Press Releases
New Online Courses Provide Convenience for MVC Customers
Easy access to defensive driving courses to promote safer driving
(TRENTON) — In keeping with its commitment of promoting driver safety and providing the state's motorists with enhanced customer conveniences, Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) Chief Administrator Sharon A. Harrington today announced that the organization has entered into partnerships with two groups that will offer online defensive driving courses for New Jersey drivers.
The MVC-approved online defensive driving courses, which are currently being provided by the Florida-based American Safety Council and the California-based organization I Drive Safely, cover the same material that is currently offered in a classroom setting. Motorists who successfully complete an online defensive driving course are eligible to have a two-point reduction on their driver record and qualify for a mandatory, three-year insurance discount.
The American Safety Council's course is available at www.safemotorist.com for a fee of $49, while the I Drive Safely course is available at www.idrivesafely.com for a cost of $50.
"The MVC is constantly looking for ways to utilize the Internet to provide services to all New Jersey motorists, and these defensive driving courses are a perfect example,' Harrington said. 'With these online courses, motorists will receive the same invaluable instruction as they would in a classroom, but will have the luxury of using their computer to log in and out of the course at their convenience."
The online course pages, which feature text, graphics, animations and videos, are easy to navigate and offer motorists an interactive way to learn crucial driver safety information, such as traffic laws, the danger of alcohol- and drug-impaired driving and how to handle driving emergencies, among other topics.
Unique to the online course is that a motorist has no specific time period in which to complete the material. Motorists can log in and out of the course as many times as needed, as all completed sections will be saved. This option will allow a motorist to proceed through the course as his or her schedule permits.
The online defensive driving courses are just the latest in a number of Web-based services offered by the MVC. In addition to the courses, motorists may use the MVC's Web site, www.njmvc.gov, to renew a vehicle registration, request a driver abstract, pay surcharge or restoration fees, schedule a road test, or even order personalized license plates.
"It's all about clicks, not bricks," added Harrington. "As technology evolves, it,s important for the MVC to not only provide face-to-face transactions, but to augment those customer services through the convenience of the Web and other outlets."