Build Brand Loyalty Through Social Media

With the rise of the Internet and social media marketing, younger generations are exposed to brands at even earlier ages. This makes it important to reach potential customers as early as possible—especially in the case of businesses that provide goods or services to younger consumers (like driving schools!). The good news is that these younger prospects tend to be heavy Internet users, and social media marketing can be free or relatively low-cost. In this space, creativity and simply taking action can often win the day.

It can be hard for newcomers to social media to know where to start, however. Check out this excellent article for easy suggestions: 5 Ways to Build Brand Loyalty Through Social Media!

New Florida Office Location

Preparations are underway.
We'll be in the new office soon!

Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) is moving its Florida office location!

We're not asking for help packing or setting up, but we did want to make sure that you know where you could find us. While phone, fax, email, and all other means of communication will remain unchanged, we will be changing our physical/mailing address. Effective October 15, 2015, our new address will be:

3260 North Highway 17-92
Unit 112
Longwood, Florida 32750

Practice Makes Perfect—and Profits!

The California online driver education curriculum from Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) includes a valuable Practice Permit Test component that can help young drivers to pass the written exam portion of the permitting process. Students are offered one complimentary test of fifteen questions and have the opportunity to purchase four more unique practice tests, so they can study up for their written exam.

A Great Upsell Opportunity!

An examination of the applicant's understanding of driving laws and traffic signs and signals is a required part of the driver licensing process. Because the stakes are high and the regulations many, applicants are naturally nervous about this milestone in their lives. But research shows that the opportunity for examinees to take a practice or mock version of an exam before they take the real thing has huge benefits in terms of performance! The Practice Permit Test service not only reinforces students' traffic safety knowledge and enhances their overall experience with their driver education, but it can boost their satisfaction with your program—increasing the likelihood that they'll refer their friends to your school.

Further, offering the Practice Permit Test program to your students is a quick and effortless way to earn a few extra dollars. The program is offered and administrated entirely online, and requires no work on your part. So, make sure you're mentioning this great opportunity to your students when they register for your driver ed course—for your benefit and for theirs!

Form OL 767 Translated to Spanish

Form OL 767 is now available in a
translated Spanish version.

Traffic violator schools (TVSs) are required to have students complete a Traffic Violator Course Evaluation (Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) form OL 767)—with at least their name and the school information—as a condition for successful completion of the program. The DMV released their official form upon taking over regulation of the industry in September 2011, but the form was available only in the English language. Since that time, there has been considerable discussion about how to handle the evaluation requirement for courses presented in a non-English language. Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) offered to translate the form into Spanish and the DMV has finally consented and approved our translation.

An electronic version of the Spanish evaluation has been implemented for Internet-based TVS students, similar to what has always been presented with the English course delivery. This functionality has gone live for Internet students and no further action is required on your part for this modality.

A paper-based version of the form has been uploaded to the CA Course Provider Administration website and is available for download (PDF format). Licensees of TSC's Spanish classroom- and booklet-based TVS curricula should begin using this document immediately, as regulators will be looking for the translated form during monitoring/audits. Be sure, also, to communicate to any classroom instructors in your employ that they must now distribute the translated Spanish version of form OL 767, and ensure that they have a supply sufficient to furnish a blank form to each student.

As a reminder: Students who complete a TVS course in the classroom and booklet modalities must return these forms to the school, and an evaluation from each student must be submitted with your quarterly reports to the DMV. Internet-based students' evaluations are stored electronically and must be printed (or burned to disc) for inclusion with your quarterly reports.

If you have any questions about this policy update, please contact your TSC representatives.

Change in CA Classroom Instruction Procedures

At the request of regulatory authorities, Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) is issuing the following update to its California classroom traffic violator school (TVS) curriculum in the English language:

Schools that have licensed TSC's English classroom TVS curriculum prior to this point were issued a DVD that included a Warm-Up Video at the start, which was to be shown prior to the start of class (while students were entering the classroom and getting comfortable). Effective immediately, the Warm-Up Video is no longer an official part of the approved curriculum and is not to be shown prior to TVS classes delivered by your school. You will not be issued a new DVD at this time, as all other material on the disc that you have remains unchanged. Simply skip the Warm-Up Video presentation prior to class and then conduct class as you normally would.

