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Police Community Programs

Drive Safe Sacramento

Police Community Programs

Drive Safe Sacramento

Drive Safe Sacramento (DSS) is an exclusive driver's training program committed to teaching the driving skills necessary to become a safe, defensive driver. The most important aspect of driver's education is SAFETY.

Our instructors are highly trained in every aspect of controlling a vehicle and can teach the latest in defensive driving techniques. The students will be provided with the skills necessary for safe driving on today's roads.

Drive Safe Sacramento is a hands-on program for young drivers, drivers who would like a refresher, and public safety employees, run by first responder personnel. Here at DSS we offer closed course driving which gives the instructor and the student the opportunity to manipulate and control the training in order to place you in specialized situations that will help you sharpen your defensive driving skills. At DSS we are able to offer extensive training in developing skid control skills, how to react in oversteer and understeer conditions, safe driving in on wet roads, maneuvering your vehicle while sliding, ABS braking with ability to turn ABS on and off and many more exercises that will help our students be excellent defensive drivers.

Drive Safe Sacramento is a course in safe driving. Our goal is to foster experience and raise awareness about the dangers of driving specific to young drivers. Regardless of the program that you are interested in you are guaranteed expert training with experienced and very knowledgeable instructors who are all certified by the Peace Officers Standards and Training Department. The in-service courses are specialized to meet P.O.S.T. requirements. The civilian courses will be instrumental to students who want to learn how to be safe drivers with defensive driving skills. Our course will offer training in areas that are not offered by common driving schools such as our skid car, driving on the wet track, high speed braking and accident avoidance all of which are not matched by any other driving school in the region.

The Drive Safe Sacramento (DSS) facility was created in 1976 for in-house officers by the head Sergeant of the Major Vehicle Collision division who assisted in developing an innovative and concentrated program, which has truly advanced into a remarkable training program. Some of these same instructors that aided in the development of the program over 30 years ago continue to train in driver safety at DSS. The instructors are active/retired fire fighters and police officers with over 100 years of combined service specific to driver training. Most of our excellent instructors are former traffic officers who have first hand experience with the ways of the road.

The following are a few of the reasons why Drive Safe Sacramento is the right program for your driver training needs.

First and foremost, we offer fun, friendly, interactive, and extremely valuable classroom and behind the wheel training. When you take a course from us, you will immediately feel the comfortable atmosphere and no-pressure instruction that will give you the confidence you need to learn.
Our instructors are all duly appointed State of California public safety personnel from both fire and law enforcement specialties. They have a vested interest in creating a safe traffic environment and are experts in motor vehicle laws.
DSS offers more teaching experience than anywhere else in the region with over 100 years of combined driver training experience.
When taking an DSS course, you will be part of a small group where training can be specialized for your greatest areas of need. Our goal is not just to have you complete the course, rather we make every effort to provide one-on-one training for your driving safety and education. We make sure you leave DSS that you have a complete understanding of every aspect of your course.
Being behind-the-wheel is an unparalleled experience giving you the thrill of high-speed lane changes, swerving through the skid pan, instantaneous braking at accelerated levels of speed, and experiencing accident avoidance situations.

"The principal factor that makes DSS the best in business is our emphasis on the importance of offering the student hands on training. We strongly believe in hands on behind the wheel training that positively contributes to the students understanding of the safety concepts that we teach and builds confidence and awareness of the student." - Training Staff, Drive Safe Sacramento

Schedule

The New Drivers and Supplemental Training courses are offered Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. The cost is $250, payable up front. A typical course consists of 10 students per class with 1 hour of classroom lecture covering laws, rules of the road and videos and 7 hours of behind-the-wheel training on the various courses. Students in these courses typically are excused for a one-hour lunch. There are various eating establishments located in the vicinity of the DSS facility.

We currently are not offering any public courses. For future training dates, please periodically refer to this web page which will be updated once we are able to offer these courses again.

Upcoming training dates (TBD)

The Fire Training courses are two days and typically offered Monday through Thursday, beginning at 7:00 a.m. and ending at 5:00 p.m.

The Law Enforcement Training courses are two days and typically offered Tuesday through Friday, beginning at 7:00 a.m. and ending at 5:00 p.m.

