New One More Second® Defensive Driving Course Helps Drivers Combat Distracted Driving

OAKLAND, Calif., April 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- eDriving, the largest provider of online driver training and global driver risk management solutions, has launched the first cross-over defensive driving course for both corporate fleet and consumer audiences. The new One More Second® course and an online distracted driving resource area launched as part of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

The One More Second course and engaging distracted driving content help drivers develop attitudes and behaviors necessary to be in control behind the wheel and are part of eDriving's commitment to addressing the 94 percent of collisions caused by driver behaviors and attitudes. eDriving draws on cognitive and behavioral science to develop cutting-edge tools that break down common misconceptions and empower drivers to improve their driving behavior. 

One More Second® Course

The new online defensive driving course provides families and other drivers with training that builds on eDriving's award-winning work with global corporate clients, including Johnson & Johnson and Nestlé.  The two-hour course appeals to all learning styles using a variety of interactive multimedia to engage drivers, including:

• The industry's first full-motion video "journeys" that help drivers explore the unique hazards of city, highway and urban driving.
• Full-motion video hazard identification exercises that help drivers practice spotting threats before they become unavoidable dangers.
• Frequent knowledge checks to engage the driver and reinforce key concepts.

One More Second emphasizes the critical principles that constitute the foundation of defensive driving including anticipating the actions of others, preparing for the unexpected, being aware of potential threats before they become problems, never assuming that other drivers will do the right thing, and helping drivers understand their own risky behavior.

"One More Second provides a fresh new approach to defensive driving for all drivers, focusing on the attitudes and behaviors that cause nearly all roadway crashes," said Celia Stokes, CEO of eDriving. "Research shows the importance of family cultural context on driving behavior, and the most effective driver training approach involves parent participation. That starts with parents assessing what behaviors they are modeling unwittingly. We highly recommend that every parent of a novice driver take this course alongside their teen to reset some of their own habits and understand the key principles they must teach and reinforce."

The course is available at eDriving.com.  Regularly priced at $25, the course is $18 (more than 25 percent off) in April for Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

Introducing the Seven Stages of Distraction Denial

As part of its efforts to help drivers address distracted driving, eDriving has enlisted Paul Atchley, Ph.D. as its distracted driving behavioral science advisor.  Atchley is a noted brain researcher and driver safety expert at the University of Kansas.  Initial work with Atchley has led to the development of the Seven Stages of Distraction Denial.

"The Seven Stages of Distraction Denial helps drivers confront myths that fuel their own distracted driving demons," said Stokes.  "By knocking down these deceptions that we tell ourselves, we can honestly begin to change our own driving and put safety at the forefront."

Here's an abridged version of the eDriving Seven Stages of Distraction Denial:

Stage 1: I'm a better driver than most.
Stage 2: I'm really good at multitasking.
Stage 3: It's OK to text at stoplights. 
Stage 4: Hands-free calls are OK and no worse than talking to a passenger.
Stage 5: My car's technology makes me safe.
Stage 6: I can't afford to lose productivity in the car or miss out on something.
Stage 7: Acceptance: I accept the truth about distracted driving and am committed to breaking my bad habits.

The all new eDriving Distracted Driving Center includes a full version of the eDriving Seven Stages of Distraction Denial, with graphics, textual explanations, and video interviews with Atchley explaining each stage.

Distracted Driving Quiz – Two Eye-Opening Minutes

To help drivers assess where they are on the spectrum of distraction denial, eDriving has also launched a short Distracted Driving Quiz.

"Our mission is to build smart drivers, and that means confronting the American epidemic of distracted driving," explained Stokes.  "eDriving is uniquely positioned to address the challenge, and we're taking it head on because it's too big a problem to ignore.  We have proven solutions based on cognitive science that have worked for the world's most responsible companies and can work for any and every family."

Dr. Atchley added, "The fact is we fool ourselves by thinking we understand the risks.  And just knowing risk does not change behavior.  Even though drivers consistently rate distracted driving as very risky, they do it anyway.  Lack of driver attention is the most common cause of crashes, and it will only get worse if we do not collectively create a new norm."

About eDriving
eDriving is the largest provider of online driver training and global driver risk management with more than 10 million U.S. consumer customers to date and 700,000 fleet drivers worldwide annually. In addition to providing state-regulated online novice driver training (a.k.a. drivers ed courses and drivers permit certification) and online driver improvement courses (a.k.a. traffic school), our focus is on helping drivers become smarter and safer behind the wheel in close partnership with corporations, fleet services, and insurance companies.  Our mission is to maximize road safety by using technology and online learning expertise to empower smarter, more reliable drivers to be in control of their behavior behind the wheel.  For more, visit www.edriving.com.

eDriving CEO Celia Stokes, Dr. Paul Atchley, Parents, Teens & Professional Driving Instructors available for interviews.

Product Demos available by request.

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SOURCE eDriving