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Texas certified defensive driving course?

Tourmeister

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Howdy,

:tab Well, I have put it off as long as I can, but I really need to get my DDC class out of the way for that ticket I got on the KLR back in Feb :roll: Anyone here ever use an online course sertified for Texas? What did you think about it? Worth doing this way instead of going to a class somewhere?
 
I used some site that was supposed to make it less painful by adding comedic relief. I am not sure it was better or worse than the normal dry DDC. But, it worked.

Just make sure it is certified for Texas.
 
Rented the DVDs at the local Blockbuster. There is a minimum number of hours (8 or so) for the course, so you don't get any time savings with the video. However, you can do it in the comfort of your own home. Price is about the same.

The questions are very easy, but they ask you some silly questions like what kind of car was shown at the beginning (model T Ford) to confirm that you actually watch the videos. Just make sure you read the literature and follow all the rules so that you get credit the first time and don't waste a day.

Oh, but wait...your DVD player doesn't play DVDs does it? :rofl:
 
Only DVD's made by Buzz ;-) All the rest work fine :-P
 
I think you've got 90 days after court sign-up to complete your defensive driving requirements. I took the on-line course once. It was OK, better than attending a class since you can take it in your own free time over a week or two. It is timed a little slower than above average reading comprehension and that can be a pain. How about taking an MSF experienced rider course? It's about 6 hours, about 4 of which is on your own bike, instead of 8 in the classroom. If it's been certified by DPS, it qualifies for defensive driving deferred adjudication as a matter of State law, even if your ticket was not on the bike. I did it and it was good practice in obstacle avoidance drills.
 
Better check, cuz If you got the ticket on the bike I think you have to take the ERC. The DDC won't cover it.

That's the way I understood it anyway....
 
I used defensivedriving.com to get me out of my bike related ticket. No ERC needed, just good ole DDC. They are certified with the state, and can also handle getting all your paperwork (driving record) from DPS out to the court house, so it's a one stop shop if you want it to be.
 
Hey Charlie, if you do their online course, can you review the info or is it a one time through thing and then take the exam?
 
I'm a TEA licensed Defensive Driving Instructor. There are few things more torturous than to sit through a class you teach being taught by someone else.

For my last ticket I took the online course and highly recommend it. I'm sorry but I don't remember the URL.

By TEA decree, all defensive driving courses must last a minimum of six hours. With the online course, they have a timer running. You must spend a certain amount of time in each section. You can't go too fast.

If a section is 40 minutes, leave it running in a window and go do other things in another window. A few minutes before the time is up, bust through the section pages.

If you get tired of it, you can log off the course and log back on later to pick up where you left off.

The online course costs about $25 more than a classroom course. Although I'm "budget minded", I'm not an "absolutist" in that regard. The extra beans are *well worth* not having to drive somewhere and spend hours listening to a bunch of morons gripe about the unfairness of it all where "everbody else" is the problem, not them.

The online course is worth it, trust me.

Don't fret the test at the end. It's multiple guess. Half of it is common sense stuff. The other half is numbers you see in the material like "$ fine for littering" "what age kids can ride in back of a truck" "what is the DUI BAC level in Texas".
 
Tourmeister said:
Anyone here ever use an online course sertified for Texas? What did you think about it? Worth doing this way instead of going to a class somewhere?

Tourmeister, I took the online course from defensivedriving.com a couple of years ago and wasn't all that impressed with it. When I registered online, I was prompted to provide answers for several questions which, for the most part only I knew the answers to. Then, at random points during the online class, dialogue boxes containing these questions popped up. I was given a very short time to respond by typing in the answer, and if I didn't, I got locked out. I recall once that I just got up for a quick restroom break and was locked by the time I returned. And the bathroom is right next to my computer room!! To get back in I had to call a service rep to unlock my account. I think the lady I spoke with told me that if I had three lockouts I would have to start all over again. I don't remember if I would have had to pay again.

Also, I was responsible for obtaining my own mvr from DPS.

I tried working the chapters individually here and there, but things came up, and I ended up spending the better part of a Sunday in front of my computer. I could think of a better way to spend a Sunday. Anyway, I've attended some pretty dry DDC classes, which are no better. My former employer, the City of Houston, required us to take them every 3 years and taught them in-house. Those were awful. Next time I'm going to try the comedy club thing. I've heard those are fun and fly by pretty fast. Some even include lunch.

Good luck!
 
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I actually work for a defensive driving course provider with both online and video options available. I feel that the online course is the best option because it is much more convenient and at $25, the price point is lower. However, broadband is a must for the online course.

