WHAT IS MAINE DRIVING DYNAMICS (MDD)?
It is a defensive driving course developed and supported by the Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Highway Safety. It is offered to employee drivers through the Risk Management Division. The five and a half hour course is a combination of lecture, videos, and practical application. Such topics as driver attitudes, safety restraints, impaired drivers; collision avoidance and sharing the road with trucks, campers, and motorcycles are covered. It is considered so effective that upon completion, the student receives a three-point credit on their driver's license through the Secretary of State's Office.
WHY IS RISK MANAGEMENT DIVISION OFFERING THIS COURSE?
It's simple: to reduce the frequency and severity of State vehicle accidents. Consider these loss statistics for State of Maine government: Risk Management Division has paid out over $2 million dollars in vehicle liability claims in the past eight years. These costs are just the tip of the iceberg! Add in the cost of workers' compensation for State employees who are injured in vehicle accidents. Add in the cost of damages to State vehicles. The indication is that this amount has exceeded $2 million dollars in the same time frame, then there are those costs difficult to quantify such as the time spent getting repair estimates, reporting accidents, cooperating with loss adjusters, trying to find a replacement vehicle until yours is repaired. Also, there may be the loss of productivity from your injured employee. The bottom line is that vehicle collisions are costly, time consuming and can be both financially and emotionally devastating for the State and also for the individual employee. Our goal is to prevent collisions from happening in the first place.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND THE COURSE?
Any employee of the State or an organization insured by Risk Management who has to share the road with other drivers, that's who! It's a mad, mad world out there and if you drive on public roads it is likely that you will encounter other drivers who may be stressed out or operating under the influence.
Courses are set up and filled according to the following priority:
- Employees who have had a preventable accident are invited to attend as a condition of continued insurability.
- Employees who spend a considerable amount of work time on the road and are therefore at greater risk.
- Any employees who has occasion to drive on State business.
Note: approval from an employee's supervisor is required in all cases.
WHAT WILL IT COST MY AGENCY?
Risk Management provides the certified trainer(s) and all the course materials at no cost to your organization. (This is the same course that is offered through many adult education classes for a fee !) All your organization has to do is authorize the employee's attendance during work hours.
HOW CAN I TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS TRAINING FOR MY EMPLOYEES?
A supervisor wishing to schedule one or more employees for this training should call Risk Management at 287-3351 or 1-800-525-1252. Classes are generally set up once we have at least 12 people for the class. If you have 12 or more employees to fill a class, we will work with you to set a time, date, and location that is convenient to you and your employees. If you do not have enough employees to fill a class, we will try to locate additional employees and schedule a class in the desired area as soon as enough people are located. Every effort will be made by our office to accommodate your needs.
Click here to view a list of upcoming classes
Feedback about this program has been excellent. We encourage everyone to consider the benefits of this program. It's a win-win program for the State, your agency and employees.