College Offers Safe Driving Classes

According to the National Safety Council, the average death rates in car accidents are 25-times higher than bus, railroad or airline travel. Most of these accidents are triggered by at least one driver violating a traffic law. Negligent drivers tend to ignore traffic lights, tailgate, squeeze in between vehicles and break speed limits. They use their cell phones while behind the wheel thus resulting to 1.6 million crashes annually, as per the National Safety Council. When negligent drivers are in a collision, there tends to be serious injuries or worse, fatalities.

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SCC introduces safe driving classes
These problem drivers are the targets of the eight-hour attitude adjustment course that North Carolina based Surry Community College will be offering starting in August. The National Safety Council Attitudinal Dynamics of Driving Course (DDC-ADD) is designed to help students realize the connection of their attitude and the behavior they’re manifesting while driving. They also learn that the decisions they make come with legal, financial and personal consequences. This teaches them to own up to their actions.

Related: The Dangers of Swerving To Avoid Potential Car Accidents

What’s the goal of this program?
Safety and Health Council of North Carolina President Chip McDonald says that their goal is to lessen the number of repeat traffic offenders as they directly impact public safety. This organization sponsors the courses state wide. The local district attorney’s office has reviewed DDC-ADD and completion of which may be taken into account when sentencing traffic violators. Surry Community College is already offering the four-hour Defensive Driving courses for teenagers and adults. They are now among the 17 other community colleges across North Carolina that offer courses to drivers charged with more serious violations than accepted for the four-hour course and repeat traffic offenders.

Meanwhile, in Kentucky
The National Safety Council in cooperation with SafetyServe.com spearheaded a comprehensive online driving course available in English and Spanish. The class is approved in several states for point reduction, ticket dismissal and insurance premium savings. Kentucky has not yet officially approved the course. However, the National Safety Council Defensive Driving Course may satisfy as condition of employment or court requirement and be used to qualify for insurance premium reductions. Before that, you will need to coordinate with your employer, court or insurance provider. The interactive course offers an adaptive curriculum, as well as state-of-the-art animations. Students are also allowed to log-in and out as many times they want using the bookmark feature. They can complete the course at their own pace.