Please inform all of the instructors working for your school of this change to the curriculum. Instructors and schools are responsible for this curriculum change effective immediately.

If you have any questions about this curriculum change, please feel free to contact your TSC representatives.

TVS Audits/Inspections

We recently blogged about some helpful tips for passing a TVS audit/inspection, and we hope that you've found that advice helpful.

This is a reminder that regulatory agencies are conducting unannounced inspections of traffic violator school (TVS) office locations. Inspectors are looking for violations of Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) regulations regarding school operations; in particular, they are looking to ensure that a school's office is open during the required/posted hours of operation and that the office is staffed by a knowledgeable representative. Inspectors have the authority to look for any breaches of protocol, however, and are taking aggressive enforcement actions.

Penalties for failure to adhere to all DMV policies and regulations have already led to the initiation of the suspension/revocation process for the occupational licenses of multiple TVSs! Make sure you're in compliance!

If you have any questions regarding the operation of your school, please refer to our previous post about this topic, your TVS operator training course (at DMVOperatorCourse.com), or the appropriate sections of the California Vehicle Code and California Code of Regulations. And, of course, you may always contact your TSC representatives for assistance during an audit/inspection.

Content Marketing Ideas for Fall 2015

Content marketing is the process of creating and publishing material in order to attract, engage, and retain customers. Often its aim is to be useful to customers, honestly helping them learn, do, or experience something. It's the perfect marketing strategy for a traffic/driving school—whose existence is naturally dedicated to helping motorists to become better drivers and saving lives!

If you're having trouble getting started with your content marketing efforts, check out the following ideas for this fall season:

• Community Events: Try to engage with a local event and blog or post about that experience online. It would be reasonable for the owner of an online business to attend, take lots of pictures, and share the experience. Local events are taking place all the time, of course, but this is an especially good season for this sort of marketing effort, as school heads back into session. And what better way to get to know prospective driving school students than to participate in an event at a local high school?
• Publish a "Lookbook": A lookbook (spelled as one word or two) is a promotional tool of the fashion industry; it's a series of photographs meant to highlight a model, photographer, style, or line of clothing. The term has more recently been expanded a bit to include almost any sort of picture-driven promotional piece. If you have anything that looks good in photos—like a sporty (or otherwise interesting) vehicle or some driving-related accessories—this is a natural way to draw in prospects.
• Safety Campaigns: The NHTSA is in the midst of a child car safety seat campaign on social media, but their website is full of great driving safety information that could be promoted as appropriate (e.g., bus safety for back-to-school). The California DMV even celebrated National Cheeseburger Day with a distracted-driving safety message.
• Holiday Shopping Guides/Promotions: It's hard to believe, with the dog days of summer so soon behind us, that the holiday season is just around the corner. But now is the time to think about helping your customers/prospects with their holiday plans. You might run a holiday promotion for your services. Or, compile a list of gift suggestions related to your industry to keep your name in the public's mind. PBS provides an excellent example of a list of (cooking themed) gift guides for a variety of recipients. You might even consider creating a series of short holiday gift idea videos. These could be distributed on YouTube or social media, both as content and commercials.

Creating content marketing pieces can be easy and fun—and the information is memorable and useful for your readers. Get started today and reap the rewards of spreading your name around!

Surviving 10 Driving Emergencies

"Normal," everyday driving can be challenging enough. But when it comes right down to it, obtaining a license to drive is often all too easy. Motorists are not usually well-trained—and not commonly required by licensing authorities to demonstrate—how to handle road emergencies and other extreme driving situations. The first time that many drivers are asked to employ accident-avoidance skills, lives may be on the line. And without the proper knowledge and practice, the odds of successfully executing an extreme maneuver are not in their favor.

