Speed awareness course!

R

Redzedfour

Veteran
 Land of the Prince Bishops
I got caught speeding three weeks ago 36 in a 30(what a bad boy i'am) any way looks like i've been given the option of doing the S.A.C.On the letter it says the course lasts between 4-5.5hrs :o
and the cost between £61.63-£125(at least Dick Turpin wore a mask) :headbang:

So what doe's the course entail,is it hours of lecturing on what a reckless and dangerous driver i am,any advice would be much appreciated.
 
Not been on one but have been told They attempt to make you aware of the problems you will have by exceeding the speed limits, even at 6mph over the limit :thumbsdown:
 
The course format varies slightly from county to county, but will usually involve both classroom/workshop sessions and a stint behind the wheel.

The classroom bit will show you videos/photos of different scenarios and ask you what the dangers are.

The driving bit is just to get you to follow the COAST guidance, and they'll ask you to talk about what you see as you're driving.

As long as you don't try to be a smart-arse in the classroom sessions then you'll 'pass'. If you are disruptive then they have the option of 'failing' you and then you go back into the FPN 3 points & fine process, with no refund of your course fee.
 
There is no pass or fail just attending the course is enough but if you go along with that attitude then you deserve to get fined.

I went on one a few years ago and wasnt that impressed , i was expecting to see videos of crash victims and the effect of speeding etc to give the shock factor but my course felt i was a guinea pig for a professor who was doing research in tiredness while driving.

All the questions and practical was all about this , i actually felt cheated a bit and told them so to. To have to pay for this really pissed me off as i went along with a open mind hoping to be educated in the reasons why alot of us often drive just over the limit etc.

When at the end of the course we where all asked what we thought i told them quiet straight much to the instructors amazement.

I f you want people for your research then you should be paying them and not basically trapping them by a alternative of a fine and points.

Did i stop speeding just over the limit probably not, sad but to me this was a failure on there part .
 
I attended a Speed Awareness Course a couple of weeks ago (36 in a 30 grrr).

It wasn't so bad as I was expecting it to be - it was actually well put-together, with a fair mix of factual and participation content.

I was surprised there were a few relevant facts regarding speed issues I didn't know, despite having held a licence for 38 years!

They also spent a fair bit of time on the subject of Driving Stress, it's effects and how to control it.

It made me question the way I conduct myself at times if I'm honest, and I left with good intentions - which lasted for about a day!

Back to normal now, and still glad to have the Zed to ease a few of life's frustrations :lol: :lol: :lol:

Overall, though, I still feel my pocket has been picked to the tune of 60 quid by Sonerset County Council :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown:
 
Thanks for the info guys much appreciated :thumbsup:

jonnyfive said:
There is no pass or fail just attending the course is enough but if you go along with that attitude then you deserve to get fined.
Click to expand...
Regarding my attitude i was only trying to make light of the situation :thumbsup:
 
I did one of these in Nottinghamshire a year or two ago. It lasted 3 hours and was all classroom. Mainly consisted of reminding everyone of speed limits on the road for all vehicles (for example I had no idea some lorries are only allowed to 40mph in single lane national speed limit roads). Then there was a section looking at roads where serious accidents had occured (using photos of the road and not the accidents) and getting people to identify the hazards.

All in all it was quite informative and certainly better than 3 points.

I always find it peculiar though that they only offer it to people caught just over the limit. Surely those way over the limit need the education more ??? :rofl:
 
Redzedfour sorry mate i think you miss understood what i was trying to say .I ment any one who attends a course with the attitude of dont give a sh*t deserves to have points. It wasnt aimed at any one specific. :thumbsup:
 
jonnyfive said:
Redzedfour sorry mate i think you miss understood what i was trying to say .I ment any one who attends a course with the attitude of dont give a sh*t deserves to have points. It wasnt aimed at any one specific. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
It's not just those with a bad attitude that are 'release' from the course. I saw one middle-aged guy sent packing because he was 'being difficult' by asking 'awkward' questions such as:

  • Q) Is that dual-carriageway really a good example of camera placement for safety's sake, or is it just for profit?
    A) We're not here to discuss the right & wrongs of camera placement sir, play nice or we'll have to report you for being disruptive.

    Q) Why is the driving instructor doing 50mph in this 30mph limit?
    A) Because it's a 50mph limit.
    Q) But in the classroom you said that if there are no repeater signs and there are lights every 100m then it would be a 30mph limit - just like this road.
    A) Everyone knows this is a 50mph limit, with or without the signs.
My favourite question & answer was when the tutor asked us:
  • Q) Please give examples of reasons that you might stray over the speed limit?
    A) Late, in a rush, late for a meeting, want to get home, etc (basically all saying they were in a rush for one reason or another)
My response was 'for fun' - but then I had to explain to everyone what I meant as they couldn't get their heads around it, and I even pointed out that when I'm driving fast for fun I can slow down any time I want and go into cruise mode, so my speeding was much safer than their's which involved them rushing all the way to their destination :headbang:

BTW, my course was offered to me because I hit 34mph in a 30mph, after slamming on for a tosser jumping over the barrier in front of me. I stormed off, put my foot down and didn't even see the camera until it flashed.
 
£85 is a far better option than £60 and 3 points IMO. If it avoids insurance implications like 3 points on your license seems to that is...
 
I went to one of these after work.

