Interesting take. I haven't done one of these courses myself, but your experience kinda lines up with what I've heard from friends. Seems like the insurance discount is the real draw here, rather than any lasting changes to driving habits.
Personally, as someone who's into classic cars, I've always wondered if these defensive driving courses actually address the differences in handling older vehicles. Modern cars have all these safety features—ABS, traction control, lane assist—but classics? You're pretty much relying on your own reflexes and awareness. I remember a buddy of mine took a similar course and said it was all geared toward newer cars, so he didn't feel it translated well when he hopped back into his '68 Mustang.
Makes me curious if anyone else here drives an older car regularly and has taken one of these courses. Did you find the advice applicable, or was it mostly common-sense stuff that didn't really fit your situation? I'm open-minded about giving it a shot for the insurance savings alone, but I'm skeptical about how much practical benefit I'd get driving my old Chevy around town.
Totally get where you're coming from. Took one of those defensive driving courses last year before my big cross-country road trip (saved a decent bit on insurance, too). Honestly though, it felt super generic—mostly tips like "don't tailgate" or "check your mirrors regularly." Not exactly groundbreaking stuff, especially if you're used to handling an older car without modern assists. My old Volvo wagon handles way differently than newer cars, and the course definitely didn't cover those quirks...still worth it for the discount alone, though.
Haha, I feel you on the generic advice—those courses definitely aren't tailored for us classic car folks. My '68 Mustang doesn't exactly have lane assist or ABS brakes, so "checking mirrors" is the least of my worries...but hey, I'll gladly sit through it for cheaper insurance.
"My '68 Mustang doesn't exactly have lane assist or ABS brakes, so 'checking mirrors' is the least of my worries..."
Haha, seriously...those courses are definitely built for modern rides. But hey, cheaper insurance means more gas money for road trips, right? Worth the boredom for a few extra miles down the highway.
I took one of those courses a couple years back—can't say it was thrilling, but yeah, the savings were pretty noticeable on my monthly bill. And honestly, I'd trade a couple hours of boredom for extra cash in my gas budget any day. Older cars might not benefit much from the safety tips, but hey, every dollar counts when you're keeping a classic running smoothly...and gas ain't getting cheaper these days.