Edmunds.com presents a extremely helpful article that describes how to handle and survive ten common driving emergencies. While these tips are covered in the driving safety courses that you present, here's another look at some situations many motorists are likely to face over the course of their driving careers. Take a look to make sure you're providing your students with the correct information. And share with your customers via social media if you're marketing to them that way (and you should be!!!).

As importantly, encourage your students to get some advanced driving training and/or to practice these maneuvers in a safe environment so they'll know how to respond—and do so reflexively—should the need arise. Their lives and the lives of their passengers may depend on it!

Traffic Fatalities Up in 2015

CNN reports that new data point to an estimated 14% jump in U.S. traffic fatalities this year, putting 2015 on pace to be the deadliest for motorists since 2007. There were more than 18,600 motor vehicle deaths from January through June this year, compared to 16,400 deaths in the same period of 2014.

The estimated cost of the deaths, injuries, and property damage related to those crashes rings in at $152 billion—up 24% from the same period of 2014. Those costs account for wage and productivity losses, medical expenses, administrative expenses, employer costs, and property damage.

The report attributes the uptick primarily to:

• Americans are driving more because of…
• lower fuel prices.
• increased employment levels.
• Drivers are more distracted behind the wheel thanks to their phones, despite the fact that most states ban texting while driving.

Traffic Safety Classes Help Save Lives

Whatever the cause, the loss of life and property are tragic. Sadder still is that many crashes are avoidable with good, defensive driving. Be proud of being a traffic safety education provider, as you're literally saving lives with the work that you do!

And make sure that the public knows you're out there and can help. Most traffic school students complete a course to remove a citation from their driving record or to get a discount on their automobile insurance premiums. Instead, they could avoid citations and premium increases—and substantially increase their odds of staying safe and sound!—by keeping up with traffic laws and safe-driving techniques. Many motorists never receive further instruction in safe motor vehicle operation after they finish driver education/training, but occasional, continued coaching could help them to be far better drivers!

Tips for Passing a TVS Audit/Inspection

Could you pass a regulatory inspection? Even a "surprise" inspection?

As your curriculum provider, Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) is always working to help you to better manage your California traffic violator school (TVS). Therefore, we are writing to remind you of the following important information.

If you've been in the business for a while, you're undoubtedly aware that the the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)—or the California Traffic Safety Institute (CTSI), on their behalf—conducts regular, scheduled audits of TVSs. However, these agencies can also show up unannounced at any time during normal business hours to inspect your office. This is addressed in DMV regulations and is legal.

It is extremely important that you pass all such inspections, because the DMV is allowed to shut down a school that fails to pass an audit or inspection, or for having an "abandoned office" that is not open and properly staffed during the hours that the office is required to be accessible to the public. Thus, we wanted to share the tips below to help you to prepare for these inspections:

• The DMV or its representatives may conduct onsite business reviews, as scheduled by the DMV, during normal business hours. The school must make available all business records requested by the DMV, and the school's operator must be present for scheduled business reviews (CCR 345.73(a)).
• The DMV or its representatives may conduct random business reviews and inspections without prior notice (CCR 345.73(b))—a "surprise inspection."
• A school's office(s) must be open to the public during its posted hours (CCR 345.50).
• At a minimum, each office must maintain the same office hours as the day courts in the county (usually 8:30am – 4:30pm), except as necessary for lunch hour, illness, scheduled vacation, or emergency.
• The person in charge of the office during the posted hours must be knowledgeable concerning the operation of the school, be authorized to provide information to the public concerning classes and fees charged by the school, and be able to provide detailed information to any DMV/court representative concerning the school's operation and business records.
• If the office will be closed during business hours, the school must post a notice at the office listing the duration of the closure; or if using an answering service during business hours, require the service to notify callers of the duration of the closure.
• If you have a scheduled—or even a surprise—inspection, you may call TSC for assistance if you have problems accessing your school or student information via your Course Provider account.

Audits and inspections—especially a surprise inspection—can be unnerving, but don't worry. These reviews are only done to protect your customers. And if you're running your school correctly and in good faith, you've nothing to fear. Also remember that TSC is always here to help!