This Program is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America. All content is the property of the authors and is not owned or sponsored by any Court, Judge, Department of Motor Vehicles or any other Public Entity.
This course is not intended for individuals required by the court to attend a 12 hour "level 2" course or for persons ordered by the court to attend a Juvenile offender course.
IMPROV Online Traffic School
Introduction
Improv…The Comedy Club Presents…™
The Aware Driver© Course
IMPORTANT: COURSE COMPLETION INSTRUCTIONS
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY
BEFORE BEGINNING THE COURSE.
- The course consists of 10 easy-to-follow modules.
- The course is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- There is no maximum time limit however we recommend you spend enough time on each chapter as all course material is covered in the final quiz. You may print out chapter material to review prior to taking a chapter quiz or for the final quiz.
- You can log on and off as many times as you wish. You will be given full credit for any time spent on the course… But our recommendation is to complete at least a full chapter per session.
- When you're ready, simply log back into the course, go to the chapter where you left off. You will be given credit for time spent on that chapter prior to logging off.
- You must complete your course at least 3-5 days prior to your due date to allow time to receive your certificate.
- Each chapter is followed by a course content specific question. You must answer this question correctly before you can proceed to the quiz. Once you have correctly answered the content question you will be presented with a 10 question quiz. The Court requires that you answer 8 of 10 (80%) correctly before you can proceed to the next chapter.
- You can also print a chapter's content and use it for quiz and final exam review. All quiz questions are covered in the chapter material.
- The final quiz portion of the course consists of 25 multiple choice or true and false questions. The Court requires that you answer 20 questions correctly (80%) to pass the course and receive a certificate of completion.
Remember, it's your responsibility to report to the Court.
Your Court requires an original, signed certificate and will not accept an email copy.
Please allow sufficient time to receive your certificate in the mail, at least 3-5 business days if you selected a regular mail option. If you are up against a deadline, you can select an expedited option for an additional fee or request a time extension from the court.
Chapter 1: Appropriate Attitude
(or lack thereof…)
Ok, here it is: the first traffic trivia question.
Traffic Trivia:
How many registered vehicles are there in the United States today?
Answer: Over 200 million vehicles!
(from NHTSA FARS data, 2006)
Those vehicles travel over 3 trillion miles annually.
How many of those vehicles are operated by safe, nice, law-abiding drivers? The answer is "not enough." Many of us are really great drivers. We watch out for other drivers and we make sure we don't do anything unsafe or selfish on the road. There are a lot of irresponsible drivers out there. You see them all the time: they run red lights, they speed, they drive fast in the slow lane, and they make a lot of illegal turns. They think that just because there's no police officer around, it's okay to do whatever makes the trip faster. Don't these people make you mad? Or are you one of these people?
As you go through this course, keep in mind that
- There are more than six million traffic crashes each year
- Over 42,000 people die in those crashes.
- In addition to the cost in human lives, the economic cost exceeds $230 billion annually!
National Statistics:
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration lists the following statistics —
| Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes | |
|---|---|
| FATAL | 43,000 |
| INJURY | 2,699,000 |
| PROPERTY DAMAGE ONLY | 4,304,000 |
| TOTAL CRASHES | 6,159,000 |
ECONOMIC COSTS — U.S. ECONOMIC COSTS — CA |
$230.6 Billion $20.655 Billion |
| Costs per crash to state and local governments: | |
|---|---|
| Approximate Cost per Minor Crash | $22,000 |
| Approximate Cost per Fatal Crash | $500,000 |
This includes emergency services and court costs, but not the cost of lost time from work, higher insurance rates and other costs that incur from a crash. The reason for traffic rules and regulations is to keep all those millions of vehicles from crashing into each other. It's as simple as that!
There is an old assumption in show biz: "If you can put on a performance and reach or move even one person, then you've done your job as a performer and the world is just a little bit better." Now let's think about driving. How much better would our world be if everyone drove just a little bit more safely? So, let's start with you.
After each chapter of the course, stop and think to yourself, is there room for me to make a minor change in my daily routine? There usually is! And it all starts with a positive attitude and willingness to admit to yourself that you need to make that small change!
So if you're ready, let's goooooooooooooo…
Types of Bad Drivers
There are two types of bad drivers: the "aggressive" and the "unaware".
The American Institute for Public Safety defines the aggressive driver as a person who drives with a lack of courtesy, and creates dangerous situations on the road. In other words, selfish people with a real bad attitude.
Research shows 1 in 10 licensed U.S. drivers don't know the basic rules.
The GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test showed that too many licensed drivers do not know the rules of the road. Results for the 2008 test, released in May 2008, found that 16.4 % of drivers on the road — amounting to roughly 33 million licensed Americans — would not pass a written drivers test exam if taken today.
More than 5,000 licensed drivers between the ages of 16 and 65 were administered a 20-question written test designed to measure basic knowledge about traffic laws and safety. They were also surveyed on their general driving habits.
Kansas drivers ranked first in the nation, with an average test score of 84.0%; New Jersey drivers ranked last, with an average score of 69.9%. Drivers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States did worst, with twenty percent of test-takers having failed. California drivers ranked 33rd, with an average score of 77.3. The national average score was 78.1%.
Test results showed:
- 84% could not identify the correct action to take when approaching a steady yellow traffic light, and 73% could not properly identify a typical safe following distance from the car in front of them
- Nearly half (47%) don't know how many feet to signal before making right or left turns
- 43% are unaware of the meaning of a diamond-shaped sign (warning sign)
- Fortunately, nearly all respondents (98 percent) know what to do when an emergency vehicle with flashing lights approaches, what to do when hydroplaning and the meaning of a solid yellow line.
