Henrico Small Business Spotlight: Accelerating Drivers

“Driving is a privilege, and driving has its privileges.”

That’s the message from Aljanette Hall – an Eastern Henrico native looking to support locals through her business, Accelerating Drivers. 

Driven by a hunger to help others, Hall serves a variety of roles in the community. She works as a patient access representative for VCU Medical Center and mentors teen girls with the non-profit Mirror Mode, but her solo venture is Accelerating Drivers. She started the company in 2022 as a way to help drivers “move along and level up” through her online driver improvement class.

“I don't know what it was, but I kind of always had some type of interest in having a driving school,” Hall said.

When you sign up for Hall’s $75 class, you receive a link that gives you exclusive access to her course – one that includes informational materials followed by a multiple choice test. The entire class is self-paced, and you have 90 days to complete it once you sign up. The course covers a wide-variety of topics, but even the most seasoned drivers likely willl learn something new.

What would you say, for instance, if someone asked you where your hands should be positioned on the steering wheel? If you said 10 and 2 o’clock, you wouldn’t be alone.

“I've automatically just thought over all of these years that it was still 10 and 2, but it's actually 9 and 3 now,” Hall says. “The National Traffic Safety Administration, they go in and they update their recommendations over time. And so it's good to stay abreast of what's going on out there.”

You will receive a certificate from Accelerating Drivers once you’ve passed the class, and Hall will communicate your success to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. What happens next depends upon your individual circumstances.

The DMV relies on a point system to rate drivers, and you get one “safe driving” point each year you hold a valid Virginia driver's license and drive without any violations or suspensions. Unsafe driving, on the other hand, leads to the accumulation of “demerit” points.

“Demerit points are assigned when you are convicted of a traffic violation,” according to the DMV website. “The demerit points associated with a conviction remain valid for two years from the date you commit the offense.

“Demerit points can add up. Each time you commit a traffic offense, DMV adds additional demerit points to your record. This can add up to big trouble for some drivers.”

If you voluntarily take the Accelerating Drivers course, you will receive five safe driving points – the maximum a driver can accumulate. Hall says this can be very helpful for people who want to improve their driving record after some past violations and may even help you get lower insurance rates.

“With the rates kind of skyrocketing after COVID, this would also be another good reason to take the course because they do like to see that their drivers are safe drivers,” Hall says. “So, if you inquire or you're just shopping around for insurance rates, that would be some information you would want to volunteer and say, ‘Hey, I voluntarily took an online driver improvement course, and I was awarded the additional five safe driving points.’”

You are only allowed to take a driver improvement course once every two years, Hall says. And if you are forced to take the class, your post-class benefits may look different.

“If you are REQUIRED by the court to attend a driver improvement clinic, the court will determine if you are to be awarded safe driving points,” according to the DMV website. “You must present documentation from the court to the driver improvement clinic that you attend before DMV can award points. Safe driving points will not be awarded if the clinic does not receive this documentation.”

But Hall has a pro tip. If someone tells her they got a ticket for the first time in a long time, she recommends they take her course and go to court – even if it’s not required.

“You want to take the course first before you even go to court,” Hall says. “If you wait until you go to court and then the judge orders it, you don't get those points. But if you take the course in advance, you will get those points because you've taken it voluntarily.

“So, that's one of the things I highly recommend because, again, you'll get those points, and then, more than likely, the judge might throw [the charge] out.”

If you’re interested in learning more about Accelerating Drivers or have any questions about the course, visit the company's website or reach out to Hall here.

“I'm a person who loves to help people,” Hall says. “I want to see people succeed and be their best and not take advantage of people, and so if there's any way that I can help, then that's what I'm there for.”