Smarter Drivers Make for Safer Roadways
21 September 2000
Smarter Drivers Make for Safer RoadwaysIt's Never Too Late to Take Drivers' Education WARWICK, R.I., Sept. 21 Driving is one of the most important -- and potentially dangerous- skills individuals will ever learn. Yet Drivers' Education is available in only about half of American high schools, according to the American Driver & Traffic Safety Administration, leaving millions of drivers and their families on their own to find proper training. Sadly, tragic motor vehicle crashes claim lives and injure millions of Americans each year. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), licensed drivers need more help than ever before. The latest available statistics indicate that in 1998 alone, 41,471 people died in automobile crashes. Driver education safety initiatives coupled with driver improvement courses can play an important role in helping to make the nation's roadways safer. "Research shows that driver education can be beneficial in reminding people of the rules of the road and reducing the number of traffic violation citations," says Julie Rochman, vice president of communications for the IIHS. To do its part to make the roadways safer, MetLife Auto & Home is offering significant auto insurance discounts to safety-minded customers seeking to improve their skills by successfully completing the state-of-the- art defensive driving courses offered by Top Driver, Inc., the nation's largest and fastest-growing driver training company. The discount for successfully completing this course is now available in 26 states: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. "We believe that offering premium discounts to those who successfully complete the Top Driver course will help make our roadways safer for all," said MetLife Auto & Home President and CEO Catherine Rein. "Our unique partnership with Top Driver ties in nicely with our overall concern for public safety at MetLife Auto & Home." All drivers of MetLife Auto & Home company cars are provided with Top Driver video and workbook packages and are required to complete this defensive driving course within 30 days. The Top Driver program was derived from research done in conjunction with many of the nation's leading safety organizations, including the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the American Driver Training Safety Education Association, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The 75- minute video revisits rules of the road, then advances to driving tips delivered by successful race car drivers whose understanding of the physics and characteristics of the vehicles they control creates an exceptionally engaging safety message. Certification for the course requires that participants also complete a workbook and test that is submitted to Top Driver for scoring. MetLife Auto & Home offers an auto insurance premium discount of up to ten percent per vehicle on such major coverages as collision, bodily injury, property damage, and medical coverages to drivers licensed at least two years who successfully complete the Top Driver video course. For new drivers who successfully complete Top Driver's novice or first-time driver training program, MetLife Auto & Home offers discounts of up to 20 percent for three years, where permitted by law. Participants in other Top Driver programs may also be eligible for discounts of up to 20 percent for up to three years. As currently filed with the Departments of Insurance, MetLife Auto & Home's Top Driver discounts are effective for three years and can be renewed by successfully completing another test at the end of each three year period. The Top Driver video course is currently priced at just $29.95 (including delivery costs) for MetLife Auto & Home customers, and can save policyholders hundreds of dollars over a three-year period.