• That in California, your license can be revoked if you get 4 points in 12 months, 6 points in 24 months, or 8 points in 36 months.
• That usually you get one point each ticket.
• That many people are gallingly cavalier about speeding and treat driving school as a necessary evil. (One class participant got a ticket for driving 140 mph, though most were driving 30-40 miles over the whatever the limit was, in which case it was anywhere from 50-90 mph).
• That I was a rarity in the class, since I’ve been driving 23 years and only this year have gotten a ticket.
• That a DUI conviction now stays on your record for ten years.
• That it is as dangerous to drive drowsy as it is to drive drunk.
• That a train always has the right of way (and that only one-third of railroad intersections have gates and flashing lights).
• That we drive faster in fog because we have no visual references and usually don’t dare check the speedometer, which of course is highly dangerous.
• That most driving fatalities are caused by one (or more) of these three factors: speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or not wearing a seatbelt.

Yep, I spent my day (8.5 hours) on an uncomfortable chair in a bland conference room (pretentiously called the Consulate Room) listening to the instructor’s painfully lame jokes and watching an occasionally interesting video. The last thing I learned:

I hope never to have to do this again.

P.S. It was 102 104 degrees!