Hopefully you knew the correct answer. If you didn't before this course, you will by the time you are done.
You can take the test yourself — just visit www.gmacinsurance.com/SafeDriving/
Drivers not only lack basic road knowledge, but exhibit dangerous driving behavior as well.
Let's review some basic stuff, like signaling. Why is it that so many drivers don't give us that simple courtesy? They would probably fall into two categories, "Unaware" or "Aggressive." The unaware driver may not realize that you're next to them or right behind them. The aggressive driver knows you're there, but they don't care. It's too much effort for them to use their turn signal. Both types of drivers are equally dangerous.
Have you ever been behind someone on a single lane road who's going really slow? There's a line of traffic behind them and the person continues without pulling over. Why? An unaware driver doesn't realize all those people are behind them. An aggressive driver says, "I know those people are behind me, but I don't care. I have to get where I'm going, and I'm more important."
Some people are both unaware and aggressive drivers. Just look at the test scores for Rhode Island.
Simple Facts:
Drivers who don't follow the rules are involved in more collisions.
ONE IN EVERY 3 COLLISIONS RESULTS IN AN INJURY.
If you're an unaware or aggressive driver, your car is like a loaded weapon. Without the proper training and attitude, it can be a dangerous and potentially lethal tool.
It's a right to own a vehicle,
but it's a privilege to be allowed to drive it.
Contrary to popular belief, we don't have a constitutional right to drive… It's a privilege that is given by the State and this privilege can be taken away!
A quick story.
Back in Louisiana, Steve started driving at a very early age in the sugar cane field in his backyard. Steve loved to drive his mother's car through the fields. He had a cousin named Johnny. who he looked up to. Johnny was the man. Johnny had this souped-up Camaro with a V-8 engine. It was like the car on the Dukes of Hazard television show. Johnny was a real aggressive driver and didn't care about other people when he was driving. He would drive really fast.
One day Johnny let Steve drive his Camaro. Steve were driving really fast down a country road, going about 60 M.P.H. All of a sudden, he came to a curve where a car was coming in the opposite direction. He turned the wheel sharply and swerved off the road right into a ditch. He missed crashing into the other car by inches. Steve got out of the car and went over to check on the passengers of the other car to make sure no one was hurt.
Unbeknownst to Steve, his mother was in that car. She was out for a drive with one of her friends. When she got out of the car and saw it was Steve, she gave him his attitude adjustment right there on the side of the road. She started hitting him with her purse. When women from the South hit you with their purse, they do one hit per word. Don't - you - ever - drive - a - car - like - that - again! People passing by were saying, "You get him, girl! You get him, girl!" She said, "I got him!"
It was a long time before Steve drove a car again. That incident made him realize that he'd better become a safer driver or he might end up killing somebody. Can you imagine if Steve really hit that car and hurt his mom? Steve's behavior changed that day.
In the meantime, Steve's cousin Johnny just got wilder and wilder. One day while out driving his motorcycle really fast he crashed into a car. He had two broken legs, a broken pelvis and broken arms. And a changed attitude!
Behavior Modification
LET'S FACE IT… we can all use some attitude adjustment. Or, as experts say, Behavior Modification.
People do many different things while driving. They read a map, write, talk on the cell phone, put on their makeup, insert their contact lens, eat, drink, men shave, women shave. Some even have sex. One of our students got a ticket for reading the newspaper on the highway. How would you like to be driving next to that guy while he's reading the sports section?
When driving, you must focus 100% of your attention on the road and driving your vehicle. In a split second, conditions on the road can change and you must be prepared to react to those changes.
Having the appropriate attitude when driving will enable you to focus more clearly, be more aware of your surroundings and ensure that you arrive at your destination safely.
Don't let your emotions interfere with safe driving. Use all the good judgment, common sense, courtesy and safe driving procedures that you can.
The first step to becoming an aware driver is to identify your weaknesses, strengths and emotional state while driving. Be honest and truthful when evaluating your driving abilities and attitude. It just might save your life!
Let's Review
- Driving a motor vehicle is a privilege.
- A car is as dangerous as loaded weapon.
- There are over 200,000,000 registered vehicles in U.S.
- More than 6 million crashes occur every year.
- The economic cost of crashes exceeds $230 Billion.
- A fatal crash can cost as much as $500,000.
- Each year, over 42,000 people die in car-related crashes.
- One in every three collisions results in injury.
- There are two types of bad drivers—aggressive and unaware.
- The first step to become better is to identify your weaknesses, strengths and emotional state.
NOTE: SAMPLE COURSE PAGES ARE FOR YOUR PREVIEW ONLY AND WILL NOT GIVE YOU TRAFFIC SCHOOL CREDIT. PLEASE REGISTER BY SELECTING A STATE BELOW.
If you are experiencing any difficulties or have any questions, please
contact Customer Service at 1.800.660.8908, or email support@myimprov.com.
All Improv Traffic School courses are DMV and/or court-approved for online Traffic School and Online Defensive Driving. Many commercial fleets use our Defensive Driving courses in California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, New Jersey and New York. Some of our most popular programs include: California Online Traffic School, for the CA Court System; Florida DMV Traffic School - Basic Driver Improvement; Georgia court-approved defensive driving course; Idaho DMV Defensive Driving Course; New Jersey DMV Defensive Driving Program; NYS DMV Defensive Driving Program.