The saga ends

So yesterday I turned in my traffic school completion certificate, finally ending my four-month-long ordeal with my traffic ticket. Alright, it’s not so much an ordeal, but I did dread signing away eight hours of my life trapped inside a courtroom, learning about what I should and shouldn’t be doing when driving. And no, you can’t do traffic school online if you got the ticket in Orange County, so beware.

What I did learn from the class:

• The California Vehicle Code states that pedestrians are given “all due right-of-way,” but is unclear as to what that means specifically. So when can a car pass when a pedestrian is on a crosswalk? Apparently, there are two schools of thought on this among cops. The “old school” cops were trained that pedestrians are given all right-of-way — meaning that all feet must be on the curb before a car can go. The “new school” movement teaches that cars can pass as long as pedestrians are at a reasonable distance. Inconsistent, I know, but that’s just the way it is.
• Seat belts should be strapped over parts of your body that are well-protected by bones, e.g. ribs, hips, etc. Otherwise the belt may cut into your flesh in an accident.
• The mandatory cell phone hands-free law will be enacted in January, 2008.
• It doesn’t hurt to ask a cop not to give you a ticket. What may help your chances is if you obey their orders, and be considerate of their safety, e.g. keep your hands visible, stay in the car, etc.

An amusing story shared during class:

A woman approaching her car after shopping (presumably in Texas? read on) sees four men in her car. She decides to take matters into her own hands, promptly drops her bags, and pulls out her handgun. She orders the men out of the car, and they escape. Once inside her car, she finds that her keys don’t fit…. I’ll let you ponder that one for a second.

So the embarrassed woman drives her car to the police station to report the incident. The officer laughs hysterically, and points at four scared men sitting in the corner.

(I’ll have to find the original article for that one.)