Defensive Driving Training

Safe Driving Saves Lives, Protects Property

Defensive driving goes beyond following traffic laws and procedures. It involves anticipating situations, rather than reacting to them, and making safe, well-informed decisions based on road and environmental conditions.

Defensive driving means understanding a vehicle’s capabilities and limitations, and maintaining control while maneuvering it away from hazards.

Training drivers to be safe helps reduce the number and severity of auto collisions and crashes. Fewer and less severe auto incidents leads to lower costs for repairing damaged vehicles and reduces injuries to employees and citizens. No one wants to see co-workers or citizens injured.

Auto physical damage claims continue to be the most frequently reported loss by members.

Driver's perspective while driving on a highway: close up of side mirror, hand on steering wheel and view from windshield and side window

MCIT Offers No-cost Defensive Driving Training for Members

The defensive driving training offered to members through MCIT is designed for those employees who drive as part of their job duties on behalf of the member organization.

MCIT offers two formats for defensive driving training: online and onsite. The options are provided through Minnesota Safety Council at no charge as part of MCIT membership.

Note: Members looking to provide general safe driving instruction and information to its employees regardless if they drive on behalf of the member for business are referred to the Minnesota Safety Council’s options.

  • Female asks a question in a meeting in the office.MCIT pays for up to two sessions of on-site training for defensive driving per member per year. Additional sessions can be scheduled at a cost to the member
    • When a member requests two sessions, they must be scheduled for the same day.
  • Each on-site session requires a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 30 participants.
  • The programs provide students with written materials, the chance to ask questions and certificates of completion.*
  • To cancel an on-site class, members must give five days of notice or be subject to a cancellation fee.

Classes meet members’ needs for these driver and vehicle types:

  • Experienced Drivers/Passenger Vehicles
  • Maintenance Vehicles/Highway Departments
  • Multiple Passenger Vehicles/Vans and Buses

The curricula include discussions about:

  • Safe driving behavior, practices and strategies
  • Factors that impair safety
  • Specific issues related to city and rural driving
  • The effects of motor vehicle accidents on the employer and employee

For more information about defensive driving training, members should contact MCIT.

Focused attentive woman in headphones sits at desk with laptop, looks at screen, makes notes, learns foreign language in internet, online study course, self-education on web, consults client by videoOnline defensive driving training is available through a partnership with the Minnesota Safety Council’s free streaming video service. This is not an interactive course.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Select a defensive driving training video from multiple choices among the streaming videos.
  2. Once chosen, assign the video to an individual viewer/employee with a special login. The individual has access to the video for one week.
  3. The assigning person can send a quiz to the viewer. This can serve as both a tool to show understanding of the material and give proof the video has been watched and offer a record.

The person assigning the training video must have both a login and password for the Minnesota Safety Council website and access to the streaming video website. See instructions below.

If the user has already opted in to using the streaming video service, proceed to “Create a Watch List and Choose Videos.”

Streaming Video Website Login

  1. Send a request to join the streaming video service and your contact information to Bridget Kelly at the Minnesota Safety Council at 651.228.7307 or bridget.kelly@minnesotasafetycouncil.org.
  2. Kelly sends a username and password to you to log in to the training video site.

Create a Watch List and Choose Videos

  1. Click on Members Only in top right of MinnesotaSafetyCouncil.org.
  2. Click “Stream a Video” link.
  3. Log in to the video streaming site with the username and password provided by the Safety Council.
  4. Create a watch list by clicking on the account button in the top right and then choose “add a watch list.”
  5. Choose a name for the watch list and click “create.”
  6. Once you have a watch list, use the “find videos” tab near the top left of the screen to search for videos.
  7. In the dropdown menu of categories, select “safety,” and then choose “driving.” This takes you to several options for driving safety videos.
  8. Choose a video, and assign it to a watch list using the dropdown list of watch lists and the “add to watch list” button. You can download the leader guides for a quiz, answer key, and/or a list of key points from the video.

NOTE: Clicking on the “add to watch list” button, prompts a box asking if you are sure you want to rent the title. Click “Yes,” as you have unlimited no-cost rentals.

Assign a Viewer to a Watch List

  1. Under the account tab near the top right of the screen, select “Viewers.”
  2. On the viewer tab, you have the option to “Create Viewer.” It will prompt you to enter the viewer’s first and last name, and will provide you with a unique access code the viewer can use to access the site. It also allows you to assign particular watch lists to the viewer.
  3. Enter the information and select the appropriate watch list for the viewer.
  4. Provide the viewer with the access code and direct them to TrainingVideoNow.com. The website should direct the viewer to the video after logging in.

Three Keys to Safe Driving, Driving Defensively—Prepare, Anticipate & Defend (17 minutes): Focuses on defensive driving topics to help avoid accidents and prevent injuries.

Driving Defensively (17 minutes): Covers defensive driving topics and situations. This video has been used for MCIT member online defensive driver training in the past.

Choices: Safe Driving (23 minutes): Offers significant information about distracted driving and choices drivers make to keep themselves and others safe. This was developed for California drivers, so some of the laws and regulations may differ from Minnesota.

Not with the current system. However entities can purchase from the Minnesota Safety Council access to an electronic learning management system that works with these and other programs. This option is at an individual member’s own expense but at a reduced member rate.

There is a quiz for each video available by download (as part of the leader guide) that can be used to prove proficiency in the material and proof of viewing if desired. You can also create your own quiz based on the material for employees to complete after or while watching the video.

It is up to the individual entity to set its own parameters if it chooses to require employees to complete a quiz.

Another option is to require employees to sign a statement saying that they have viewed the video using the downloadable form.

An individual video can be accessed for one week once it has been assigned to a viewer. Members have an unlimited number of no-cost rentals, so they may be assigned (“rented”) again if needed.

No. Each entity can establish its own use and access procedures to best suit its needs. All program administration is done by the entity and accessed directly through the training video Web portal.

Related Resources

Many driving-related resources are available in Resources, including:

  • Videos
  • Quick Takes on Safety (mini training scripts and employee handouts)
  • Deer-vehicle collision prevention materials

Visit Resources and filter using the keyword, topic or type options to find what you need.