My day in (lower) court.

Almost four months to the day I got my ticket for making an illegal left turn I headed to court to ask for 12 hours of traffic school. I was told to arrive early for the 1:30 p.m. hearing and discovered there was really no need. I eventually found out they go by alphabetical order for the most part. I'll explain that later.

Roll is called and you are seated by your last name. You are forced to listen to a recorded message about what to expect today. The first people to appear in front of the judge are those that are already locked up. One guy had been hiding from the justice system for 17 years. The judge was actually pretty good to those that have missed court dates and had fines that stacked up by cutting most of them.

The judge was also entertaining by showing the ignorance of some people pleading in front of him. One guy rolled through a camera light and said he made a full stop before making his turn and pleaded innocent. The judge was ok with that, but said, "Do you want to see the evidence first?" The guy did and they set up a computer and the judge said he would allow him to interrupt the proceedings if the video showed he was innocent. The guy didn't and came back to plead guilty.

As for me, he called me up and told me what I was charged with and what my plea was. "Guilty." He than said, would you like 12 hours of traffic school? "Yes." He then ordered me to pay the cashier and told me good luck.

That was it. That was all. Four months of wondering how hard it was to ask for 12 hours of traffic school was all for naught. Then again, he may have been cool about it.

So what I have I learned about this? The simple answer is: Don't get cited for anything. But if you do get cited, make sure it's the only one within 18 months. And if it is, enjoy the show and don't make it harder than it has to be.