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COURSES
DDC-4 is a concise and up-to-date Defensive Driving Course. The course features educational materials prepared by the National Safety Council, including a student handbook, videos, flip charts, and other proven training aids. DDC-4 students learn how to save lives, time and money through the use of classroom teaching techniques which include: lecture, group discussion, videos, written exercises and an examination on defensive driving techniques. The DDC-4 program is designed to be conducted in a half-day with emphasis on four major subjects:
Because only National Safety Council Certified Instructors may teach DDC-4, consistent and professional training is assured. The DDC-4 Course is designed to meet the needs of various “at risk” audiences:
DDC-4 COURSE CONTENT
The DDC-PC course is an Internet-based version of the 4-hour course from the National Safety Council. The course is designed to allow users to learn defensive driving strategies using a personal computer, during one or multiple sessions. Certain County Courts do not accept, or place restrictions on accepting, the Internet Course. At this time Jefferson County defendants may take the Internet Course. Cook County defendants who are 18 years of age or older at the time the ticket was issued may take the Internet Course. You will not be able to access the Internet Course until you receive a login ID number and password that will be mailed to you by Traffic Safety School. In addition, if you requested the regular DDC-4 classroom course and wish to switch to taking the Internet Course, an additional fee is required and must be paid before you are sent your login information.
National Safety Council’s 8-hour Defensive Driving Course (DDC-8) is based on the concept that if drivers learn to drive defensively, they will lower their chances of dying or being injured in a vehicle collision. Each year, over a million-and-a-half students throughout the world learn the basics of safer driving by attending DDC-8 classes. The comprehensive DDC-8 curriculum is based on the most recent research on preventing deaths and injuries, and uses training techniques that reinforce information learning by students. Each hour of the DDC-8 course includes: lecture, discussion, films, exercises and scenarios. DDC-8 is an eight-hour course which is conducted in two consecutive four-hour sessions. Classes may be held on two consecutive evenings, all day on a weekday or on a Saturday. The National Safety Council certifies all instructors and registers all training agencies, including Northwestern University Traffic Safety School and all of its instructors, guaranteeing that the Defensive Driving Course will be taught consistently and professionally regardless of the location DDC-8 COURSE CONTENT
With the active involvement of the Northwestern University Traffic Safety School and the Cook County Judiciary, this course was created specifically to meet the needs of younger drivers. According to the National Safety Council, the purpose of the course is to help participants recognize that their inexperience and casual attitudes toward driving can cause violations, collisions, injury and death. It also encourages them to adopt safer approaches to driving. Based on the results of research undertaken at Northwestern University Traffic Institute on young traffic offenders, the course strongly emphasizes discussion rather than lecture. Students have the opportunity to discuss their attitudes and feelings related to such topics as peer pressure, intentional risk taking, hazard recognition and accepting responsibility for the choices they make while driving. Facilitators for the course are selected not only for their knowledge of defensive driving but also for their proven ability to work effectively with young people and create an atmosphere conducive to open and meaningful discussions. OVERVIEW OF THE COURSE The program has been field tested in locations throughout the United States. The School has conducted fine pilot tests in Cook County. The pilot tests were conducted prior to the finalization of course curriculum. Session 1: Why Are We At Risk Students discuss the statistics which show that young drivers are involved in serious collisions to a much greater extent than their numbers in the population would suggest. Based on their personal experience, they consider why members of their age group encounter so many driving problems. Session 2: You Be the Judge The class views a film which presents scenarios in which young drivers are faced with difficult situations and proceed to make a series of bad judgments. These judgments form the basis for a class discussion. Students are asked to indicate the advice they would give to each of the characters portrayed in the film. This exercise requires active participation from each student as they state the inappropriate behavior and make recommendations for acceptable alternatives. Session 3: How do you Take Control? The concept of “control” is discussed. Emphasis is placed on class members recognizing that they can indeed control much of what occurs when they are driving. The objective of this session is for students to take greater responsibility for their driving decisions. Students learn and practice the actual skills they need to take control in various driving situations. Session 4: Taking Charge This session gives participants an opportunity to practice making responsible choices. During this session, the instructor also reviews the important state and local legal framework related to driving. The program concludes with a film which consists of first person accounts of young drivers who have been involved in serious automobile collisions resulting in permanent injuries and fatalities. The movie depicts both the events which led to the collisions as well as the ways in which lives were affected. This film has a strong emotional impact and its placement at the end of the class helps to insure that students leave the course prepared to recognize dangerous behaviors and realize their consequences.
Attitudinal Dynamics of Driving (DDC-ADD) is an eight-hour course aimed at helping those with a record of multiple and serious driving violations make significant behavioral changes. The National Safety Council developed the course in response to requests from judges and others concerned with providing remediation for serious traffic violators. Their experience indicated that approaches emphasizing driving knowledge were not working with repeat offenders. Rather what was needed for this group was a course emphasizing the modification of negative driving attitudes. The conceptual framework for DDC-ADD derives from the “Choice Theory” approach developed by Dr. William Glasser. People are seen as sharing a set of five basic human needs: survival, fun, love and belonging, freedom, and power. People choose different ways to satisfy these needs. Some of these are effective and unfortunately some are not. People who consistently choose to drive in an unsafe and illegal manner are displaying ineffective and destructive behavior. The goal of this course is to help students choose effective and legal behaviors when they drive. They are encouraged to see that making such choices will ultimately result in much more fulfilling and lasting satisfaction of their basic needs. For example, talk about the importance of a drivers license in the satisfaction of these needs. The class centers on the active participation of the students. It builds on well-established findings from behavioral science that people will be much more likely to change their attitudes and behavior if they are personally involved in the process. This involvement takes a number of forms including individual and group exercise, a self-assessment profile, and a discussion of video taped driving scenarios. Student contributions are written on tear chart pages, which are displayed in the room, overhead slides are also used to assist the instructor in structuring the class. The course is divided into four sessions: each building on previously developed material:
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General Info:
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