I’ve been hearing radio advertisements to take the new online defensive driving course offered only by Marshall and Sterling, a local insurance firm. I have been meaning to take the defensive driving course for some time now to get the 10% discount like everyone else in my family but I hated the fact that I needed to sit in a room for 6+ hours to complete it, so this online thing was right up my alley.
The best thing about this is there is no test at the end of it. You sit and read the pages at your own pace but there is a minimum time for each page so you just don’t flip through it without reading it and complete the course in 10 minutes. NY State mandatory minimum completion time for the course to be valid is 5 hours and 32 minutes. Mine took a little over 6 hours since I took a break here and there to get a drink.
The test has random check points where you have to answer predefined questions you answer in the beginning so that they know you are still taking the test and not someone else. There is also the choice of keyboard or phone biometrics. I choose keyboard and had to type a sentence 9 times for it to learn my keystroke patterns. At random times they would make me type it in. I had Jamie do it once for me just to test it and she failed because she didn’t use the same keystrokes as I did, pretty cool.
Eventually the test completed and now I just wait for the American Safety Council to mail me my certificate to give the insurance company. Not bad for only costing $23!
If you haven’t taken the test to get the insurance discount you should use this online course. You can get to it from Marshall and Sterling’s website.
As an instructor for defensive driving I am willing to bet that you completed the class with at least a single piece of valuable information that could save your life, or someone else’s. I am glad you invested those 6 hours. Yes, you will save on insurance. But more importantly, it will remind you of how dangerous driving an automobile can be. I’m sure your certificate will arrive shortly, if it hasn’t already. And congrats on taking the initiative. Next time,you may want to try a classroom course. It will prove more interactive and less cumbersome.