Tag Archive: defensive driving course
State Farm Insurance Teen Driver Programs
March 2, 2011
State Farm has created an Auto Learning Center, which is their driving safety blog. They have several features specifically aimed for teen drivers and parents of teen drivers that reinforce the idea that safe driving begins from home, and that they are more than just an insurance company.
Here are several of their discounts that teen drivers can take advantage of:
Good Student Discount (Up to 25%) – For students who are under the age of 24, high grades are directly proportional to lower insurance rates. This may apply for students under the age of 25 who are taking a four-year course in a college/university.
Defensive Driving Course Discount (Up to 10%) – This is for teens who take a defensive driving course voluntarily. State Farm believes that granting a discount for drivers who are conscious about the way they drive should be rewarded by discounts.
Steer Clear Safe Driver Discount (Up to 15%) – Steer Clear is State Farm’s own version of a driver refresher course. They reward drivers who take up the initiative to apply for their course by a discount of up to 15%.
There are currently three ways to avail of this discount: via an insurance agent, online or via the mobile app. The insurance agent will be able to give teen drivers a Steer Clear kit which includes program materials. The online option allows teen drivers to be able to take up the Steer Clear refresher course in the comfort of their own home. The mobile option is by far the simplest way: simply installing their app (which is available for i-devices or Android devices), they may be able to avail of the Steer Clear Discount.
Driver Education: Why New Drivers Should Take a Defensive Driving Class
May 27, 2009
Though teens receive driver training prior to being licensed and are subject to Graduated Driver Licensing laws to protect them from statistically high-risk driving situations, training shouldn’t end when teens get their licenses. Reasons for this include:
1. Newly licensed teenage drivers are often giddy with newly acquired freedom. They will assimilate more information once they have become accustomed to the increased level of independence they’ve earned.
2. Teens may pick up bad driving habits, such as carelessness and recklessness, from riding with other teens.
3. Teens who received defensive driving lessons prior to gaining driving experience often have difficulty applying those lessons until they are licensed.
4. New drivers often suffer from information overload; spreading driver training lessons out over time means they will retain more in the long run.
5. Though drivers are statistically less likely to be injured or killed in motor vehicle crashes as they leave their teens, the overall risk remains high throughout the teenage years when compared to other age groups.
Taking a defensive driving course six to twelve months after licensure is very helpful for new drivers. Teens can take the course online or in a classroom. Typical topics include:
- Crash statistics and the physics of 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
- The hazards of speeding
- An overview of traffic laws in your state
When teens take a defensive driving class, they have the opportunity to apply concepts that may have seemed abstract prior to licensure. For example, crash prevention techniques are easier to appreciate once the driver has experience in maneuvering a vehicle; unlicensed teens are unlikely to understand how much stress and sleepiness negatively impact their driving abilities. However, as newly licensed drivers, teens haven’t been driving long enough to have ingrained driving habits, so they still have an opportunity to eliminate unsafe practices and become safe drivers.