ABC Nissan Collision Center

Do You Know Someone Who Needs Defensive Driving Classes?

Good drivers approach the activity a little like a chess game – keeping their eyes on what’s going on around them and trying to anticipate everyone else’s next move.

If you don’t drive like that on a regular basis, you may want to consider a defensive driving (also called driver improvement) class. These programs are offered all over the country, including here in  Phoenix ,  AZ , so if you or someone you know needs this type of instruction, why not at least check it out? It might save your life or someone else's, so here are some facts about defensive driving classes from all of us at ABC Nissan Collision Center .

Defensive driving classes help students improve their driving skills and reduce risks by anticipating situations and making safe, sensible decisions, based on the current conditions and developing safe driving attitudes and behaviors.

The benefits of taking such a class can vary depending on what state you’re in and your own personal driving record. But, many of them will include reducing points on your driver’s license after a moving violation and keeping your insurance rates down. In some states, taking such a course can reduce your insurance rate up to 10 percent for a several-year period. Driver improvement courses may be court ordered, for driver’s license reinstatement or personal education.

Requirements for defensive driving classes can also vary. For instance, the classes can be between four and eight hours long. In some states, there’s an online or video option, while in some only the classroom option is allowed.

The contents of such classes also depend on the state’s driving laws, but most contain similar information.

Defensive driving courses  tend to include information on traffic crashes – their social, financial and personal impacts; the annual death and injury statistics and the fact that more than a quarter of all fatal crashes are alcohol related, with another 30 percent caused by speeding. The goal of defensive driving is reducing the risk of these accidents by teaching drivers to exercise good judgment and caution and while behind the wheel.

While some factors drivers deal with on the road are beyond his or her control, some are controllable if you know what to look for and what to do. Defensive driving classes often touch on overcoming negative psychological factors like stress, fatigue and road rage and how to replace them with a positive attitude to allow an increase in focus on the driving itself.

Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is another factor entirely under the driver’s control, and a common component of all defensive driving courses is information on the role impaired driving has on our country’s roadways. Instructors usually teach students about the state’s blood alcohol limits, how substances can impact your judgment, motor skills, senses and inhibitions, and what the consequences of a DUI conviction can be.

Instructors typically go over the dynamics of crashes – noting that when the vehicle hits something outside, those inside start hitting things, too like the windshield, steering wheel, seat, roof or other objects. They typically cover safety equipment and their proper use, crash prevention techniques, like scanning the road and adapting to surroundings, the two-second distance following rule, being familiar with your state’s traffic laws.

So, if you want to be a better and safer driver, why not consider taking a defensive driving class sometime soon?

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Sources: Safemotorist.com, Dds.ga.gov, Defensivedriving.com