Most likely, you’ve heard the term defensive driving.
Maybe you’ve seen people take a defensive driving course to get themselves out of trouble. For example, sometimes you can take this class to remove a ticket from your record. Or, perhaps, you’ve seen other people take a proactive step and go through a defensive driving course to experience all the benefits they provide.
While both reasons are on opposite ends of a spectrum, each one allows you to unlock benefits that you normally wouldn’t receive. Even more important is that a defensive driving course equips you to anticipate and handle emergencies that happen on the road.
However, there’s a catch to all of these benefits. If you want to continuously encounter the advantages of a defensive driving course, you may have to take the class multiple times.
Defensive driving courses are not like most classes that you take in school. For example, don’t have to take geometry in high school and again in college (unless it’s a part of your major). But with defensive driving, you may have to take the class one year and then again in a few years.
In New York, for instance, you must take a defensive driving course every 36 months to keep your insurance benefits. Most states have the same requirements.
However, some states, like Texas, are slightly different. While they require you to take a defensive driving course every three years to keep your insurance benefits, you also have to take the class once every year for ticket dismissal.
Every state will have its own rules and requirements to help you maintain the benefits you received from your first defensive driving course. But if you don’t know all of the benefits you can experience from getting a defensive driving certification, you probably won’t care to take the course multiple times or even once.
What is defensive driving?
Getting the motivation to take a class every so often can sound difficult, which is why it’s important to have a thorough understanding of all of the benefits you could receive. So, let’s start with the basics.
What exactly is defensive driving?
Simply put, a defensive driving course provides safe driving tactics that you can use in emergency situations or when you’re feeling fatigued, road rage, or emotional distress. Whether you’re a great driver or not, you can’t control what’s happening around you.
When you’re on the road, you’re going to encounter bad weather, aggressive drivers, mechanical issues, and roadway obstacles, like a tree that’s fallen and blocked off half the street. These hazards are things you want to prepare for because they can jeopardize you and your passengers’ safety.
What are the benefits of defensive driving?
Once you complete a defensive driving course, you can unlock a handful of benefits. Specifically, there are four specific advantages that you may enjoy.
1. Learn how to stay accident-free
Let’s start with the more obvious benefit. It doesn’t matter if you’re driving down the block or taking a road trip across the country. You will experience road hazards along the way.
With a defensive driving course, you can learn how to anticipate and avoid potential threats that could hurt you and your passengers’ safety. A good class will teach you how to handle careless drivers, aggressive drivers, poor visibility, and dangers that can occur because of physical or emotional states.
2. Freshen up on driving laws
Did you know that, on average, there are 6 million car accidents in the U.S. every year? Did you know that 3 million people in the U.S. are injured every year because of accidents and that 2 million drivers experience permanent injuries?
Unless you’re a new driver, you probably haven’t reviewed any regulations or laws that you should follow on the road. Even worse, you probably haven’t looked at the new driving laws you should know if you’ve moved to a new state.
However, if you want to prevent car accidents and keep you and others safe, use a defensive driving course to freshen up on rules and regulations. Reminders are great for even the most seasoned drivers.
3. Experience insurance reductions
If you love a good deal, then you should take a defensive driving course.
Most insurance companies will voluntarily reduce your insurance premium if you complete a defensive driving class. In other states, like Pennsylvania, insurance companies are required to provide discounts to drivers who successfully finish a defensive driving course.
Sometimes, the reduction can be as much as 10%. And this discount can be considerable savings for parents who don’t want to pay exponentially higher rates when they add their teen drivers to their insurance policy.
4. Decrease fines and points
Another great benefit of a defensive driving course is that it can remove points or dismiss tickets on your driving record. As you likely know, when you get too many tickets, you can face fines. And sometimes, you can get your license suspended.
These consequences are bad news if you make a living as a driver, whether it’s for a ridesharing company, mail delivery service, or retailer. However, what’s worse is that you’ll have to allocate money to buses, cabs, and other means of transportation if you can’t drive.
5. Enjoy convenience
This benefit applies to an online experience. When it comes to taking a defensive driving course, you have the option to take it online.
With this path, you can take the class anytime, anywhere. You can use whatever device you have available to you. You can finish the course at your own pace. And you can access your defensive driving certification whenever you want.
How to get a defensive driving certification
Taking a defensive driving course has clear benefits. Even if you must take it multiple times throughout your life, it’s worth it. So, your next step should be simple: take the course.
Barry Risk Management, Inc. offers the opportunity for you to take a defensive driving class and receive your certification. However, the best part is that the class is all online. You don’t have to leave your house.
All you have to do is find a device that works best for you and start taking the course on your own time. And if you have any questions along the way, the representatives at Barry Risk Management, Inc. has you covered.
Start taking a defensive driving course and get your certification by contacting Barry Risk Management, Inc. today!
