RICHMOND, VA – The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has recently certified the Commonwealth's newest approved Driver Improvement Clinics, VirginiaDriverImprovementClinicOnline.com, providing a new alternative to Virginia motorists who want to remove points from their driving records or obtain an insurance discount.
The new Driver Improvement Clinic—including the Internet-based Online Driver Improvement Clinic and a classroom version of the course—were created, designed, and produced by Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc. (TSC). With regional headquarters in Fairfax, Va., the company for the past 33 years has been one of the nation's largest providers of traffic safety education. TSC has developed a variety of professionally-designed classroom and "home study" (Internet, booklet, and video-based) products, and offers them to drivers nationwide.
Gentilucci reported that TSC's classroom lesson plans, which will soon be taught in locations throughout the Commonwealth, encourage instructors to use humorous anecdotes, educational videos, and visual presentations to aid retention. Students are also provided an illustrated workbook, which closely mirrors the lesson plan and is theirs to keep following the class. He commented:
"We believe that the first law of communication is to get someone's attention, and the first law of education is retention. If students don't retain the information you provide them, you've failed. Our experience has shown that using comedy and multi-media as learning tools is highly effective in capturing students' attention and enabling them to absorb and retain the material."
In announcing VirginiaDriverImprovementClinicOnline.com, Lawrence Gentilucci, TSC's Director of Operations, remarked: "TSC strives to provide programs that are interesting, educational, and easy to use, and our Online Driver Improvement Clinic is consistent with that theme." He noted that the whimsical, easy-to-read text is supplemented with informative photos, colorful charts and illustrations, and streaming video clips that engage the student and thoroughly explain the subject matter. Most importantly, he stressed, the online program is simple enough to navigate that even new Internet users can breeze through the course.
Gentilucci said prospective students can register for either course through TSC's website, www.VirginiaDriverImprovementClinicOnline.com, or by calling toll-free 1-800-252-6551.