The problem with traffic school, which I didn’t really address, is that it is doubtful that attending traffic school, either online, on with an uncomfortable chair and a browning banana, does much to make one a better or safer driver. Traffic school is basically a sop to drivers, a whoops or a do over. It probably reduces the number of drivers who go to traffic court and otherwise complain about their tickets. Maybe those are useful social functions, but it doesn’t make the either the offending driver, or society as a whole safer.

Traffic school is classroom-based learning of a traditional sort that doesn’t address the causes of accidents. Accidents can be caused because one driver incorrectly believes that they have the right of way, or they didn’t know what a particular sign meant, but it is much more common that one driver, or both, weren’t paying proper attention to the road, or were driving unsafely in a way that isn’t going to be altered by any written material. In short, classroom traffic school is a not a remedy for poor driving.

Online traffic school is an improvement over in-person traffic school as far as the comfort and ease are concerned, and both are equally good at imparting the information that they seek to impart, but neither accomplish the goals of increased safety.

My point here is only about the test for online traffic school. The test for online traffic school – covering the formating of the illustrations in the course – seems more than a little idiotic to me. I could memorize every sentence of the course and still not remember whether the background was red or green. I could know all of the content of the course, and fail the test.

Come on! Or try going to Oakland at 7:15 in the morning to wait in line with 150 scary-looking people (and being the only one trying to pass the time by reading a book) for a court hearing to protest your ticket, then ending up paying $361 and then not having enough money to get out of the parking lot !

Get a life, man. What’s so bad about being able to go through the motions in the luxury of your home–or better yet–take the test in some cozy cafe on your laptop??? Or do you feel some sort of guilt about that?

Actually, what’s really interesting here is that you’ve spent a portion of your Thanksgiving weekend analyzing an idiotic exam for people who make stupid driving mistakes…when you could be doing something really valuable or creative. Like playing with your kids. Writing poetry to your wife. Designing album covers. Getting a head start on your holiday shopping.

Thanks for listening. You’re a thoughtful man. Smile.