Traffic School was actually fun. Only in Utah can you attend traffic school and have two people that you know directly, one person that you find is related to you and and the neighbor of your brother all attending the same class. One of the best parts is that I used WordPress to write this entire blog post on my PDA while in class. My only regret is that they didn’t have the video of the German convicts that volunteer to crash cars into trees and roll off of embankments. If anyone has knowledge of where to find this I would be much obliged.
So I picked up many great tidbits of information and thought that the world should know them. Here they are along with my comments:

1. Cops have Photo Id when they pull up your drivers license. (So don’t lie about who you are or they will take you to jail.)
2. Orem has 4-6 traffic officers ( They will be getting two more soon)
3. The traffic officers only work 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
4. There are only 2 traffic cops on patrol on Saturday
5. No traffic officers patrol on Sunday in Orem
6. Normal Patroling officers can give traffic tickets but they only issue about one a day.
7. Cops have no requirement to be visible. (They can hide in the bushes all they want while tracking your speed.)
8. The fine for no insurance – $400 (and it is an arrestable offense)
9. The fine for no proof of current insurance – $400 (Must carry current proof of insurance in car. Offense can be dismissed if insurance company sends a notarized letter to the court.)
10. An officer cannot look @ your driving record when he/she has you pulled over. Only the DMV can look it up.
11. The fine for not having your license – $50
12. All U-turns are legal in Utah unless posted otherwise
13. In Utah it is legal to ride in the back of a pickup truck as long as you
14. 19 & under can be stopped solely for not wearing seatbelt
15. Over 19 can not be pulled over for just seatbelt. (But the list of ridiculous things that they can pull you over for, so they can give you a seatbelt ticket, is enournous)
16. Passengers over the age of 16 can be cited for not wearing their seatbelt. ( under the age of 16 the tickets all go to the driver.)
17. Children under 5 must be in a child restraint device. (There is no weight limit. It is just age.)
18. How much over can you go w/out being pulled over?
    • School zones 2-3 over (They are very strict about this)
    • State Street the speed limit is 40. You will get a ticket @ 55
    • Center Street the speed limit is 35. You will get a ticket @ 50
    • Up the Canyon the speed limit is 50. You will get a ticket @ 60-65
      Ave. 15-16 miles an hour over will get you a ticket
19. Most officeers in Orem give 7-15 tickets/day
20. Contrary to what I had been told an officer is not required to show his radar or prove to you that he got you.(This is for safety reasons)
21. Radar detectors are legal in Utah unless driving a big-rig.
22. Officers can pull you over without a radar because they are all trained to know how fast a car is driving within 3 mph. (That is pretty amazing)
23. Utah law defines a yellow light as this: A yellow light advises that the green light is about to change it’s state.
24. A red signal means that you can’t cross the stop line. if any part of your car is touching the stop line before the light turns red, you have been considered to have entered the intersection & you have the legal right to go through.
25. DUI – Anyone pulled over for DUI should be put in jail for a long time.
26. When pulled over for DUI the “implied consent” says that when you sign for your drivers license you agree to give a sample of breath, blood, or urine if asked by an officer.
27. And finally – We all need to slow down.

It was surpisingly interesting and I was reminded how much speed kills and seatbelts save lives. So everyone buckle up. Thanks Officer Rick Ralston.