Offense might be the best strategy in sports, but the story is different when you’re behind the wheel of your car. In that circumstance, defensive driving saves lives. Taking a defensive driving class can even lower your insurance premiums by earning you a defensive driving discount in Georgia.
But how and where do you sign up for a Drive Smart Georgia course? And how do you go about lowering your car insurance rates with the course? You’ve come to the right place for answers.
What Are Defensive Driving Courses in Georgia?
Drive Smart Georgia is a six-hour educational program approved by the Georgia Department of Driver’s Services. In addition to its availability in person, an online Georgia defensive driving course version is also available via Zoom. Either way, the cost is $95.
Whichever way you take it, you’ll learn safe driving behaviors and techniques. The course teaches proper strategies and responses to a range of hazardous situations you might face while behind the wheel, including challenging weather and traffic conditions. You’ll learn how to maintain safe distances between vehicles, how to reduce distractions, and the proper use of safety equipment, among other tips that will cut risks and save you money in the long run.
Drivers can take the course voluntarily or as a result of a court order due to one or more serious driving infractions or a high number of driving record points.
Visit Drive Smart Georgia for information on how to enroll in the program.
Why Taking a Defensive Driving Course Will Lower Your Georgia Car Insurance Premiums (and by How Much)
After taking such a program, your car insurance company judges you to be a more knowledgeable and better driver. You know how to stay safe and avoid situations in which the risk of collision is high.
While high-risk drivers pay the most in premiums (or get their coverage canceled), those who are likely to cost insurers less in claims pay less for their insurance. Your insurance company wants to keep you as a customer if you have a clean driving record. Completing a defensive driving course such as Drive Smart Georgia is seen as evidence that you’re serious about driving smart and you have the tools to do it.
What’s that worth to your insurer? The discount on your premiums will vary depending on your insurer and your record as a driver, but it could average 10% to 15%.
Additional Benefits of Passing a Defensive Driving Course in Georgia
It’s not all about lowering the rates on your Georgia car insurance. That’s a great reason to complete the Drive Smart Georgia program, but it’s not the only one. As mentioned, some of the state’s drivers must take the program by court order for serious driving infractions or an accumulation of driving points. It might even be ordered as a condition to get a license reinstatement after it’s been revoked.
Other drivers might voluntarily enroll to get points taken off their license or simply to become better drivers. When it comes to point reduction, you can take the course every five years, removing a total of up to seven points from your record per time.
Whatever your motivation, be sure to inform your insurance company that you’ve successfully completed a Drive Smart Georgia program. You can send your insurer an electronic or print form of your good driver certificate of completion. Follow up with a phone call to see if you qualify for a premium reduction.
You’ll also want to turn in your good driver certificate to the Georgia Department of Driver’s Services if proof is needed to get a reduction on your driving points.