Defense Driving Course: Is It Worth It?
St. Louis, Kansas City, and Jefferson City, Missouri
If you approach driving with a passive attitude, you may be putting yourself and others at risk. Because of this, many states are now offering insurance credits for drivers who take a defensive driving course. Although Missouri is not yet offering an insurance credit, the value of learning to drive defensively may be the same as the value you place on your life.
Car Accidents Are Common
Car accidents can happen virtually anywhere. Even a parked car may be hit by another driver and damaged. But most car accidents happen between two moving vehicles, and these types of accidents are the most likely to cause car accident injuries. If you are able to recognize and avoid out-of-control or dangerous drivers, you may be able to prevent yourself from being injured in an accident.
Defensive driving courses are more than instructions on how to drive more slowly. They often include valuable information like:
- Learning to identify aggressive driving in yourself
- Learning how to deal with aggressive drivers
- Learning safe driving distances
- Accident prevention
- Minimizing injuries
- Proper use of restraints
- Compensating for poor visibility or inclement conditions
- Auto safety regarding non-driving activities (changing tires, traffic lights, charging car batteries)
Understanding how to be a defensive driver can save you money, time, and prevent injury even during a seemingly mundane task.
Car Accident Causes
While car accidents may be caused by a number of contributing factors, the highest listed causes for collisions are:
- Not stated or unknown: 33 percent
- Inattention: 14 percent
- Too fast for conditions: 10.7 percent
Learning how to be attentive and predict accidents helps you avoid them. Learning to avoid collisions prevents them. While you may not be able to force other drivers to be attentive or slow down, a defensive driving course can help you learn how to respond when you see other drivers driving irresponsibly.
Defensive Driving for Adults
In Missouri in 2008, the only age group who had more fatalities than the 16-20 age group was the 45-54 age group. One of the reasons for this may be that experienced drivers who are not yet suffering obvious effects of aging become lackadaisical about their driving techniques. You may think that, because you have been successfully driving for so long, you are at a lower risk of injury or death. However, the opposite is true. For this reason, a defensive driving course is highly recommended for drivers of any age.
If you are a resident of Missouri in Kansas City, St. Louis, or Jefferson City and would like to learn more about defensive driving, please contact the experienced auto accident attorneys at The Bradley Law Firm today.