Go Crazy for Coupons!

Are you looking for a (nearly) free way to increase business? Coupons, passed out at the end of a class (or sent as an email to online students), are a great way to stimulate repeat and referral business. We at Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) have found that a discount of just a few dollars off of the tuition of a Basic Driver Improvement course can generate a substantial increase in registrations. If nothing else, it gets your name out there in front of the public!

The coupons don't have to be elaborate. Just make sure to include the name of your school, your phone number, and your URL. You might include some artwork and use some eye-catching colors if you want to spice things up a bit—but don't underestimate the simple power of black and white.

You can generate paper coupons inexpensively yourself on your office printer or at a local copy shop. Or, you can use the free business card offer from Vistaprint, an online printing service, to have them professionally produced.

TSC is always looking for way to help our affiliates market their traffic school, and we hope that you find this suggestion helpful.

New BDI Completion Requirements

New rules regarding the completion of Basic Driver Improvement courses went into effect October 1, 2009. The good news is that this change does not require Florida traffic schools to modify their operations in any way. Better still, the new regulations should increase the number of drivers who are required to complete this form of traffic safety instruction. This benefits not only providers of defensive driving courses, but — more importantly — the driving public!

The notification regarding the new requirements is as follows:

House Bill 481 modified F.S. 322.0261(4) to state:

The department shall identify any operator convicted of, or who pleaded nolo contendere to, a violation of s. 316.074(1), s. 316.075(1)(c)1., s. 316.172, s. 316.191, or s. 316.192 and shall require that operator, in addition to other applicable penalties, to attend a department-approved driver improvement course in order to maintain driving privileges. If the operator fails to complete the course within 90 days after receiving notice from the department, the operator's driver license shall be canceled by the department until the course is successfully completed.

Facts:

• The Department now requires any operator convicted of running a red light, running a stop sign, passing a stopped school bus, racing on a highway, spectator of racing on a highway, or reckless driving to complete a Department-approved 4-hour Basic Driver Improvement (BDI) course.


• All drivers, even CDL holders, are required to complete this course.


• All drivers, except CDL holders and those convicted of 316.172(1)(b), may elect to attend a BDI course in lieu of points; this election will also satisfy the requirements of s. 322.0261(4). Therefore, if the driver elects to attend school for one of the above violations, the Department will withhold points and count that election as having satisfied the requirements of 322.0261(4).


• If the driver does not elect to attend school, the Department will automatically generate a notice advising the violator that they must complete a BDI course within 90 days from the date of the notice. This notice is generated and sent to the customer upon conviction information received from the Clerk of Court.

Do It For the Kids!

October 18 – 24 is this year's National Teen Driver Safety Week. Now is the perfect time to remind the students in your driver improvement classes of the effects their negative driving behaviors can have on others — in particular, their children.

Most parents are certain that their kids don't listen to a thing they say. Research shows, however, that parental involvement is the single most important factor in reducing the risk of crash involvement for young drivers.

And the risk of a crash is considerable. Learning to drive could be the most dangerous milestone in a teen's life, as automobile collisions are the leading cause of death for 15- to 20-year-olds. In Florida in 2008, 13,916 teen drivers were killed or injured in over 36,000 crashes. Teens are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers, per vehicle mile driven. And it's not just teens who are injured or killed: young drivers pose a risk to other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. (For more statistics, check out the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration's latest Traffic Safety Fact Sheet on Young Drivers.)

Remind your students that, because teens tend to model their parents' driving behavior, they need to take a good, hard look at their behind-the-wheel habits. If not for their own safety, they should do it their children. After all, you never know who's watching!

»  You might also remind parents about your Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) seminar — aka the First Time Driver course — for teens. Nationally in 2007, 31% of young drivers (15 to 20 years old) who were killed in crashes had alcohol in their system!  «