Frequently Asked Questions

Question: How can I train my employees myself?

Answer: Identify the program you would like to teach.  Contact the National Safety Council or your local Chapter to attend and Instructor Course and register as a Training Center.  If the program does not require a certified instructor you can purchase the program and begin training immediately.

Question: Who can become a certified instructor?

Answer: Any individual who successfully completes an Instructor Course, teaches two probationary classes and is associated with a registered training center can become a certified instructor.

Question: Which courses require instructor certification?

Answer: Currently six Defensive Driving Courses require certification: DDC-8/6, DDC-4, DDC-Attitudinal Dynamics of Driving (ADD), DDC-Alive at 25, DDC-Professional Truck Driver and DDC-Coaching the Mature Driver.  Only registered training centers can offer these courses.

Question: What is a DDC Training Center?

Answer: A training center is an organization that has agreed, in writing, to present our program as they are written.  You can qualify as a training center by signing and agreement to teach our programs, purchasing a teaching kit, leasing our videos if required, employing a certified instructor and following the published rules and procedures.

Question: Are there different kinds of Training Centers?

Answer:

• There are two types of Training Centers - Public and Private.
• A Public Training Center is an organization authorized to present Defensive Driving Courses to the public and to the employees of private organizations.
• A Private Training Center is an organization authorized to train its own employees.

Question: Why must instructors be certified?

Answer: This ensures that our driver improvement programs are taught consistently throughout the country according to the National Safety Council’s Defensive Driving Course’s Manual of Rules and Procedures.

Question: Are completion cards available?

Answer: All Defensive Driving programs offer certificates of course completion.  One certificate of completion is provided to the Training Center with the purchase of each student workbook.

Question: How long are the courses?

Answer: Course times vary from four to eight hours (certified programs), and one to six hours (non-certified), depending upon the program you choose.

Question: How can I find a Defensive Driving Course in my area?

Answer: You can view the schedule of instructor courses and a searchable database of training centers on our website at Training Center Near You or call the National Safety Council at 1-800-621-7619 for a referral.

Question: Can a certified instructor teach more than one course?

Answer: Guidelines have been established which allow Training Centers to upgrade a certified DDC instructor to more than one course.  The basic guidelines are:

• All requests to upgrade a certified instructor must be made by the Training Center, not the instructor.
• The instructor must hold current valid credentials and be competent in their base NSC-DDC program.
• The Training Center must have a current agreement on file and a current video lease for the program the instructor is being upgraded to.
• The candidate instructor must successfully complete an instructor course for the course they wish to teach.
• The Training Center must submit an upgrade card for each instructor being considered.
• Call 1-800-621-6244 for more information on upgrading an instructor.

Question: Why lease the videos?

Answer: Currently DDC-8/6, DDC-4, DDC-Alive at 25 and DDC-Professional Truck Driver include a video that must be leased on an annual basis.  This ensures that your video set stays up-to-date.  As new videos are developed they are automatically sent to you at no extra charge to implement in your program.

Question: What forms do I need to submit to apply for Training Center status?

Answer:

• A completed Public or Private Training Center Agreement
• An order for a Teaching Package for each program applying to teach
• Verification of instructor credentials
• A National Safety Council Membership Application form (if you are already a member, please include you Membership ID number on your Training Center Agreement.)

Question: Where can I get more information?

Answer: Call 1-800-621-6244 or your local Chapter