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olePigeon · Jan 11, 2010, 05:21 PM

So I got a lame ticket again driving through Sacramento. I forgot that Thanksgiving is zero tolerance. They enforce the "should" part of ticketing people driving 5 over. So I got a ticket for doing 75 on I-5 (which is 70.)

In any event, I couldn't get out of it. The last time I got a ticket I sat through the normal traffic school cuz I didn't want to pay $45 to do an online one. Eight hours of the most boring sh*t ever. Half the class was probably asleep, one lady was actually snoring.

This time I did one of the online traffic schools. It cost $45, but it was worth every penny. It literally took me 20 minutes. There were 5 sets of 3 question quizzes that you have to get 100% on, then you have to get 80% on the final exam. The questions were really, really easy.

On top of that, the online school automatically mailed out my test results to the court. I didn't have to do a damn thing. I just got an email today stating I got 95% on the final test, and my traffic school papers were successfully processed and filed by the superior court.

Now I'm curious what questions I got wrong.

nonhuman · Jan 11, 2010, 05:24 PM

Ouch, ticketed for 75 mph on the 5? I think the last time I drove the 5 my average speed was over 100 mph... (Bay Area to LA in less than 4 hours)

olePigeon · Jan 11, 2010, 05:28 PM

Originally Posted by nonhuman

Ouch, ticketed for 75 mph on the 5? I think the last time I drove the 5 my average speed was over 100 mph... (Bay Area to LA in less than 4 hours)

I don't speed because the last time I got a ticket was for doing 70 on I-80 through Sacramento on Zero Tolerance. I'm pretty paranoid about speeding. I think I scanned the ticket and posted a thread on here when that happened. It was several years ago. I still have it in my wallet because it's a good conversation piece, no one ever believes me.

For all the good it did me, I still get a

ing ticket. Bad luck just follows me around. It's been a problem my whole life.

As my dad puts it, "If it weren't for bad luck, son, I wouldn't think you had any luck at all."

nonhuman · Jan 11, 2010, 05:31 PM

Originally Posted by olePigeon

I don't speed because the last time I got a ticket was for doing 70 on I-80 through Sacramento on Zero Tolerance. I'm pretty paranoid about speeding. I think I scanned the ticket and posted a thread on here when that happened. It was several years ago. I still have it in my wallet because it's a good conversation piece, no one ever believes me.

Yeah, probably a good plan. I generally stick to much lower speeds nowadays when I drive at all (don't own a car).

imitchellg5 · Jan 11, 2010, 07:23 PM

For 5 over? Wow, that's ridiculous. Here, a cop won't even bother unless you're going at least 15 mph over.

turtle777 · Jan 11, 2010, 07:54 PM

Originally Posted by imitchellg5

For 5 over? Wow, that's ridiculous. Here, a cop won't even bother unless you're going at least 15 mph over.

The difference is, CO is not as broke as CA, so they don't need the extra income.

Does anyone believe all those fines make our roads safer ?

-t

imitchellg5 · Jan 11, 2010, 08:17 PM

No. I should have mentioned that while they don't care much about speeding, they do care about other violations. I got a $50 parking ticket last month because I parked in a no parking zone to unload my car... which apparently is okay only if you don't leave the car. But since I got out of the car to put stuff indoor 25 feet away, I got a ticket. Normally a cop would have just been rational; but now the city needs the money.

Chuckit · Jan 11, 2010, 08:22 PM

Yep, I did it a while back. Fine experience. Turning in the certificate at the courthouse was a much bigger pain than the traffic school.

torsoboy · Jan 11, 2010, 08:53 PM

What good does traffic school do for you? Does it make it so you didn't have to pay the original fine?

olePigeon · Jan 11, 2010, 09:14 PM

Originally Posted by torsoboy

What good does traffic school do for you? Does it make it so you didn't have to pay the original fine?

The fact that you got an infraction is hidden from your insurance, and you don't get any points on your license. You still have to pay the fine, court fees, etc.

ghporter · Jan 11, 2010, 09:21 PM

I did the same. I found the only freeway access road in town that was NOT 55 on the day an officer was sitting at the bottom of the hill. I still think that if I had just held my speed steady he may not have pulled me over. But whatever, I got my first ticket in 20 years this past August and so I did the online course to have the ticket dismissed. Aside from having to get it done rather quickly (I lost track of the deadline to turn in the certificate), it was a benign, if not "enjoyable" experience.

One of the lessons was about drinking and driving, and included a little movie about some high school grads who were about to embark on their new, post school lives and how one kid's decision to drink and drive had tragic consequences...not a bad little soap opera actually. I could swear it featured Hayden Christensen as the "good kid who made a horrible decision."

Oh, and here in Texas, you do not pay a fine; you pay certain fees for court costs but no fine. The cost of the course is enough, I think. Just no record, no points, and nothing to the insurance company.

Big Mac · Jan 12, 2010, 03:28 PM

I've never gotten a ticket in 12 years. I've been able to talk myself out of a few. I have, however, 'filled in" for family members who weren't motivated to do their online course, and online traffic school is a lot better than any IRL alternative. Although, it depends which course you pick because some of them have really, really long final exams.

Phileas · Jan 12, 2010, 03:49 PM

Here in Ontario you get an automatic 10% grace. So if you're doing 10 over at a 100 (km/h) then you'll be fine. They start counting at 111 km/h.

Doofy · Jan 12, 2010, 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by olePigeon

Now I'm curious what questions I got wrong.

Here's one you got wrong: What if the hottest female Firefly fan in existence was in traffic school the day you would have gone (had you not taken the online option)?

Chuckit · Jan 12, 2010, 04:01 PM

Originally Posted by Doofy

Here's one you got wrong: What if the hottest female Firefly fan in existence was in traffic school the day you would have gone (had you not taken the online option)?

Unlikely. She could have gotten out of a ticket easily.

olePigeon · Jan 12, 2010, 05:21 PM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Unlikely. She could have gotten out of a ticket easily.

"But, officer, I'm really hot!"

turtle777 · Jan 12, 2010, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Unlikely. She could have gotten out of a ticket easily.

If YOU were an officer, sure...

-t

EndlessMac · Jan 12, 2010, 06:54 PM

Online traffic school is definitely nice. I took a course awhile back and found it more convenient and quicker than traditional in person traffic schools. If you are dedicated you can finish it very quickly compared to almost a whole day lost at traditional traffic schools. You have to look around for a good online school because not all of them are the same but overall they are worth it.

As long as the government gets your money they don't really care where you take your traffic school course so why not take the one that is most convenient for you. It's more like a punishment anyway rather than actual learning. The last traditional traffic school I went to had us playing games that were loosely based on the material they were teaching. I guess they didn't like all the snoring so they decided to do something different.

It wasn't bad but I did lose a whole day compared to an online class which I could take at night after work, etc.