Raymond Kanipe has been teaching defensive driving and DWI classes for 12 years at ADAPT and ABC Defensive Driving in Corpus Christi. He took over ownership of the business last year. Photo by Jane Kathleen Gregorio
When issued a traffic ticket, a common way to mitigate the cost is to enroll in a defensive driving school. But what happens to those caught driving while intoxicated — not just once but several times? Driving classes can still help, said Raymond Kanipe, owner and director of ADAPT and ABC Defensive Driving School in Corpus Christi.
According to Kanipe, law enforcement in Nueces County makes about 1,000 driving while intoxicated arrests per year.
“About one-third of those will be repeat offenders at some point in the future,” he said. “The purpose of our DWI classes is to drop those numbers down.”
Statewide, statistics show people who take their first DWI education class are 50 percent less likely to be repeat offenders. DWI classes emphasize how driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs can impact and destroy their lives and others.
“These classes are designed to help people make more responsible decisions and understand that the true effects of alcohol and drugs is not just on themselves but also impacts their families,” Kanipe said. “Alcohol and drug use is a generational issue. If you can stop this, you can change the whole line of your family for the next generation.”
ADAPT and ABC Defensive Driving School has provided the Corpus Christi community with driver safety education programs since 1990. It is certified by the Texas Department of License and Regulations as well as the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Intervention Program in Texas.
The DWI classes for repeat offenders teach people how to change, if and when they’re ready.
“A lot of people are ready but don’t know how,” Kanipe said. “We teach them how to do an action plan and take things one day at a time.”
While most first-time DWI offenders self-correct and don’t let this happen again, repeat offenders need more help to prevent a re-occurrence.
“We teach them responsibility and controlling it themselves before their privileges are taken away and they are forced into a treatment program,” Kanipe continued. “A lot of people respond well to that, and those that don’t — and there will always be those — will be subject to the laws governed by the state.”
DWI repeat offender classes are offered statewide by many different companies and even by probation officers. Kanipe and his staff try to provide a different atmosphere that sets them apart from the rest.
“Instead of coming down at them, we try to take a more understanding approach,” he said. “We find that clients are more willing to listen and become more aware of their problems.”
The educational programs at ABC Defensive Driving include:
• a victim impact panel on how collisions caused by intoxicated drivers affected the victims and their families
• an educational program for minors that teaches the consequences of alcohol and drug abuse.
• an anger management program
• a variety of online courses pertaining to safety, OSHA standards and continuing education classes for professionals
ABC Defensive Driving also offers on-site training for companies and city and county entities. Kanipe and his staff have helped area schools with Red Ribbon Week, an alcohol, tobacco, drug and violence prevention and awareness campaign.
Feedback from clients about his programs are mostly positive, Kanipe said. Discussions are lively and interesting as instructors dispel myths with facts.
“What sets ABC apart from other defensive driving schools is while the majority of others try to be comedy clubs, we approach from a ‘safety’ standpoint,” he explained. “Many have told me our class wasn't what they expected — that they actually enjoyed it.”
The drive to help repeat offenders recover from addiction has personal meaning for Kanipe, who himself has experienced tragedy at the hands of DWI offenders. His grandfather was killed while walking on a sidewalk by an intoxicated driver. He also lost several friends in high school who died drinking and driving.
“As I see it, prison or jail does not fix anything, it just punishes people,” he said. “I wanted to do something about it.”
His innate ability to talk to people turned into a job at ABC Defensive Driving, where he’s worked for 12 years. Last year, he took over ownership of the business. In the future, Kanipe hopes to expand the school to Kleberg, San Patricio and Jim Wells counties.
For those who are suffering from addiction and continue to drive while intoxicated, Kanipe has two questions for them.
“What happens when you don’t stop, and what happens when you do stop?” he asked. “My goal is for people to be happy, healthy and alive.”
ADAPT and ABC Defensive Driving is located inside Sunrise Mall at 5858 South Padre Island Drive, Suite #111. For more information, call (361) 985-8598 or go to adaptabc.com.
