Traffic School

I complete my second week of traffic school last night and learned some things:

1. It’s expensive to get a ticket. My ticket (62mph in 45 mph zone) was $319.50 which included $57 for traffic school. And there were other stories from the class: $437 for running a red light (recorded by camera), over $300 for spitting gum onto the street from a car or pouring Mountain Dew out of a can, and $287 for parking in a Handicap Only spot (and he was really upset because he was there for less than 10 minutes).
   
2. The best idea for staying awake when you’re getting drowsy is to pull-over, stop and take a nap. But the cutest idea was based on an immediate incentive approach - place a $100 bill between the fingers of your left hand and then extend your hand out the window.
   
3. You’re allowed to pick up your cell phone and use it to call 911 if there is an incident where another driver is harassing you, i.e. road rage. The instructor suggested that just being “flipped-off” might not warrant a 911 call.

Even though I did not enjoy traffic school, there were some positives. I changed my driving habits somewhat:

• I watch my speed more
• I’m more cautious around schools
• I have mounted a picture of one of my grandkids to my dash as a reminder to drive safely. (Quinn is the lead-off reminder
  
  

and before traffic school started I always went to Wahoo’s Fish Tacos for dinner.