The answer is going to vary from state to state. In Texas your best option is deferred adjudication. Basically you pay a bunch of court costs and promise to behave yourself for (typically) 90 days. If you don't get another ticket during the agreed period, the court dismisses your ticket at the end. And you don't have to suffer through 6 (or is it 8?) hours of defensive driving. Dollar costs are about the same between DA, DD, and just paying the fine, so there's not any money to be saved one way or the other. Just phone up the clerk of the court, ask if they'll go this way, and find out the particulars required of you. Easy peasey - though I'm assuming you're not up on intoxication manslaughter or some such thing.

- JimY