No, but we took the AARP Smart Driver course and received a discount on auto insurance as a result.

https://www.aarp.org/auto/driver-safety/

Right, Elmer. Just to clarify, this is nothing to do with the practical aspects of driving, how to make a left turn safely, etc.

Good for you, Cindy.

Socks, I have not taken that course but recent took instruction from a very experienced driving instructor. I had stopped driving about a year and a half ago due to poor hearing. I was talking to her some months ago and she said she had taught some completely hearing impaired people to drive so I asked her if she would work with me.

After learning from her I feel much more confident and am now driving again. And no, it had nothing to do with practical aspects although she did tell me to lay off of my 'California stops'.

No, I don't plan on it, I am only a back seat driver.

Sue

Our Senior Center offers two different programs. One is a Rules of the Road refresher -- a few hours one day. The other is a longer, AAA-type 'course' of many hours, where passage qualifies you for an insurance discount.

Neither of these are what socks describes to increase reaction timing.

I'm going to review Illinois' Rules of the Road soon. I'll need to take a test when I renew my license -- probably next month, since I'll be away when it expires. DH took the short course and learned some things:

You must have a front plate on your car -- we hustled to get that done.

You can refuse the first tester at the DMV if you 'just don't like his looks'.

You must stop *behind* the white line (or even with the stop sign) even if you then have to creep out farther to be able to see traffic to your right or left.

I am in the middle of the Drivesharp course now. I find it really taxes your brain and eyesight. On some of the lessons the visuals are so fast that if I blink then I lose it. You almost have to have tunnel vision without blinking and I don't believe most people drive like that. Also, a specific road sign that must be picked out among other identical road-signs are very small especially if you are using a small tablet type computer. A large screen computer would be beneficial. But all in all it really trains the eyes to be more attentive when driving for real.

" California stops..." LOL sounds like what we used to call "Michigan Stops..",

and while living in PA, we called them "Pennsylvania stops....". Smaller world

than we think sometimes? ;)

What are the "stops"? Apparently the "Pennsylvania stops" haven't made it to NEPA. :-)

Rolling stops.

I started it then stopped when there was apparently a problem with my mouse. I would click on one of the objects and it did not register. Will perhaps try again later.

Some insurance companies have a thing, sorry no idea what it is called, that can be installed and it will transmit to their??? records how you drive. You would have to ask your insurance company if they use it to lower rates.

Never heard of that one. Took the, what was then called "55 Alive" course and now it's under a different name, sponsored by AAA. I had a coupon last time and I think it was $22 and gives a discount on the insurance. I didn't know it had to be renewed every 3 years and the insurance company never said anything so I went a couple years without getting the discount. Re-took it, couldn't take the "refresher" because it was more than 3 years. It was interesting, the first course I took I thought was actually valuable. The second one? Not so. But I spent the 8 hours or whatever going through it, and it is timed out so you spend that much time with it! My cousin took the class in person and there too, they wouldn't let them leave until the time was up. Anyone who left wouldn't get the certificate.