Stupid Things

September 26, 2008

Texas Defensive Driving

Many states, Texas and Florida chief among them, have promoted the development of defensive driving courses. States have incentivised the private sector to develop these tuition based training facilities, by offering what amounts to moving violation credits. In many jurisdictions, this means you can have that speeding ticket wiped out in exchange for going to texas defensive driving school. Some of these institutions even offer to let your learn over the internet instead of spending your Saturday sitting in a classroom.

For states to give up ticket revenue, something very positive must be going on. What’s at the root of this generosity is twofold. First and foremost, is the body count, especially among young folks 25 and under. The second is the insurance industry exerting powerful leverage to cut down on the cost of their vehicle insurance losses.

If you have had your license for anything more than a month, you already know what kind of foolishness goes on out on the road. Let’s be honest… you are really good at seeing other people do stupid things, so this article isn’t about whether you know right from wrong, is it? The goal is to remember what’s right and correct it, when it’s our turn to do something stupid.

The key to achievement in any pursuit, is to adopt an attitude of pride. Are you proud of your driving skills? Like many other things in life, defensive driving is a matter of your attitude.

Driving a car is one of life’s ultimate freedoms. You can go virtually anywhere. Speed is exhilarating even under the speed limit. The rush of freedom emotions can cause drivers… especially younger ones… to lose track of their environment. It’s important to remember there are a lot of other people out there on the road with you.

Do you want to stay health and out of a wheelchair or alive for that matter. Then realize that a certain percentage of the drivers who you share the road with are dangerous. This simple awareness, can convert you into a defensive driver immediately.

For you to make that transition from amateur to pro easily and quickly, you simply need to admit that bad drivers… possibly including you… represent a real threat to your health and wellbeing. Not to put too dramatic a point on this, but the risks are quite genuine and very much include that line between life and death.

There is a definite relationship between how well you drive and how long you live. There is also a specific correlation to how high your insurance premiums are. If you can live longer and pay less then you’re a winner and a great example to your fellow drivers.

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