Unfortunately, DSS is unable to offer any public courses at this time. This page will be updated with scheduling information once training sessions resume.

Program rules and guidelines

Drivers who participate in the course will be required to show proof of a valid drivers license. No permits will be allowed for training.
Drivers will be required to sign waivers prior to the beginning of the class.
Wear neat, clean, appropriate clothing. Shorts, sweat suits or jogging suits, tank tops, halter tops, or clothing which is torn, soiled or displays offensive language or symbols shall not be allowed.
Drivers shall conduct themselves in a civil and courteous manner at all times.
Drivers must wear their seat belts at all times while in the training car.
No tape recordings, cameras, or similar devices are allowed without prior approval.
Failure to comply with any of the above listed rules and guidelines will result in the immediate termination from the program.

Instructors

The instructors at Drive Safe Sacramento are all Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certified, with several of our instructors dual-certified in Coaching the Emergency Vehicle Operator (CEVO). All instructors are certified in Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC), Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT), Skid Car, Driving Simulator, and Training Academy instruction. Drive Safe Sacramento instructors average nearly 30 years each of service in law enforcement or fire service experience. Our instructors have gone through years of rigorous training in EVOC, PIT, and various other facets of driver training.

A full-time staff of driving instructors provides expert instruction utilizing adult learning concepts in precision driving, skid pan, pursuit mobilization technique, and code-3/pursuit driving.

Training courses

There are four different types of training offered. Find out the ways we can make your driver training experience a pleasant one. We will give you the skills necessary for safe and defensive driving. Choose the program that fits your needs:

New driver

If you are a new driver, find out in the New Driver section the ways we can make your driver training experience a pleasant one. We'll give you the skills necessary for safe and defensive driving.

Car accidents are the No. 1 killer of teenagers in the United States. Teens who drive with other teens stand a greater chance of having a fatal accident than those who drive alone.

Teen drivers need to get as much experience as possible after getting their learner's permit or driver's license. As a parent, you are in the unique position of being able to give your child proper driving skills. At Drive Safe Sacramento, we are your partners in providing your teen with the knowledge and experience they will need to effectively react to various driving situations. In many states, completing a driver's education class results in lower automobile insurance costs for the teen. Enroll your child in a driver's education class today!

While many teens are aware of the dangers of drinking and driving, other distractions can be just as deadly. Teen drivers make up only 7% of the driving population, they are involved in 14% of fatal crashes. Traffic crashes are the number one cause of death for people ages 15-19. It is important to help your teen become a safe driver. A recent study, which surveyed more than 5,000 high school students, found the following:

90 percent of teens said friends in the car distracted the driver
89 percent of teens said their friends used cell phones while they drove
79 percent of teens said passengers or the driver danced and sang in the car
20 percent of ninth- through 11th-graders have been involved in at least one crash as a passenger in the last year

"The message that teens have gotten is that drinking and driving are a problem, but it's so much more than that. Distractions are huge." - Dr. Flaura Winston of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Supplemental training

Our Supplemental training is designed for those who would like to brush up on their skills. Or maybe it has been awhile since you've been behind the wheel. Either way we've got you covered and offer the training you need to refine the driver skills you already possess.

You must have a valid California driver's license in order to take this class.

A typical course consists of 10 students per class in 1 hour of classroom lecture covering laws, rules of the road and videos combined with 7 hours of behind-the-wheel training on the various courses, which includes:

Precision driving at low speeds
Threshold braking
Offset backing which helps the driver be aware of front end swing
Parallel parking
Diminishing lane
T-box which includes a combination of learning rear wheel cheat/front end swing while focusing on vehicle positioning
Slow speed serpentine forward
Lane change/accident avoidance at 45 miles per hour
Offset forward driving which focuses on rear wheel cheat and front end swing
Skid pan/skid recovery
180 bootleg turnaround focusing on proper vehicle position, rear wheel cheat and front end swing with the proper amount of steering in and out

You can receive the listed training above through our one-day eight-hour course for $250

Fire service personnel

Our Fire training is geared toward fire department employees. We give you the skills you need in your fire fighting career and offer continuous driver training no matter your agency size.

