This review may be a bit premature since i'm just in the middle of getting through a 3-month DUI…read moreProgram , but I suppose I will edit this in case something overwhelmingly negative happens.
Working with ABC Traffic Safety (AZUSA) has been simple, straight-forward, and overall helpful. In the beginning, I was calling several local establishments searching for an affordable and convenient DUI program. What stood out to me about ABC Traffic was how kind and informative the front desk ladies were over the phone. Getting a DUI sucks and is very stressful, but the patience I received from the front desk at ABC really made me trust that I would be in the right hands there.
The 3-Month DUI program is very affordable compared to other programs offered. However, there are a few drawbacks. The course is actually 15-weeks, so it's more like a 3.5-month program. They also require that you attend 6 AA meetings. You can thankfully knock out these AA meeting pretty quickly when you consider that if you do one every day, it'll only take about a week and they can be done online. You also have to attend 3 in-person counseling meetings at the ABC Traffic offices. One at the beginning, one in the middle of your program, and one at the end. These are fairly quick and don't last more than 10 mins. They just sort of act as an evaluation of your progress and how the programs may or may not be helping you. Pretty easy.
One thing I see frequently in the comments is a lot of complaints that they charge $30 for rescheduling classes, missing appointments, and for being late to classes even by one minute. While yes, this is annoying and I've had to pay this fee a few times, a lot of these issues are completely in your control. If you show up to class early, this shouldn't be an issue. Paying $30 to reschedule is certainly an inconvenience, but this is likely to dissuade people from just rescheduling freely whenever they want, wasting everyone's time, and taking up valuable spots on class times that might have a waitlist. Just show up to all your classes ON TIME, make sure you pay your weekly dues, and you will avoid these fees.
Now onto the quality of the classes. I can only speak on what I've experienced in the first 8 weeks. I attended weekly online classes through RingCentral every Saturday at 8am. Thankfully I was able to schedule my next 7 classes on Saturday at 10:00am, so these classes do not affect my Mon-Fri job. Part of why I chose ABC Traffic is because they offer these weekend classes.
It sucked having to wake up early on the weekend to attend these classes, but eventually, I began to look forward to them. Our group counselor, Danny, was a chill, caring, personable, and thoughtful facilitator. The classes, while of course covering topics related to drugs & alcohol, also functioned as sort of group therapy sessions. Danny would ask us how we were feeling, give a highlight of our week, and then ask us to speak specifically on the drug & alcohol topic for the day.
Danny was an incredibly patient listener, offered kind, meaningful, and personal advice, and made you more hopeful at the end of every session. While I was usually too nervous to speak up at times, I was always glad when I did and felt better afterwards. He was also very down-to-earth and didn't make us feel like he was "better" than us, or that he was judging us. He openly and freely talked about his own tragic experiences with drugs and alcohol, which made him appear humble and made me feel like he was coming from a place of honesty and truth. It takes a lot of self-confidence and strength to admit your faults the way Danny did, but that also demonstrated that there is a path to forgiveness and recovery. I don't know if Danny is facilitating my next set of classes, but I really hope he is.
If you are looking for a place in LA County to fulfill your 3-Month DUI Program obligations, look into ABC Traffic School (AZUSA). It is affordable, the customer service is great, they offer weekend classes, and counselor Danny is just a fantastic group facilitator. Attend all your classes, be on time (get there 5 mins early to be safe), try your best not to reschedule, and you will complete your program with no hassle.