Not only are gas prices skyrocketing, insurance rates seem to be going up too. As a result, more people are taking a defensive driving class to get an insurance discount. Not only adults, but teens as well. In most states, taking a defensive driving class will award you with a three year discount on your auto insurance. The discount is typically 10%, but could be anywhere between 8% and 15%. Your insurance agent will be able to tell you what your discount would be. Most agencies offer a discount, while some are already at rock-bottom rates and don’t offer a discount. Ten percent for three years is a nice savings, especially if you are a young driver.
There are two options, taking a class online or taking a class in a classroom setting. Taking a class online is fine if you have a busy schedule and find it hard to make time to sit in a classroom. Or, if you are anything like my sister who absolutely hates being around people. She’s a vegetarian who loves animals, so she would never eat an animal. But she hates people and would eat a person if given the chance. You know, that kind of vegetarian. I have been told on many occasions that, as sisters, in comparison, I must be “the nice one.”
I have taken an online course before. As I recall, I chose to take an online class, thinking I could speed through it faster. Of course, the reason I had to take the course in the first place was because I was an impatient speeder. The irony of it all! And the online course would not allow you to speed ahead as you had planned. It runs at it’s own pace and is just as long as a classroom course, only without the breaks. The one I took would randomly ask personal information that only the student would know so someone else couldn’t take the course on your behalf, such as your city of birth, pet’s name and underwear size. Okay, it won’t ask you for your underwear size…duh…everyone already knows that, you floozie! When I chose to take my course online, I thought I would be able to work on other tasks at the same time, like changing diapers, cleaning my house, working at an art project at my kitchen table. But, when there was no activity for a certain period of time, it would ask me those personal questions. At one point, it even asked me “What color dress was the lady wearing that just crossed the street?” I thought “Darn, I hope I didn’t hit her…I was outside mowing the lawn.”
For those who like meeting new people, sharing stories and laughing, a classroom setting seems to go by fast for them. They tell me they get more out of the subjects at hand and learn more when they are engaged and able to ask questions and contribute their own experiences. For some, it doubles as an opportunity to get out and have a nice dinner, while learning something new and getting an insurance discount at the same time. Either way, whether you take a course online or in a classroom setting, you will gain knowledge that will help in your everyday commute. And, if it has been a long time since you were in driver’s education, it is a nice refresher course. You will learn new laws, as well as revised laws. And, at the same time, get a nice savings on your insurance premiums.
Until next week…keep some of your hard-earned money by taking a defensive driving course.
Daun Thompson