Michigan Drive Safe Expands Basic Driver Improvement Course Offerings to Reach Diverse Population of Michigan Drivers

TROY, Mich., July 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Under Michigan's Basic Driver Improvement program which launched earlier this year, if you get a traffic ticket, you may be eligible to take a Basic Driver Improvement Course (BDIC) online and trade your points for education. Since the program launch in January, thousands of Michigan drivers have taken advantage of this new program and completed their training with Michigan Drive Safe. These drivers elected to complete a defensive driving course online to avoid having points added to their driving records and reported to insurance companies; and to become safer, better educated drivers in the process.

"We're proud of this course and thrilled with the feedback we're receiving from students, but we wanted to make sure we were reaching out to drivers across the entire state," says Michigan Drive Safe President Brian Makowski. "Program awareness and participation is still lower than in other states, so we're trying new ways to reach out to drivers to educate them about this program and let them know that it is accessible to everyone. We're a Michigan-based small business with a support staff made up of local, Michigan-based employees, and we're trying to do our own small part to promote Michigan business and educate Michigan drivers and consumers to make the roads safer for everyone."

Michigan Drive Safe created an informative 5-minute video webcast called the "BDIC Buzz" to explain the program and educate drivers about the process and benefits of participating. The educational webcast is available online at www.midrivesafe.com/education or http://m.youtube.com/midrivesafe for mobile users.

In response to demand, the company is now offering the BDIC in Spanish and has included closed captioning, for the hearing impaired, in both the English and Spanish versions. "It was important to us to increase the general accessibility of our course offering in order to reach the broadest audience possible," said Makowski.

The Spanish language version of the course offers the same training session for Spanish-speaking individuals and offers over three hours of comprehensive Spanish narration to program participants.  The course has several Spanish narrators, and all accompanying videos and animations are subtitled.

The new closed captioning feature means that audio is not mandatory for a user to complete the online BDIC. All videos and animations within the program have accompanying closed caption text.  All narration is written out on the screen for each lesson in the course. The hearing impaired and students without computer speakers will be able to reap the full content benefits of the program.

Feedback and comments from students who have completed the Basic Driver Improvement Course have been fantastic.  "We receive positive comments and stories on a weekly basis from Michigan drivers completing our online course.  From the mother who now buckles her kids in when driving them home from school, to an elated driver whose defensive actions may have saved the life of her 6 year old child when they were hit by a distracted driver, we are confident that this course is making a real and positive impact on the behaviors of Michigan drivers," Makowski said.

Michigan residents interested in completing the Basic Driver Improvement Course should be aware that eligibility is determined after the drivers settle their ticket with the court. If they are found eligible, they will receive a letter from the Michigan Department of State informing them that they can complete the training program within 60 days.

About O/E Learning -- Michigan Drive Safe

Michigan Drive Safe (www.midrivesafe.com) is a division of O/E Learning, Inc. (O/E), a Michigan-based training company headquartered in Troy, Michigan (www.oelearning.com). O/E has served businesses and educated people in the business community in Michigan, across the United States, and globally since 1984.   Michigan Drive Safe aims to provide defensive driving education to prevent injuries and save lives on Michigan's roads.

SOURCE Michigan Drive Safe