When we talk about getting a license to drive, we usually just talk and think about it in terms of just one thing; that license. But getting that little card to put in your wallet is actually made up of a lot of steps, learning a lot of new, different skills, and basically opening up to a part of yourself that you never used before. 

In America, we think of driving as equaling “more freedom,” and that can totally be the case. But there’s a flip side to freedom, and that’s responsibility. The more things you can do, the more things you have to be willing to own up to. There’s no such thing as a choice without consequence.

That’s why your driving education is so important. And there’s one part of your driving education that is really important. It’s called defensive driving, and there’s a lot riding on it.

What is Defensive Driving?

Driving a car breaks down into three parts. There are the basics of learning how to drive, which is just getting a feel for accelerating, braking, turning, parking, and all the other functions that go with having a vehicle and knowing how to make it do what you want.

Then there’s applying all that driving technique on the road in a way that complies with traffic law. That’s great that you know how to accelerate a car steadily and smoothly, but you’ve got to stop it at some point because of speed limits. Or you have to know that pedestrians get the right of way and even though your car is bigger, faster, and tougher than the people on the street, the law says you have to respect their rights.

And finally, there’s defensive driving, which is just a snappy way of saying, “You still have to worry about everybody else in a car.”

The sad fact is, just because you may take the time and the effort to learn how to drive well, and then build upon that to drive within the bounds of traffic law, it doesn’t mean that other drivers—or even pedestrians—are going to be as considerate as you. 

Things happen. Some people make a bad call, get drunk and decide to drive home anyway. Some kids get caught up in their game and chase after a ball that bounced out on the street. Some people think that singing the latest Justin Bieber song and shooting a video of it with friends, while driving and smiling for the camera is more important than keeping eyes on the road.

In all of these cases, something might happen on the road that is totally, completely not your fault, it’s someone else. But you still have to deal with it all the same. That’s defensive driving.

Get the Right Education

Defensive driving school is an important part of taking your first steps in learning to drive. This type of school teaches you some valuable skills, first and foremost being awareness. You have to be paying attention to the road, and not just what you’re doing on it, but what other drivers around you are also up to. This also means ingraining some good driving habits that will reduce the chances of incidents on the road happening.

For example, “tailgating” is something that a lot of people do, especially if they’re in a hurry and want to get ready to overtake someone else. Tailgating simply means that the distance between you and the car in front of you is small enough that, should you hit the brakes, there’s simply not enough time for you to reduce speed enough to avoid hitting the car in front of you. 

A defensive driver will always realize that sometimes the driver of the car in front may need to unexpectedly hit the brakes, maybe to avoid hitting a child or animal that suddenly crossed the road. By just giving yourself the appropriate distance, considering the speeds being traveled, any sudden braking on the part of the driver in front of you can easily avoid a collision, meaning a safe driving experience for everyone involved.

This is just one example of the things you can learn at a defensive driving school.

Choosing the Right School

Defensive driving schools exist as places in the real world, physical buildings that you can go to, but there are also options to take a defensive driving course online. We’ve got a lot of carefully evaluated options right here on this website that you can’t go wrong with. 

When you sign up for an online defensive driving course, you’re getting a quality education, learning all the important techniques and theories to keep you safe on the road. However, you’re doing it in the comfort of your own home. You’ll also have the choice to take on the material at your own time and pace. 

There are a lot of conveniences that come with choosing the online option, so don’t be afraid to explore this alternative.

Here are some of the benefits of taking an online defensive driving course:

Accessibility and Availability

I always want to put these two advantages together – accessibility and availability. Why?

An online course is available 100%, well, “online”, so you can access it anywhere and anytime you want using any device. 

Depending on the course provider, you can even access the course for a certain period of time even if you have already completed the course. So you can always go back and check your past lectures if you need further studying or to review the material – you can’t do this in a classroom setup. In-person classes expire the same day you take them.

Affordability

With physical classrooms and textbooks not a requirement in an online school, the cost of registering for an online course is a lot cheaper than in-person classes. And to add to that, you don’t need to pay for gas or transportation expenses since you’ll be more likely to finish the course at home. 

What’s more, since there are several options for online defensive driving schools available, the competition is stiff, so most schools offer courses at a discounted price, along with other freebies just to get students to enroll.

Course Option Flexibility

The availability of different online education platforms enables online driving schools to provide flexible course options that their students can choose from. While most classes will most probably be video-based, some schools can opt to provide a course that relies heavily on text, while some may combine both. There are even zoom classes that are conducted live through live streaming platforms.

Some school’s content, like MyImprov, can be full of humor, while some can be as straightforward as with iDriveSafely.

Whichever works well with your learning style, you’ll have the freedom to choose. Again, you don’t have that option in a traditional classroom setup.

To sum up, the real importance of attending a good online defensive driving school is getting the grounding you need to prepare you for reality on the road. Remember, a car is a great way to get around and opens up your opportunities professionally, socially, and even for leisure. But a car can—in the wrong situation—be a disaster waiting to happen that can hurt a lot of people when things go wrong. Good defensive driving is the best way to be prepared for this, to help keep you, your passengers, and other drivers on the road as safe as can be when things go wrong. Go over your choices carefully, and pick the school that’s right for you and your needs so you can hit the road safely.