Fire service personnel often train on low-frequency, high-risk skills. Driving is a daily skill that is high risk, high frequency. The need to train and develop safe driving skills and habits are essential to the safety of the fire professional, as well as, the public. Tactical driving skills and awareness are necessary in mitigating dangerous distractions that accompany code 3 driving. The driver must have the training, skill, and confidence to make instantaneous driving decisions.

At DSS, a full-time staff of driving instructors provides expert instruction in defensive driving, skid pan, accident avoidance, braking techniques, and commercial placement.

DSS offers a variety of courses for the fire professional of all skill levels. The fire professional that is in the beginning stages of their career, as well as, the seasoned veteran who have some experience driving and want to improve their skills and understanding of vehicle dynamics. All of our courses are intensive and skill based that build upon each other developing your driving skill and improving driving awareness.

Courses include:

Emergency Vehicle Driver Training ($450/day)
Off Road / Vehicle Recovery ($450/day)
Commercial Vehicle Training ($450/day)
Driver Instructor Training (call for quote)
Driver Remedial Training (call for quote)
In-Service Training

At DSS, you will receive fire service specific driver's training from the top professionals from the Sacramento Fire Department (SFD). SFD is nationally recognized as the leader in fire services drivers training. SFD started EVOC training in 1994 concurrently with it's Advanced Life Support (ALS) program. The Accident Frequency Rate (AFR - Number of chargeable accidents for every million miles) for 1994 for SFD was 46.2 for all vehicles and 88.0 for medic units. The national average for fire departments in that same year was 28. By 1999 SFD's accident frequency rate was 18.5 for all vehicles and 14.4 for medic units, and through 2018 has averaged around 10-12 for all vehicles.

All of SFD's fire personnel must complete training in skid pan, accident avoidance, braking, lane change, commercial placement, interference drills and high speed corning prior to completing the fire academy. Once they are on line they must complete EVOC every 2 years. DSS facilities are partnered with the Sacramento Regional Driver Training Facility.

Law enforcement personnel

For sworn law enforcement personnel, we take you through the drills you need to make it through your law enforcement career and offer continuous driver training no matter your agency size. Our courses also fulfill the P.O.S.T. Emergency Vehicle Operations Training mandated every two years for sworn personnel.

DSS offers a variety of courses for the law enforcement professional. We offer courses for persons who have some experience driving and want to improve their skills and understanding of vehicle dynamics. All our courses are intensive and require participants to find their own limits as well as the limits of the vehicles. Courses include:

9-hour In-Service Drivers Update ($284)
18-hour In-Service Drivers Update ($450)
24-hour Driver Awareness Instructor Course ($624)
40-hr Driver Instructor Course ($1,095)
One-day P.I.T. Instructor School ($250)
Specialized Remedial Training (call for quote)

A full-time staff of driving instructors provides expert instruction in precision driving, skid pan, pursuit immobilization technique, code-3/pursuit driving.

Active Law Enforcement personnel are mandated by the Police Officers Standards and Training division to attend driver training update every two years in order to be in compliance. Check with your departments training division to ensure you are meeting P.O.S.T. mandates by sending your officers through mandatory training every two years.

This training course is designed to reinforce the techniques of the Law Enforcement Emergency Vehicle Operation (LEEVO) through hands-on training and demonstration. The student will be required to respond to a law enforcement emergency response situation. The student will initiate an emergency response with full emergency equipment and radio communication. The student will demonstrate the proper evasive driving techniques while avoiding all road hazards and properly clearing intersections. The emergency response will ultimately result in a pursuit situation. The student must demonstrate the basic fundamentals to safely control a vehicle at all times, but especially while in a pursuit situation. The knowledge gained, along with the techniques and skills learned during this course of training, will help the law enforcement agent/officer read the road, plan ahead, and safely operate a law enforcement vehicle while performing law enforcement-specific tasks. You may download the complete Law Enforcement In-Service Driver Training Course Outline.

DSS facilities are partnered with the Sacramento Regional Driver Training Facility. Since the program commenced in 1976 our in house accident rates have been lowered by nearly 100%.

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