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Find Crash Prevention Techniques With A Driver Safety Course


The statistics are very disturbing. Estimates are that your chances of being involved in a car crash are one in four. That means one out of every four people will be involved in a car crash at least once in their lifetime. Many of us, unfortunately, will be involved in more than one crash. Your chances of being killed in a car crash are one in one hundred. Fortunately you can take steps to reduce those odds.

One important thing to remember is that there is rarely any such thing as a traffic "accident". Accidents are something over which we have no control. Being struck by lightning or losing your home in a flash flood are accidents. When you put a human behind the wheel of a car, you don't have accidents. What you have are poor driving decisions that lead to a collision. Taking risky chances, speeding, running a red light, or just allowing yourself to be distracted from the important task of paying full attention to the road ahead are not accidents; they are conscious decisions made by drivers every day and, on average, approximately 40,000 vehicle occupants are killed and 3,000,000 are injured each year as a result. Another problem lies in the fact that as technology improves to make cars safer and roads are improved, it seems that drivers feel it is safer to drive even faster and to take more chances.

We face a lot of frustrations as drivers. Traffic grows heavier and heavier and time seems to grow shorter. As a result, over time, we tend to develop bad driving habits and take more chances. You may not even be fully aware of the bad habits that you have developed but those bad habits could be leading to a collision. Ask yourself these questions:

  • When the light turns yellow do I stomp on the gas to try to beat the red light?

  • Do I tailgate?

  • Do I regularly drive over the speed limit?

  • Do I carry on cell phone conversations while driving?

  • Do I text while driving?

  • Do I weave in and out of lanes to try to get ahead?

  • Am I well rested before I start to drive?

  • Do I get angry at the traffic situation or at other drivers?


If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be headed for a collision; you may even be an aggressive driver. It may be time for you to look at methods to evaluate your driving behavior and to get the tools you need to learn how to avoid a crash and save money.

Defensive Driving Course

The best method to learn these crash avoidance methods is to enroll in a defensive driving course. These schools look at a variety of issues surrounding the modern driving environment. Just as in any other processes that we do, whether it be work related or something as simple as cooking a meal, we can all benefit from refresher training from time to time. This course can be taken on-line, at work or at home, and at your leisure in a way that fits your busy schedule. A defensive driving school, among other things, will provide you with information on:

  • Crash statistics and the physics of motor vehicle crashes

  • Crash prevention techniques

  • Occupant protection devices (such as seat belts and airbags)

  • Driving under the influence of alcohol

  • How to share the road with large trucks, motorcyclists and pedestrians

  • Dealing with stress and drowsiness while driving

  • Hazards of speeding

  • Traffic laws


Benefits of the course

  • Individuals, who haven't received a traffic ticket and take the course voluntarily, may be eligible for an insurance discount that can save a significant amount of money over time.

  • Businesses, whose employees drive as a part of their work, can also benefit with lower insurance rates and a safer work environment if they provide the course to their workforce.

  • Individuals who take the course and use the tools provided can significantly reduce their chances of getting a traffic ticket or being involved in a crash.

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Dismiss Your Speeding Ticket in Texas


While getting a speeding ticket in Texas is never a happy occasion, drivers can mitigate the effects of the speeding ticket by taking a defensive driving course. In addition to not having points added to the violator's driving record and avoiding an auto insurance increase, drivers can use the course to refresh their driving skills and evaluate their current driving behavior. Here are the steps to follow to have your Texas speeding ticket dismissed and reap all the benefits of a defensive driving course:


Step One: Check your speeding ticket for your court date. You must ask the court for permission to take a defensive driving course for ticket dismissal, in person or via US mail, but the appearance date indicated on your ticket. You must submit a completed copy of the Affidavit form with your signature notarized, proof of valid non-commercial Texas driver's license, the court administrative fee, and a copy of your insurance policy when requesting permission to take the defensive driving course for speeding ticket dismissal.

Step Two: Once the court grants permission for you to take the course, you'll have 90 days to complete the course and submit your certificate of completion to the court. Conveniently, the Texas ticket dismissal course is offered online. So your next step is to register for and take the Texas defensive driving course. If you take the course online, you don't have to take it all at once; you can log in and out of the course as many times as necessary. Your place in the course will be saved so the next time you log in, you can just pick up where you left off in the previous session.

Step Three: After you complete the speeding ticket course, the school will issue a certificate of completion. The certificate will be sent to you for you to submit to the court; by Texas law, the school can't do that for you. You may need to send a copy of your driving record to the court with your certificate; check with the county that has jurisdiction over the speeding ticket to be sure. If a copy of your driving record is required and you don't send it, the speeding ticket dismissal process could be delayed. Be sure to submit the certificate by the deadline imposed by the court.


Tips for a Clean Driving Record in Texas



In the state of Texas, you may to take a defensive driving course once every 12 months to dismiss a traffic ticket. The points you receive for a speeding ticket will remain on your Texas driving record for a period of three years; however, you can avoid having the points assessed if you take a defensive driving course. Even if you haven't received a ticket, you can take a defensive driving course to have points removed from your Texas driver's license and to receive insurance discounts.


Are you eligible for a Defensive Driving Course?



Be sure to meet all deadlines imposed by the court; failure to do so could affect the status of your driver's license.

If you have a Commercial Driver's License (CDL), you may not take a defensive driving course for ticket dismissal.

You are not eligible for the traffic ticket dismissal course if your citation was for driving 25 mph or more above the posted speed limit.

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Learn Driver Safety Techniques with an Online Defensive Driving Course

In Texas, drivers who receive a traffic ticket may be able to have the ticket dismissed and keep their auto insurance rates from increasing when they take an online defensive driving course. Texas drivers who haven't received a ticket may qualify for an insurance discount. As an added benefit, all drivers who take a defensive driving course will learn a variety of driver safety techniques.

An online defensive driving course is helpful to drivers at all levels of experience; young drivers benefit from receiving training that reinforces the lessons they received before becoming licensed, and drivers with years of experience benefit from receiving a refresher on driver safety techniques.

Young drivers learn a considerable amount of theory in driver education courses, and are often too excited and overwhelmed to put this theory into practice when they begin behind-the-wheel training. A traffic ticket is an early warning sign that the young driver has not assimilated theoretical safe driving concepts into their driving practice, is succumbing to peer or internal pressure and using risky driving behaviors, has not received enough behind-the-wheel training, or all of the above. More driver education could help a young driver avoid a motor vehicle crash and its possible tragic consequences.

Drivers who have years of experience behind the wheel have often become complacent in their driving habits. The driving environment may have undergone changes (such as increased traffic congestion) since they learned to drive, but few drivers stop to consider whether changes in their driving behavior are needed. Drivers who are parents can learn better driving habits so they can serve as better driving examples for their children. Some techniques, such as following distance, have been updated since more mature drivers on the road received driver training; defensive driving courses also include updates on legislative changes that affect drivers. Also, mature drivers have to contend with new distractions, such as cellular phones and in-vehicle navigation systems, whether they are being used by themselves or other drivers.

Some drivers are hesitant to take a course online, especially if they have limited computer experience. But these courses are easy for anyone to use and can be taken in the safety and comfort of the driver's home. Online courses offer convenience, ease of use, and flexibility, along with an opportunity to improve driving skills, which helps keep all road users safer.

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