TicketSchool > Blog > Online Driving Courses > Virginia Driver Improvement Online Course: What You Need to Know

When most people hear the words “Virginia traffic school,” or “Virginia Driver Improvement Course” they are filled with a sense of dread. No driver wants to have to go back and take lessons about driving, and most people imagine that these types of courses are filled with teenagers and irresponsible adults who have been caught driving recklessly.

Despite how common this perception is, it’s a far cry from the truth: TicketSchool’s Virginia driver improvement course is something that anyone can take, and one that offers many benefits even for people who take the course voluntarily. Here’s what you need to know about online driver improvement courses, and why you should consider signing up.

Who Takes Virginia Driver Improvement Courses?

Believe it or not, many people choose to take driver improvement courses in Virginia voluntarily. While some people do sign up for online driver improvement courses because a court or DMV office has ordered them to, many people who take the course sign up on their own.

Safe Driving Points

One of the reasons people sign up for Ticket School’s Virginia DMV-approved online driving courses is to have safe driving points applied to their driving records. Virginia driving law uses a system of negative points that are applied to a driver’s record when they are cited for a traffic violation. These negative points stay on a driver’s record for two years, and, if drivers accrue enough of these demerits, they can lose some or all their driving privileges.

In order to avoid the possibility of reaching these penalizing point thresholds, many Virginia drivers choose to take a state approved Virginia driver improvement online course to receive positive safe driver points.  Completing a driver improvement course could be good for up to +5 safe driver points.  It is important to mention that Virginia also applies +1 safe driver point each calendar year a driver has no moving violations or crashes, and +5 is the best point status any driver can have on their record.  Safe driving points can be used either to offset negative points that are already on someone’s driving record or to help with the negative points earned in the future. For example, if a newly licensed Virginia driver that has had no violations or crashes in the last three years would have +3 safe driver points on their record.  If they then got a speeding ticket that carries a -4 point value, their driver record would show a total of -1.  That driver has the option to complete a driver improvement course to apply +5 safe driver points and get to a +4 point value.  Remember that +5 is the best you can have on your record.

Drivers can take a driver improvement course once every 24 months for positive safe driver points. .

Insurance Discount

If earning protection against the negative effects of infractions on your driving record weren’t enough, taking a Virginia driver improvement course online can also lower the cost of your insurance policy. Many auto insurance providers offer discounts to customers who take a driver improvement course voluntarily. These discounts are applied in addition to the safe driving points.

Take One at Your Own Pace

Virginia state law requires that all official driver improvement courses be eight hours in length. For many people, this is a lot of time to take out of their regular routine, which discourages them from signing up.

One of the great features of Ticket School’s online driver improvement courses is that all students can take the course at their own paces, according to their own schedules. Users in and out of the course as needed  24 hours a day, seven days a week, from their PC, laptop, or mobile device.

Learn more about Ticket School’s online driver improvement course today by contacting us at (800) 558-9887.