For decades, I have written almost 1,000 articles on vehicle and traffic laws and traffic safety, and I frequently discuss traffic safety issues with many people, including those in law enforcement. I also realize the importance of taking a periodic course to review new and existing traffic laws, traffic control devices and traffic safety in general for all drivers.

These refresher courses are readily available. Every three years, I take one from AARP called “Smart Driver.” It not only provides a review of driving safety, but I also earn a 10% reduction in the base rate of my automobile liability and collision insurance that is good for three years. It also reduces up to four driver points on your license if you need it.

Another advantage for me is to learn what other people are saying about their own driving incidents and how they assess their own driving. Discussions often include their views on how others drive. Ideas for these weekly articles on traffic law and safety often originate from listening to other drivers discuss their driving experiences or pet peeves.

However, currently there is no requirement to take any driver refresher course. This means drivers in New York State can drive for decades without any review of existing laws, changes in laws, or new ones. Or new automobile technology, new traffic control devices and many other things that all drivers should know.

Many professions come with requirements to take periodic refresher courses or receive professional development credits, including engineers, school bus drivers, doctors, nurses and physical therapists, to name a few. Many of these required credits are available online. If ultimately mandated, driver refresher credits also could be available online, but nothing beats the in-class experience.

In last week’s article, I discussed a new initiative called 30×30 — proposed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The goal is to reduce fatalities and serious injuries by 30% by 2030, a difficult goal at best, but perhaps achievable with some new laws and technology in vehicles that could mitigate serious crashes.

However, I did not mention adding a requirement for periodic, mandatory refresher courses — I should have. This requirement should be a tool to help all of us become better and safer drivers, and to get us closer to the goal of 30×30.

Yes, this would be a slight inconvenience to drivers, and it would come with a nominal cost. But even though we think we are good drivers, we really aren’t — we do things that cause or contribute to more than 40,000 deaths a year from vehicle crashes. The cost and inconvenience of taking a periodic refresher course, if it helps us be better drivers, is worth it. If you don’t think so, consider what is the cost of a life.