an assessment fee in the amount of $2.50 shall be collected by the school from each person who elects to attend a course, as it relates to ss. 318.14(9), 322.0261, 322.291, and 627.06501, which shall be remitted to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and deposited in the Highway Safety Operating Trust Fund to administer this program and to fund the general operations of the department.

(5)  The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is directed to perform studies of the driver improvement courses offered in Florida to determine the effectiveness of such courses on crash and violation rates. The department must report its findings to the Legislature by October 1, 1997. The department is authorized to establish control groups of licensed drivers to test the effectiveness of the courses, and the department shall have the authority to suspend the normal penalties provided by chapters 316, 318, and 322 with respect to those persons participating in the studies.

History.--ss. 2, 6, ch. 91-200; ss. 2, 5, ch. 92-195; s. 61, ch. 93-120; s. 37, ch. 94-306; s. 3, ch. 95-326; s. 2, ch. 97-178.