Frequently on my way to work, depending on the route I take, I pass a sign advertising traffic school. I’m always a little curious about what goes on in traffic school, though I sincerely hope I never have to go “back to school” to get a refresher on things I should have taken more seriously in driver’s ed.
A few years ago when I lived in California, in Hollywood country, there were always ads in the paper for traffic school teachers. Since we are talking Hollywood, the ads always specified they were looking for comedians. I guess after you’ve paid the traffic school fee and committed yourself to an eight-hour lecture, a comedian might help lighten your mood.
Nowadays, at least here in Florida, drivers can attend an online traffic school. Since I have rarely seen a motorist abide by the posted speed limit and have frequently seen motorists doing other ticketable offenses (and have witnessed motorists getting ushered to the side of the road accompanied by flashing red and blue lights), I’m going to make an assumption that there are many drivers out there that will one day consider traffic school as an option to prevent points being assessed to their driving record. Perhaps even some of my readers?
So I decided to check out the online traffic school, and here are a few pertinent points I learned from the Web site, http://www.florida-traffic-school.com.
The fee to attend Florida Traffic School online is $34.95, which the site states is less than attending an eight-hour in-class traffic school. The time it takes to complete the class is a minimum four hours, but you can take as long as you like, keeping in mind you want to finish well before your assigned court due date.
You can attend traffic school for moving and nonmoving traffic violations that would result in points being assessed to your driving record, except for criminal violations and CDL (commercial) drivers charged with serious traffic violations while in their commercial motor vehicle. Also, you can take the course only once in any 12-month period and no more than five times in your lifetime. Of course, none of my readers would be five-time offenders, right?
The exam consists of 40 questions, and you must score 80 percent or more to pass. For those of you who are math challenged, that is 32 correct answers out of 40 questions. Now here’s a helpful note: You can retake the exam as many times as needed to pass. The questions will be different, but they will cover the same material. You can also review the chapter information during the course. In school, we called that using your notes when taking an exam.
You have to notify the court of your intention to attend traffic school. For exact information and procedures, consult the traffic division in the clerk’s office where you received your citation. In Hillsborough County the number is 276-8200 and in Pasco County it is (727) 847-2411.
Many other traffic school questions are answered on the Web site.

Traffic blog
While surfing the Internet, you can post comments about traffic by going to http://www.tbo.com and clicking on “Community” at the top of the page, then click on “Traffic” on the left hand side of the screen. See you there.

More about rain
Sometimes a couple of basic reminders about driving in the rain are helpful, even to my experienced Florida readers. As we head into summer storms and hurricane season, here are two reminders from Hillsborough County Emergency Operations that I thought particularly worth mentioning.
u When heavy rain causes flood waters to pool on streets, drivers can unknowingly steer into a deep body of water, such as a canal or pond.
u Electricity from streetlights and power poles may be conducted through standing water, causing a deadly shock to anyone coming in contact with it.
Those are thoughts too grim to close with, so to lighten up the mood, here is:
Today’s bumper sticker
I don’t know how I got over the hill without getting to the top.

Carole Dickey is a staff writer. who lives in Pasco County.  Share your blogs here or send your rants and raves about traffic and motorists in the Land O’ Lakes/Wesley Chapel/New Tampa areas to .