Lindsay Lohan could learn something from Nicole Richie, who recently extended her probation.

The socialite - who was put on probation in 2006 following a driving under the influence (DUI) offence, after being arrested for driving the wrong way down a Los Angeles motorway and failing a sobriety test - was told it wouldn’t be terminated next month as expected, because she hasn’t attended enough alcohol education classes.

According to her lawyer Shawn Chapman Holley - who appeared in a Los Angeles court yesterday - the 28-year-old starlet failed to complete the course because she has been too busy looking after her children Harlow, two, and nine-month-old Sparrow, her kids with her rocker fiance Joel Madden.

Her probation period has now been extended to March 2011, but the judge has promised to terminate it early if she completed the alcohol program before then. Despite the extension, Nicole has been praised for her work on the course so far. Her report states, “Her attitude is excellent.”

Nicole has previously admitted she will never forgive herself for her actions and can’t escape the thought she could have killed someone. At the time of her arrest, she vowed to change her ways to become a better parent. “There’s absolutely no way I will do anything like that again. I never took life seriously before. I’m in a completely different place now. I have a responsibility now. I have to really be someone I want my child to look up to.”