"The average driver makes three to four mistakes every mile he drives," said Jonathon Flores, instructor at the Tujunga Driving & Traffic School. "A person driving alone has an 80 percent chance of having an accident in his lifetime - a greater chance if passengers are present."

These were sobering thoughts for the seven people who attended last Saturday's Traffic School.

We ranged from a newbie driver with six months of experience to a veteran driver of 46 years! Our citations were for speeding, excessive lane changing, illegal left turning and ... almost running over a traffic cop in a construction zone (by accident, of course).

I was there for driving 80 mph on an open stretch of the I-5 Freeway just north of Capistrano early one Sunday morning. I was "chilling" behind the wheel, listening to a tape, relaxed after a week's vacation at the beach. That is, until I heard Smokey's "chirp" and saw the "blue-blue-blue" in my rearview.

Three weeks later I got the paperwork in the mail, stating my fine ($130) and suggesting I attend a DMV-approved traffic school, IF... I qualified. (I couldn't have attended another traffic school in the previous 18 months or committed any of the "two-point violations" such as, a hit-and-run, a DUI, a speed contest or vehicular manslaughter.)

If I paid the extra money ($39), attended and passed the class (another $30), the citation would be expunged from my driving record. I went for it.

There are many traffic schools listed in the phone book, but I chose the closest one. (No, it didn't offer free pizza or clowns. I've been there, done that, and it's not worth the extra money.)

The Tujunga Driving and Traffic School has been around for about nine years, but the Luis Flores family has owned it for only four. Jonathon is a traffic school instructor. Both he and his father are qualified to do driver's education and training. Mrs. Flores and a secretary handle the phones and appointments.

As instructors and trainers, the father and son had to study the Vehicle Code, take classes and pass a test in order to qualify. Their licenses must be renewed every other year.

Jonathon was pleasant and patient and very "laid-back" as he reviewed the laws we'd broken and told about new ones effective in 2008 (cell phone use, speed limits around schools, no "warnings," and no "grace miles" on speeding tickets).

He also taught us safe and defensive driving skills and attitudes. After all, California has the worst drivers of all 50 states - ahead of New York, Texas and Florida.

We watched a 90 minute driver's test video in the morning (a bit outdated, with a young, mobile, Christopher Reeve as host), and a shorter "World's Worst Drivers Caught on Tape" video in the afternoon.

After a brief review, we took an easy 15-question test (we all passed), and were given our certificates. Jonathan told us to mail them to our respective courts by certified mail.

Not a hard school to attend, and by the afternoon there was a bit of jovial camraderie among us seven ... but still, there were a lot of other things I'd rather have done on a beautiful Saturday. Oh well, lessons learned. And yes, I'm watching my speedometer more carefully!

If you've gotten a ticket, are qualified to take traffic school, and live in the East Valley, try theTujunga Driving & Traffic School, located at 7820 Foothill Blvd, Tujunga (in a strip mall across the street from Vons and up from Taco Bell).

They'll take care of you.

For more information, call 818-353-0296. Spanish is spoken.