Californians who had been waiting for their ship to come in before paying some overdue traffic tickets got an early Christmas present in 2012. California Legislative Assembly Bill 1358 allowed for a one-time, 50 percent reduction if the outstanding tickets were paid between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2012. The offer was good in all 58 counties.

Let’s face it, times are tough all over and unpaid traffic citations are probably not at the top of your list of priorities especially if you’re unemployed or under-employed, or just low on cash. The state of California itself has been facing its own share of economic struggles, so the decision to offer this half-off amnesty made good sense to legislators who were hoping it results in a much-needed cash infusion.

You might still have had to attend online traffic school, and the amnesty wasn’t good for everyone or every traffic violation, but standard speeding citations were included. And traffic school is probably a good idea if you haven’t been in a awhile. It can help you be a better defensive driver and keep those points from accumulating on your license.

So, if you live in California, and you had unpaid traffic citations, we hope you took advantage of the one-time only amnesty. Online traffic school in California is quick and easy. You just might save yourself a lot of money.