I arrive and the car park was like the Fast & Furious movie set. Neon lights, big spoilers, garish alloys and bright colours... all on the likes on corsa's, saxos etc.

Anyway, I walk into the room and it was Chav-fest 101 - even worse was that I looked like a muppet wearing a suit and all when the rest of the "crew" were in hoodies, tracksuits and all. Must say though that the other guys (& girls!) that attended the course did take it all in good spirits - they cracked me up several times with their outlook on life :rofl:
 
I went on one of these courses last year... I am always a difficult one in terms of being opinionated / argumentative and sarcastic... anyway, the guys putting on the course (not coppers) took it all in good humour and it was a bit of a laugh. I think you have to be *very* difficult to get booted out ;)
 
a11y said:
£85 is a far better option than £60 and 3 points IMO. If it avoids insurance implications like 3 points on your license seems to that is...
Click to expand...
Definately agree, which is why I took the option when offered. Some friends thought i should just take my lumps and get the points but i'd rather have a clean licence.
37 in a 30 limit :headbang: Silly but it was a road i drove anything up to 4-5 times a day and a mobile gun was plonked on the side of the road. I was on handsfree talking to mrs R at the time so concentration slipped somewhat, silly but after reading some of the previous posts it cheered me up that the course wasn't going to be like a day at stalag luft 37 :)
 
mmm-five said:
BTW, my course was offered to me because I hit 34mph in a 30mph, after slamming on for a tosser jumping over the barrier in front of me. I stormed off, put my foot down and didn't even see the camera until it flashed.
Click to expand...

Apart from saying to the OP....who cares what the ointent is if it gets you off three points???....

@mmm-five, that sucks....and it doesn't even meet APCO guidelines which apparently are if the speed didn't exceed speed limit+10%+2mph = no action.

Amazing how the accident rate has continued to decline despite cameras being switched off by many authorities.
 
lacroupade said:
@mmm-five, that sucks....and it doesn't even meet APCO guidelines which apparently are if the speed didn't exceed speed limit+10%+2mph = no action.
Click to expand...
The letter that came with my 'offer' stated that had I been doing 36mph then they would not have offered the course and I would have had an NIP instead.

The APCO guidelines are routinely ignored though, as they also lay out the guidelines for where the camera vans and cameras can be situated and visibility of said vans.

For example the APCO guidelines 'suggest' that a camera van should be fully marked up and visible from a mile away, yet some SCPs use unmarked vans and even horse-boxes. The guidelines also 'suggest' that a camera van should not be parked dangerously nor should it be parked where they cause an obstruction.
 
I have just had a notice of intended prosecution, 37 in a 30. Not too happy about it but propably not a lot I can do, the guy was parked next to a 40 sign where the 30 goes into a 40. Anyway, Insurance is due on 18th April and Ive started to look around. My question is, if you have been on a speed awareness course, do you have to mention anything when applying for insurance and were you 'convicted' of speeding (ie, SP30)

I thought the point of the course was that your insurance would not go up but when I have looked on comparethemeerkat, It asks if you have been convicted, you then put the fine and/or points in and my insurance goes to the same price (£150 dearer) no matter wheather I put no points and no fine or if I put £60 and 3 points?

The mobile unit that got me was parked after a 20 sign indicating that it was going to be a temporary 20 around 1Km up the road and a 40 sign. There were a few cars in front of me doing 20, no side roads, pedestrians, houses / anything, got fed up (my fault) and went to overtake as there was nothing coming the other way, good dry conditions and I could see 1KM up the road!
 
oli445 said:
I have just had a notice of intended prosecution, 37 in a 30. Not too happy about it but propably not a lot I can do, the guy was parked next to a 40 sign where the 30 goes into a 40. Anyway, Insurance is due on 18th April and Ive started to look around. My question is, if you have been on a speed awareness course, do you have to mention anything when applying for insurance and were you 'convicted' of speeding (ie, SP30)

I thought the point of the course was that your insurance would not go up but when I have looked on comparethemeerkat, It asks if you have been convicted, you then put the fine and/or points in and my insurance goes to the same price (£150 dearer) no matter whether I put no points and no fine or if I put £60 and 3 points?
Click to expand...
The course is offered in place of the points & fine - you don't do both (unless you're really bolshy in the course and get thrown out, in which case the you'll receive a fine & points).

If you go on a course you have not been convicted/fined/penalised, so there's nothing to tell the insurance company.

If you get 3 points and £60 fine then you have been convicted and you will have the conviction put onto your record which means you will have to tell the insurance company.

In my case 3-6 points didn't make a jot of difference to my premium, but that was 10 years ago and I'm sure insurers will try anything to get extra cash out of us now.
 
mmm-five said:
If you go on a course you have not been convicted/fined/penalised, so there's nothing to tell the insurance company.

If you get 3 points and £60 fine then you have been convicted and you will have the conviction put onto your record which means you will have to tell the insurance company.

In my case 3-6 points didn't make a jot of difference to my premium, but that was 10 years ago and I'm sure insurers will try anything to get extra cash out of us now.
Click to expand...

Thanks mmm-five, just got to hope they offer me the course now then
 
How long does it take for the letter to come after being/I think, zapped by a mobile camera? I was doing 56/57 in a 50 limit.
This was last friday, its now thursday follwing week and had nothing yet.
Fingers crossed!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom