Tim, I think this is different from what you are talking about.
I have taken this course every 3-4 yrs. All it does is give you a 10% discount on your insurance. There is very little in the way of any kind of driver training. It is more about education as to new laws that could have been passed as well as discussing proper distances, things like that. Nothing that will make you a better or worse driver. It might make you more attentive behind the wheel, until you go back to your old habits the next morning. lol
Larry, DDC is a Defensive Driving Course....
I can't see how the US course standards are any different than the Canadian....our Highway Traffic Act is pretty close to yours, for obvious reasons...
.
And yes, we educate on any laws that have changed in the previous 10 years, and yes we discuss proper following distances, lane changes and merging, amongst many other things...
The typical DDC course is only 8 hours long, so can usually be done in one day....although I have seen them be as long as 24 hours, but those are geared specifically to new professional drivers. The 'refresher' course is only 8 hours....
I would hope that taking the course would make people at least a little better drivers, and they would not then revert back to their bad habits....If everyone realized that it takes 2 to have an accident, we would all be better off...Sometimes the most important part about not being in an accident, is to see the other vehicle approaching, and get out of the way! That is what
Defensive driving is all about.
The 'best' accident, is the one you
don't have!