CompletelyOnline.com(R) - Biometrics Shaking Up Internet Defensive Driving in NY

NEW YORK, Sept. 8 -- The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles has approved the CompletelyOnline biometric face recognition method for student ID validation for use in its Internet defensive driving pilot program. Unlike other biometric methods also approved for the pilot, CompletelyOnline has the unique ability to authenticate a student's identity much the same way his identity would be authenticated in a classroom course. This distinction has already made a big change to New York's online defensive driving industry: The first course sponsor to use CompletelyOnline has been approved to deliver an online course with no graded exams - a first in the nation.

By submitting an image of the driver's license along with the biometric sample of his face, the student is proving his identity over the Internet the same way he would be proving his identity in person. "Face recognition is the ideal solution for distance learning applications for several reasons," says Armen GeoSimonian, President and CEO of CompletelyOnline.com . "The face is both the only human-readable biometric characteristic and the only biometric characteristic that can be authenticated against a driver's license. It is truly the closest thing to being in the classroom."

The New York Safety Program (NYSP), is the first course sponsor in New York to use CompletelyOnline, and is launching their "no graded exams" Internet course this week. According to President and CEO of NYSP Anthony Perlongo, "With the help of the CompletelyOnline technology, NYSP has developed an online presentation that we believe comes as close as possible to our classroom delivery. We believe that the combination of NYSP's hard earned reputation and the superior face recognition methodology offered by CompletelyOnline.com is the reason that the NYS DMV has set this remarkable precedent."

Benefits of taking a DMV approved defensive driving course include both a point reduction from a driver's record and an insurance discount. The idea behind the pilot program was to make these courses, which were previously only available in a classroom, more accessible to busy drivers who would not otherwise be able to attend in person. Student ID validation is a requirement for all defensive driving courses in the pilot program. According to the NYS DMV 650,000 drivers attend an approved classroom course every year. They expect 100,000 drivers to take the course over the Internet in the first year of the pilot.

About CompletelyOnline.com

CompletelyOnline.com was established in 2004 and provides its unique patented CompletelyOnline biometric face recognition methodology to Internet defensive driving courses in California, Texas, Nevada and Idaho. CompletelyOnline.com continues to expand its reach in the defensive driving industry and in other e-learning markets. www.completelyonline.com

About New York Safety Program

The New York Safety Program has been educating drivers in New York since 1980. Founder Anthony Perlongo, has been a nationally prominent leader in the field of driver safety. His accomplishments as a State and National President of the Driver Education Guild among others have brought him recognition as a driving safety expert throughout the country. www.nysponline.com

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Armen GeoSimonian