Until recently, I had never gotten a ticket. In fact, I had never been pulled over (Excluding the time I was parked in a Whataburger at 3 a.m. and was questioned for eating my taquitos in the parking lot). No crashes, no camera flashes, not me.
Now, that’s not to say I’m an extremely rule-abiding driver. I speed almost constantly, change lanes in intersections, only use my turn signals half of the time and only wear my seatbelt when I realize I’m about to pull up next to a cop at a stoplight. But I was, somehow, very good at not getting caught.
Until two weeks ago, that is, when I got pulled over for going 54 mph in a 40 mph zone.
Yikes.
Naturally, I was cited. The officer was apologetic. “I really can’t overlook this,” he said, “But it’s okay, you don’t need to cry, you won’t be going to jail or anything. Please stop sobbing.” Not that I was crying or anything, but there was something in my eye, and—OK, I admit, I was terrified and also a little bit hoping he’d take pity on me.
He didn’t. So I enrolled in online traffic school.
Would you believe it has been the most hilarious and helpful class I have ever taken?
The program I’m doing, Onlinetrafficschool.com, is nothing like the dull, monotonous class I expected. Sure, the course is long and reading about driving is usually boring unless explosions are involved. But just to give you an idea, here are some choice quotes from the class: “Ask your dry cleaner how hard it is to get wrinkles out. Now, ask him how hard it is to get blood out — lots of blood.”
“To all you hotshots: Identifying with one's vehicle is a symptom of a weak ego. You are advertising, through your adolescent driving style, insecurities and a stunted emotional state."
Then there is the less funny, but extremely useful information it presents, such as the five different types of skids and how to avoid them. Or life-saving tips about how to use the emergency brake when your brakes fail in order to slow your car enough to pull over. Maybe some people know many of the tips (with my paranoid father, I had certainly heard a few), but I guarantee that the five-hour program is comprehensive enough that even the most knowledgeable of drivers will benefit.
Am I happy I got a ticket? The $200 out of my savings account says no. But do I think I’m better able to avoid and perhaps more importantly, make less severe any potential accident? Yes, I do.
I drive slower now, which I would have done because of the fine alone.
But I also wear my seatbelt, because I learned we’re 75 percent more likely to survive a fatal collision with one on. And I make my passengers wear one, too.
So defensive driving might just indeed save my life or the life of someone I care about. It reminded me just how dangerous driving can be — a lesson that people who spend as much time driving as Phoenicians do, tend to forget. So take it seriously. Slow down, use your turn signal and take the class, even if you haven’t gotten a ticket.
Reach the columnist at alesha.rimmelin@asu.edu
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