Clear Your Driving Record: How to Find the Best Online Driver Improvement Course VA
In recent years, Virginia made the list of top 15 states where drivers get the most DUIs, citations, and speeding tickets. We may pride ourselves on our fantastic drivers, but our driving records aren't so spotless.
If you've ever gotten hit with any traffic violations, you know that it can take quite a toll financially and legally. Those violations tend to haunt you for a while, which means that if you've got a few points on your driver's license, you need to drive with caution.
Did you know that taking a driver improvement course can help clean up your record? If not, we're here to tell you everything you need to know.
Read on to learn more about how a driving improvement online course can benefit you and how you can find the best one in Virginia.
What Happens After a Traffic Violation?
If you get in trouble as a driver, you're going to accumulate points on your driver's license. The number of points you receive depends on the traffic violation in question, as does the number of years those points stay with you.
For example, you can get three points on your license for a three-year timespan for improper passing or improper stopping on the highway. You can get three points on your license for a five-year timespan for driving 1-9 mph above the speed limit.
More serious offenses can result in six points at a time for as long as eleven years. These include driving over 85 mph, racing, and passing a school bus.
Why are these points bad? Having points on your driver's license may lead your car insurance company to up your premium. Plus, if you receive 18 points within 12 months or 24 points in 24 months, your license will be suspended.
In addition, traffic violations often come with hefty fees and appearances in court. Ultimately, the best way to avoid all of this trouble is to obey traffic laws. However, if you find yourself in a bind, taking a driver improvement course can help.
What Is a Driver Improvement Course?
A Virginia driver improvement course is not like driver's education. You don't have to sit through weeks of in-class lessons or head out on the road with a driving instructor.
Instead, driver improvement courses are designed for already-licensed drivers who are 20 and older. The objective is to refresh your memory on the rules of the road and update you on any changes that may have occurred since you were in driver's ed. Plus, you'll learn important skills and information about crash-prevention and risk-mitigation on the road.
How Can a Driver Improvement Course Help You?
You now know what a driver improvement course is, but you may be wondering how it can help you. Read on to learn more about the most compelling reasons to enroll.
Encourage Safer Driving
The most obvious reason to take a driver improvement course is to improve your driving. Sometimes we get so comfortable behind the wheel that we go into autopilot. We forget to look for things like changes in the speed limit, stop signs, and other drivers. Taking a driver improvement course will put you back in the mindset of driving defensively and within the law.
Dismiss Tickets
If you're heading to traffic court, you're probably trying to fight your traffic violation ticket. Sometimes, this can be as simple as proving that you weren't doing what you were accused of doing. But what if you were?
Taking a driver improvement clinic course before your court date is a good way to get a ticket dismissed. It shows the judge that you're taking initiative and doing what you can to prevent a repeat of the incident.
In fact, some judges will order that you take a driver improvement course. It is often presented as an alternative to paying your ticket. If you are presented with this option, take it; online defensive driving courses in Virginia are usually cheaper than most traffic tickets.
Lower Insurance Premiums
We mentioned earlier that your insurance company may not take kindly to your traffic violations. When you have points on your driver's license, your insurance company may see you as a bigger liability. As a result, they'll start charging you higher monthly premiums.
Taking a driver improvement course is the simplest way to reverse this effect and accumulate safe driving points. Like the court, insurance companies consider this action a sign that you're trying to prevent further issues. Completing a driver improvement course may reduce your rates as much as 15% for up to three years at a time.
Where to Find the Best Driver Improvement Course in VA
There are tons of driving schools that advertise driver improvement courses for every state in the country. The problem is that you can't guarantee that their courses are catered to your state's laws. For the best experience, you want to work with a driving school that is located in Virginia.
In addition, you’ll want a Virginia driver improvement program that you can take online. The best way to ensure completion is to sign up for classes that work around your schedule, not the other way around. An online course can be completed any time, anywhere.
Colonial Driving School is proud to serve Virginia drivers with a number of services. Our driver improvement course is 100% online and 100% catered to Virginia state laws.
Sign Up with Colonial Driving School
If you've recently received a traffic violation, it may be in your best interest to sign up for a Virginia driver improvement course online. At Colonial Driving School, our goal is to provide you with the education and certification you need. Once completed, our course can help you deal with traffic tickets, higher insurance premiums, and more.
To get started, let us help you find the right course. Fill out our quick survey and get started with our online materials today.