Our company has several web fronts. For the online course, the URL is http://www.texasleadfoot.com but if you prefer the video based course (the one found at Block Buster) then the URL will be http://www.americandriverimprovement.com. You can also have the video sent directly to your home from this site if a Block Buster store isn’t convenient for you.

The course material is a bit dated but still well within TEA compliance. We are currently working on updating the course so that it will be more entertaining, if there is such a thing for defensive driving, and expect to release our new video course quite soon.

One thing to keep in mind while ‘enjoying’ this course is that the TEA heavily regulates how they are administered and things that you encounter that seem strange or frustrating are most likely TEA mandated requirements for the course.
 
I used this one a couple of years ago ...worked ok for me //www.texasleadfoot.com/
 
HiSPL said:
Better check, cuz If you got the ticket on the bike I think you have to take the ERC. The DDC won't cover it.

That's the way I understood it anyway....


This is true. It's the ERC for ewe. :rider:
 
I think you have the choice or DDC or ERC. In some places the ERC is not available.
 
a year ago you had to take ddc. ERC was an option 'if' the court granted permission.
The court in del rio never acknowledged receipt of my request for erc permission.
Spending a day in ddc class was a killer.
Steve
 
can someone give a definitive answer on the use of the Experienced Rider Course in leui of Defensive Driving Course?

Like, can you only take it if you got a ticket on a bike? is the ERC good for any ticket as long as the court approves? I just need to specifics of when. I guess I could not be lazy and call the court.
 
This is a TAD off the original topic, but Squidward and I found out that with our auto insurance (Nationwide) that if you want a defensive driving discount (like the beginner MSF course can give you), that the ERC does NOT count. You have to take either the beginner MSF course or an actual defensive driving course.

Back to Tourmeister's question though :mrgreen:
 
dover338 said:
can someone give a definitive answer on the use of the Experienced Rider Course in leui of Defensive Driving Course?

The only definitive answer on this subject is the one coming from the judge involved in the citation.
 
You shouldn't rely on the judge's discretion or knowledge since many JPs aren't attorneys and may not even be aware of the statutory requirements allowing you to take a motorcycle operator's training course in lieu of the standard driving safety course. You should make the election in writing (for example, in the letter returning the citation form and your check) under Article 45.0511 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. Article 45.0511 requires that the Judge grant the defendant's election to take the driving safety course or motorcycle operator training course dismissal. There is no requirement in the statute that one must take the drivers course or the motorcycle course, depending on which type of vehicle was involved in the offense. These provisions are mandatory if you make your election within the timeline. They are discretionary if the deadline has passed. I believe that whether the ERC qualifies for a car insurance deduction is up to the insurance carrier.
 
I took one of these DDC courses online for the insurance discount. My computer speakers weren't working, so I took the whole thing without sound. I did a lot of guessing on the answers and passed just fine. ;-)
 
So I am doing the Texas Leadfoot program. While I realize that it is the State the mandates you spend six hours in the course, this is really stupid. I can read fast enough that I spend all my time just sitting here waiting for the time to pass so I can go on to the next page. Of course, this is case with all the online classes I am sure.

So there are these verification questions that are asked during the course that may or may not have anything to do with the actual content of the class. I think I can miss 7 total before failing. Apparently, I have missed two but I have no idea which ones as it does not tell you. You get asked a few questions and then it just says you missed one. Miss X more and you fail. Seeing as how I am only midway through the 2nd of 6 sections, things are not looking good, hehe. So I am wondering, are the verification questions mandated by the state or just the company? I would much prefer to just have a final exam and be done with it.
 
I had this conversation with a co-worker a couple of days ago. There are online courses that let you proceed at your own pace. He took one and finished it in under three hours. Not a clue which course it was.
 
I am surprised that there is a course that allows taking at ones own pace.
From what I have seen it has as much to to with taking up your time (read in for punishment here) as it does to giving out information.
Just my own thoughts. The DVD's that I took for the course were heavy on using up my life, and very light on giving information that might make me a better/safer driver.
When I got the ticket I was taking the course for I thought I was becoming a better driver. Well I was doing a fine job of holding my line, and making clean upshifts while in the corner.:trust: :rofl: :lol2: :rofl:
 
:tab I would not mind the validation questions if after you missed them you had the chance to go back through the material and find the answer. After all, the point is to make sure you have seen the material. Failing for not getting all these silly questions right doesn't seem right. It might be different if the questions were actually about concepts like, "what was the issue Joe Bob wrestled with in the video?" instead of, "what kind of drink did Joe Bob have in his hand during the video?"

:tab I agree with Hairsmith. I think it is all about taking up your time for punitive measures.
 
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