While alcohol-related DUI arrests have gone up nationally due to increased police surveillance and intervention, there is less talk about substance abuse arrests due to drugs. DMV records show that in some states like California, the number of traffic deaths due to drugs has grown over the past few years. In fact, according to the OC Register, a recent survey of California drivers found that nearly 1 in 7 had illegal or prescription drugs in their system that could alter the accuracy of their ability behind the wheel. As a response to this, the state has awarded Orange County $480,000 to among other things, train more police officers as drug experts. Trained police officers look for clenched jaws to pick out meth user, slow pulse rates in heroin users and that someone who is under the influence of cocaine might talk so fast that they can get from one-one-thousand to 30 in about 10 seconds. New machines have also been paid for from Drug Safety grants that can measure the concentration of drugs like Xanax, Ambien and Valium in the system.
The goal of all this awareness is of course to keep our streets safer from drivers under the influence. If you have received a DUI ticket and have been court mandated to take an alcohol education class, take one online! The Internet is now a great resource for you to use to fulfill class requirements so you don’t have to worry about finding the time in your busy schedule to attend an in-person class. Online alcohol and drug awareness classes or DUI classes are designed with all the same material that you learn in a traditional classroom, but at your fingertips instead. They are available to take in 8, 10, 12, 16, 20 and 24-hour increments which is the same as having to take an 8 week, or 10 week, etc. class. The bonus is that if you are in a rush to meet a deadline for this requirement, you can take an online class at your own pace instead of someone else’s. Specifically, instead of having to take an 8-week class over a period of 2 months, you can finish all 8 hours in one day if you would like.
Once you enroll, the entire class is available immediately on the Internet-based computer screen in front of you. Nothing needs to be printed out, so you can be sitting in the comfortable environment of the couch in your family room. You simply scroll through the class and learn the information. At the end a multiple choice final exam is issued. A 70% or better insures that you have passed the course and the test can be retaken if necessary. Upon passing the final, a certificate of completion will be sent out to you. This is the documentation you show to the legal system to prove you completed the requirement. You can choose a variety of shipping methods to receive this certificate from regular mail to overnight service. If you can’t wait for the hardcopy and need to prove to the judge that you finished the program more quickly, you can also download it from your computer.
Heightened awareness by police departments across the country is going to result in more DUI citations in 2013. If you’ve been caught, check with your judge to get his prior approval for a distance learning class. If he or she approves, take your alcohol and drug class requirement online to help simplify your life. Please drive safely!
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