Not to keep quoting the Economist but… it had a recent article about healthcare and why competition hasn’t driven down prices (hence making the case for government backed healthcare), and it cited gas prices as evidence that competition in some cases only sets market price to see how much consumers can bear, without necessarily driving it *down*.

Well, come to California and you’ll see that The Economist is yet again, correct. The Shell station at the corner of Prospect and Beryl has one of the highest prices in the neighborhood and it’s still in business, so someone’s buying.

And I don’t want to hear Europeans talking about how Americans are just paying what everyone else has been paying… we are comparing our gas prices today to our gas prices in the past, we’re not interested in comparing our gas prices to your gas prices.

OK so I got a ticket late last year for doing a “California stop” at a stop sign. I opted for traffic school and there were several that were sanctioned by the Los Angeles Superior Court (lasuperiorcourt.org).

I didn’t choose the cheapest – but in retrospect I probably should have (I’ll tell you why later). I went with Comedy Traffic School because their intro video was pretty entertaining and I thought it would be more “fun” of an experience than other types of comedy traffic schools. I don’t care about getting discount tickets to comedy stores – I don’t have time to spend a weekend in traffic school and I won’t have time to spend watching a comedy show (maybe later years).

Here’s why I say I should have picked a cheaper alternative – I thought the course would be interactive and not me reading the materials, which I could download the DMV manual and read that. I also thought I could get audio but you have to pay extra to get the course read to you. In hindsight maybe this isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it took me much less time to “read” the materials than if I were to listen to the entire course read to me.

I ended up paying $25 and opted not to have the $9 extra certificate sent to me. I printed out my receipt and I hope that would be proof if I needed it.

What I hate: this course “times” you. It will literally not allow you to move forward to the next section until you’ve spent the allotted time for the section, which is ridiculously LOOOOOOOOONG. I’m talking about over a thousand seconds for some sections. I understand why – they are forcing you to “spend time” taking the course, just as you’d go to a regular in person traffic school. The good thing is that I can speed through the reading then leave that browser window open while I do other stuff. Then let me proceed to the next section.

Another hate: They (the online traffic school) force you to retake the test even if you get 1 WRONG! That to me is a huge waste of time – they should have told me what I got wrong, why it was wrong, and what the right answer should have been.

Now… here’s the real secret to passing the tests. I wish I’d known about this before I took the final so I could just breeze through the whole course.

There are specific questions that come up again and again on DMV tests, including this one (or any other ones). The real important questions are all found on the California DMV website itself, in the form of “sample Class C drivers written tests!

In fact you could see the answers here:
p.s. if you want to see the answers all on one page I’m going to share it here in this blog – print it out and study it.

Sample Class C Drivers Written Test 1
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/interactive/tdrive/clc2answer.htm

Sample Class C Drivers Written Test 2
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/interactive/tdrive/clc3answer.htm

Sample Class C Drivers Written Test 3
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/interactive/tdrive/clc4answer.htm

Sample Class C Drivers Written Test 4
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/interactive/tdrive/clc5answer.htm

Sample Class C Drivers Written Test 5
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/interactive/tdrive/clc6answer.htm

Here are all the answers from the California Class C Drivers, on one page.
THESE ARE COPYRIGHT BY THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.

Sample Class C Drivers Written Test 1
1. You may drive off of the paved roadway to pass another vehicle:
Under no circumstances.

2. You are approaching a railroad crossing with no warning devices and are unable to see 400 feet down the tracks in one direction. The speed limit is:
15 mph

3. When parking your vehicle parallel to the curb on a level street:
Your wheels must be within 18 inches of the curb.

4. When merging onto the freeway you should be driving:
At or near the same speed as the traffic on the freeway.

5. When driving in fog you should use your:
Low beams.

6. A white painted curb means:
Loading zone for passengers or mail only.

7. A school bus ahead of you in your lane is stopped with red lights flashing. You should:
Stop as long as the red lights are flashing.

8. California’s “Basic Speed Law” says:
You should never drive faster than is safe for current conditions.

9. You just sold your vehicle. You must notify the DMV within _____ days.
5

10. To avoid last minute moves, you should be looking down the road to where your vehicle will be in about _______________.
10 to 15 seconds

Sample Class C Drivers Written Test 2
Answer Sheet

1. You are about to make a left turn. You must signal continuously during the last ____ feet before the turn.
Signal for 100 feet before turning.

2. Which of the following statements about blind spots is true?
Large trucks have bigger blind spots than most passenger vehicles.

3. You have been involved in a minor traffic collision with a parked vehicle and you can’t find the owner. You must:
Both of the above.
(Leave a note on the vehicle. AND Report the Accident without delay to city police or in unincorporated areas to the CHP.)

