Driver Improvement Clinics Are They Useful Or Useless?

By Ben Glass, Esquire

Benjamin W. Glass and Associates

. https://www.benglasslaw.com/

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Driver Improvement Clinics Are They Useful Or Useless?

If you've ever been the unfortunate recipient of a speeding ticket, then you may be familiar with what Virginia likes to call “driver improvement clinics.” So, what's the point of a driver improvement clinic? Obviously, the intent of going to a driving clinic is to improve your driving skills to make you a safer driver. But why? Does it really matter? Is anything really being gained by sitting through an eight-hour lecture about driving slower and paying closer attention? The answer is, of course, yes. The reasons are outlined below.

The chief reason that people attend driver improvements clinics is by suggestion of the court. If you are ticketed for speeding in Virginia, you can, in some circumstances, have a ticket dismissed by the Court for taking a driver improvement course prior to your court date. You earn safe driving points every year you don't get a violation or suspension. Conversely, you lose those points every time you are charged with a driving violation. If you lose enough points and amass enough demerits, your license may be suspended by the state. Taking a driver improvement clinic is one way to potentially earn extra safe driving points.

Another major motivation for enrolling in a driver improvement clinic is to reduce your car insurance premiums. While it's not always a guarantee, completion of an accredited driver improvement course can reduce the premiums that you pay to your car insurance company. It's worth checking with your car insurance provider to confirm they will lower your premiums for completion of the driver improvement course. Also, be certain to take a course that is approved and accredited by the DMV.

There is a third, and far-less-cited, reason for taking a driver improvement clinic. You might easily guess what it is. It's safety. Boring, right? Yes, it's quite a boring reason to take a driver improvement clinic, but that's the whole point. Driving should be boring. Driving should always be a mundane activity.

The driver that gets honked at for slowing down to allow for a safe following distance is the same driver that avoids injuring himself/herself or someone else. The trouble is you never get to realize those benefits because the benefit is that nothing happens when you drive safely. So while you rightly consider the economic outcomes of taking a driver improvement clinic, briefly consider the less tangible benefits, as they are arguably the most important ones.