Speed awareness course

huh?

the specific “reason” of “didn’t see the sign”

is not relevant in the eyes of the law for one nanosecond

There was someone on my course who got very agitated when the instructors warned us (100% correctly, by the way. All their predictions have come to pass) that the DoT was revising speed limits downwards generally.

This person had been caught doing just over 60 on a 40 road that used to be a 60. They went to court (to tell the judge the speed limit was wrong) and accepted the SAC instead of points.

However in the SAC they started off again on how the limits were wrong and they shouldn't have been done.

In the end they were taken to one side. I don't know what was said, but they didn't say a word after.

I suspect they were remined (as we were all told at the beginning) that our being their and attending in a positive manner was acceptance that we had broken the law. If we had a problem with that we were free to leave, and go to court to explain to a judge why we were not guilty.

I may talk far too much, but I know when to listen.

Utter rubbish. Of course the reason a person is over the speed limit is relevant - it doesn't happen randomly - if you don't know why you were speeding, how can you take steps to avoid doing it in future? The SA courses should include that reason, as well as covering people who were 'late for work' or whatever.

My late OH was caught in a similar way, leaving roadworks with a 40 limit he thought that as the roundabout was outside the roadworks area the road would be 50 beyond it and it wasn't, for 150m! He did the SA course, became boringly evangelical and ended up running the local speed watch!

Pretty sure you'd have been offered the course in your letter if you're eligible, sorry. I don't remember getting more than one letter about it, anyway.

Mine was fun, until we were shown a log of speeds captured by a speed census and realised it was taken outside a road we had all agreed was a maximum 30 mph limit outside a school. (They showed us videos and asked us to determine the limit from clues).

In one afternoon, they logged 3 cars doing over 60 and 2 doing 80.

Outside a school.

If I had any patience or sympathy for speeders, I lost it in an instant. Scum.

A lad was killed outside our school by a motorist when I was at school. (They weren't speeding). It was a very upsetting assembly - and in those days we didn't get counsellors.

My instructor had done the course himself btw - anyone can miss a sign. I was 60m inside the 30 and could clearly see the 50mph sign and was accelerating early! 35 in a 30, it doesn't matter why rules are rules

but even mentioning it means that the person think it’s a relevant fact
it isn’t

Don't think anyone has said it's a 'great excuse'.

It's a really good course if you are offered it. I learned things from it and it was actually quite fun (was first in person thing I'd been to in months due to Covid!)

I was nabbed doing 43 in 30 mile zone after they changed speed limit on a road. I was offered a speed awareness course for £75 or a fine and points. No brainer.

I did the course at home over zoom with about 6 other people in 'the class' and found it informative. It was run by a man employed by local Council and police and he was non judgemental but made you think about your actions without making you feel like shite

First thing we learned was how to read the speed limit of a road without signs ....

Incidentally, "not seeing" a sign isn't really a great excuse. It does sound rather careless.

Again, I think it’s unlikely that they will offer you a course, but if they do, you sit and work through a few exercises as a group. I’m ashamed to say I’ve done 2 but each time I learned a lot and found the time flew by. One thing that has been mentioned is that you can use google or sat nav to check the speed limit but you can’t. These are unreliable as local speed limits can change depending on things like a new estate being built or a section of road having a few accidents on it. The only reliable way is checking road signs. Sat Nav goes out of date and doesn’t automatically update.

DH found bits of it quite interesting but not useful. He was doing 37 in a 30, thinking it was still 40.

With respect, the OP was doing 43 in a 30; I don’t think it’s just about raising revenue.

I was caught when I was changing my speed limiter from 40 to 30 and doing 33.

I still found it useful and would recommend it.

The cut off is normally 42mph as a PP said. It’ll be 3pts/£100 fine but with an otherwise clean license I wouldn’t get too worked up.

Husband went on a speed awareness course a good few years ago and found it a bit pointless because he said it was all aimed at people who were deliberately speeding for a reason and he, like the OP, had missed a sign so it wasn't intentional.

They're run by a police officer

Mine wasn't

Just put it down to experience. I say well done for getting to 69. It's the blasted cameras and fact it's being used to raise revenue!

You have to either attend one in person at a designated venue or do it via Zoom at a set time. They're run by a police offer and you have to "attend" - you can't just do it at home.

I got a letter the other day because I did 35 in a 30 zone. Can you do the course in your own time?

I couldn't recommend it enough.

I don't think you'll be offered a course - it'll be points and a fine.

We're in Cumbria and DH got offered a course a few years ago - I think he said the cut-off was around 39 before they just fined you.