4. Unless otherwise posted the speed limit in a residential district is ____.
25 mph

5. You may legally block an intersection:
Under no circumstances.

6. When parking uphill on a two-way street with no curbs, your front wheels should be:
Turned to the right (away from the street).

7. With a Class C drivers license a person may drive:
A 3-axle vehicle if the Gross Vehicle Weight is less than 6,000 pounds.

8. To turn left from a multilane one-way street onto a one-way street, you should turn from:
The lane closest to the left curb.

9. If you are involved in a traffic collision, you are required to complete and submit a written report (SR1) to the DMV:
If there is property damage in excess of $750 or if there are any injuries.

10. Roadways are the most slippery:
The first rain after a dry spell.

Sample Class C Drivers Written Test 3
Answer Sheet

1. You may not park your vehicle:
Next to a red painted curb.

2. You must notify the DMV within 5 days if you:
Sell or transfer your vehicle.

3. Two sets of solid, double, yellow lines that are two or more feet apart:
May not be crossed for any reason.

4. You want to make a right turn at an upcoming intersection. You should:
Signal for 100 feet before turning.

5. You are driving on a freeway posted for 65 MPH. The traffic is traveling at 70 MPH. You may legally drive:
No faster than 65 mph.

6. It is illegal to park your vehicle:
In an unmarked crosswalk.

7. The safest precaution that you can take regarding the use of cellphones and driving is:
Use hands-free devices so you can keep both hands on the steering wheel.

8. If you have a green light, but traffic is blocking the intersection, you should:
Stay out of the intersection until traffic clears.

9. You are getting ready to make a right turn. You should:
Slow down or stop, if necessary, and then make the turn.

10. You must obey instructions from school crossing guards:
At all times.

Sample Class C Drivers Written Test 4
Answer Sheet

1. It is a very windy day. You are driving and a dust storm blows across the freeway reducing your visibility. You should drive slower and turn on your:
Headlights.

2. If you plan to pass another vehicle, you should:
Not assume the other driver will make space for you to return to your lane

3. You are driving on a freeway posted for 65 mph. Most of the other vehicles are driving 70 mph or faster. You may legally drive:
No faster than 65 mph.

4. If you drive faster than other vehicles on a road with one lane in each direction and continually pass the other cars, you will:
Increase your chances of an accident.

5. Which of these vehicles must always stop before crossing railroad tracks?
Tank trucks marked with hazardous materials placards.

6. You are driving on a one-way street. You may turn left onto another one-way street only if:
Traffic on the street moves to the left.

7. A large truck is ahead of you and is turning right onto a street with two lanes in each direction. The truck:
May have to swing wide to complete the right turn.

8. You may cross a double, yellow line to pass another vehicle, if the yellow line next to:
Your side of the road is a broken line.

9. At intersections, crosswalks, and railroad crossings, you should always:
Look to the sides of your vehicle to see what is coming.

10. You drive defensively when you:
Keep your eyes moving to look for possible hazards

Sample Class C Drivers Written Test 5
Answer Sheet

1. You are driving on the freeway. The vehicle in front of you is a large truck. You should drive:
Farther behind the truck than you would for a passenger vehicle.

2. All of the following practices are dangerous to do while driving. Which of these is also illegal?
Listening to music through headphones that cover both ears.

3. Always stop before you cross railroad tracks when:
You don’t have room on the other side to completely cross the tracks.

4. When you tailgate other drivers (drive close to their rear bumper):
You can frustrate the other drivers and make them angry.

5. Should you always drive slower than other traffic?
No, you can block traffic when you drive too slowly.

6. You see a signal person at a road construction site ahead. You should obey his or her instructions:
At all times.

7. When can you drive in a bike lane?
When you are within 200 feet of a cross street where you plan to turn right.

8. You see a flashing yellow traffic signal at an upcoming intersection. The flashing yellow light means:
Slow down and cross the intersection carefully.

9. There is no crosswalk and you see a pedestrian crossing your lane ahead. You should:
Stop and let him/her finish crossing the street.

10. A solid yellow line next to a broken yellow line means that vehicles:
Next to the broken line may pass.

Attention: Toyota Truck and SUV Owners

“Catalytic Converter Theft Warning” (Courtesy of a local Boeing employee)

Just when you thought you’ve heard it all, something else comes along. Thieves are stealing catalytic converters off parked cars at an increasing rate. This is a trend that is happening all over the country and has recently found its way to El Segundo and other surrounding South Bay communities.

Chances are most vehicle owners don’t even know that they have a catalytic converter. But scrap metal thieves do. This device, mounted beneath your vehicle, helps control emissions as part of the exhaust system.

More »

Gary Eto is a Torrance attorney whose claims to fame we may recognize from the movies. For example, when cars collide with each other in a movie, for some reason one (or both) explodes. Today, we know these types of explosions are unlikely, but Gary has seen the days when these types of explosions were very real. More »