A recent improvement realized due to the popularity of the internet is online courses. The most recent of which are state sponsored courses like defensive driving and driver’s education. Instead of going to a brick and mortar classroom with a live instructor to learn the do’s and don’ts of traffic law, students can now take the classes online and receive the same high level of instruction and the proportionate certificate, usually at a reduced rate.
After receiving a traffic citation, most people usually aren’t thinking about being required to take mandatory defensive driving courses unless they know their points are too high on their driver’s license. Nor are they contemplating what material is going to be covered or the fact that they can take the course online now. The fact is most people will never be forced to take a defensive driving course. However, many people may decide to enroll voluntarily, especially if other states take a clue from Texas.
Texas passed legislation which mandates that insurance companies give discounts to drivers who successfully complete defensive driving and other similar courses, whether the courses are taken in a classroom or online. The online classroom appeals to many people for a variety of reasons. Many like the online venue simply due to the level of expediency it offers. Classes can be taken on their schedule and one is never late when you can log on at any time and pick where you last left off. Students have the ability to log on from any computer with an internet connection and participate in an online course. Whether it is from the library or a local shop with a Wi-Fi hotspot, it no longer matters because the world is their classroom.
The ability to determine when one participates in the online training as well as for how long one participates may also be a reason for the popularity of online defensive driving training. For some people with learning disabilities, long sessions of class work can be detrimental to the learning process. The ability to have more control over the learning process has actually aided the level of understanding and retention of some students. When considering the subject matter of defensive driving, a higher level of retention can equate to lives saved.
With the laws in each state changing from year to year or additions to the laws, all the materials that are used in the process of instruction must be updated. Any physical material that contained the older information is discarded and heads straight to the landfill. The new laws must be taken into consideration and the materials produced, all adding to the state budget expense. However, with the online courses this is not the case. The changes, updates, revisions or additions can easily be added to the online course material without any waste or lag time. Students can get the latest information quicker than ever before.
With all the pros for utilizing online defensive driving and little or no cons, one can understand why Texas is pioneering the web concerning state approved online training.