Traffic School
I got a speeding ticket back in August (2007). Luckily, it had been more than 18 months since my last ticket, so I was able to sign up for traffic school.
Hmmm, I wonder if my insurance company searches the internet. If so, please know that this entire entry is complete fiction. I’ve never received any speeding tickets, ever.
Ok, back to our story. Online traffic school, though better than attending traffic school in person, which I had to do back in 1999, is not fun. In fact, it really sucks. It’s presented in a flash application in your browser and designed so you can’t advance to the next slide until X number of seconds have elapsed. It’s broken down into six different "modules" covering different topics plus a summary module, and nearly all the modules have over 100 slides each. Plus, they throw in a bunch of short quizzes and "security" questions along the way. The quizzes are all easy, provided you actually read the information you’re being quizzed on. But you have to go through the whole thing, … every … single … slide. It takes hours. Yes, you can stop the course at any time and come back to it later. But it’s like the proverbial Sword of Damocles hanging over you.
Unless you really shouldn’t have a license, or have never before studied for and taken the driver’s license exam, there’s almost no new information in the online course. But it is pretty specific, like how long the DMV keeps records of your tickets/points, how many days you have to report an accident to the DMV, etc.
And it gets better. You have to take a proctored exam after completing the online course. It’s not really proctored. You just have to go to their facility in Mountain View or, oddly, to a UPS store to show your id, get an exam, fill it out, and turn it in. You have to pass the exam, of course. But if you can’t pass it, then you shouldn’t be driving anyway.
So really, the whole thing is designed to act as a deterrent. And you know what, it works.
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Well, let me share my little story associated with defensive driving class.
On March 28, 2008, at 5:30 pm, I was heading west. Now during that time of the year, 5:30 pm will be sunset. Anyway, I had to make a left turn. As you approach this particular intersection, there are two left turns right after one another. The first one lead you to shopping center and the second one is the intersection. Well, I started bearing left prematurely. So, I was in the process of correcting my course as the sun was blinding me. By the time I realized, I was on the median and knocked down the street sign. My driver’s side tires ran over what remained of sign post. My tires blew up.
I walked home. By the time I got home, I was tired and upset. So, I waited till next day to deal with my bad luck.
On 3/29, I called Tucson Police department and told my story. They did not want to do anything with me. They said it is not within their jurisdiction. Well, why did I not stop there?
Being a good citizen I am, I went further to find out whose jurisdiction that street fell under and made a call. After being bounced around about 3 times, I got to talk to a detective and confessed my sin.
On 5/27/08, Pima county sent me the ticket for that accident. It took them exactly two months to issue a ticket. Since this was related to accident, I now have to appear in court if I want to take a defensive driving course.
On 6/27/08, I made my appearance to the court. Well, I never saw the judge, nor was I in a court room. A clerk gave me permission to take a class. But I have to complete it by 7/12. I explain that I will be out of town till 7/12 which I really am. She said, “You can take it this weekend.” So, I explained that I had a friend visiting from out of town and really hate to leave him by himself. She gave me a blank look and turn the number over.
So, they can take 2 months to issue a ticket when I reported myself. They can take 1 month to schedule a court date. I have 2 weeks.
I see how this works. Well, there is no good deed that goes unpunished. I guess I will follow don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy next time.
Two weeks? Luxury!
Sounds like a good excuse to invest in a nice pair of expensive sunglasses. haha