What did you learn on a speed awareness course you didn't know before?

[rondo]

Or I suppose you had forgotten?
Or what were you surprised other people did not know?

The videos of stopping distances were interesting. The instructor also talked about conscious driving techniques to maintain focus when feeling distracted - as I had been speeding accidentally because I'd not noticed the change of speed limit sign.

Chances are you will end up queuing at a roundabout, a junction or meeting traffic doing the speed limit.

So you will end up slowing down - and you can do the maths to see it makes little difference

That if you come off on a motorway slip at speed with lights at the bottom they sense and go red.

I hope they discuss tailgating, safe distances between cars, and looking ahead to identify potential issues. Like lorries swerving slightly

Or an auto

That a lot of people don't understand the concept of average speed

Nothing at all. All basic common sense and/or in the highway code. I was caught speeding trying to get to hospital in an emergency situation and this was my only offence in 25 years of driving. The woman running the course was ill tempered and patronising. Wish I'd just taken the points!

it was enlightening how many people on mine didn't know the NSL on different types of roads

Or that many van drivers dont know they can only do 60 on a dual carriage way

Others didn't know about the red x on motor ways, the 2 second time gap and to look at the street lights to tell you what the limit is. I actually found some of the comments from other drivers quite scary one of them was doing the course but had other points pending for the same camera as they didn't notice the big yellow box and didn't know it was a camera

The guy leading it was a complete knob. Yelled at me for not making eye contact at all times. I have ADHD and three hour eye contact was impossible.

What I did learn was mechanisms of smart motorways which is what I got a ticket for. It reduced from 60 to 40 and in between gantry's I didn't see.

Or that a lot of people don't think 50 mph in roadworks applies to them.

She said 'Oh no, I don't drive' at the hospital and didn't mention to the blur - sorry, I mean, nice man - doing the course that she couldn't see, and made some fluffy sounds about how silly she was, she'd forgotten her reading glasses when it came to signing in.

I found out about all this later on when it was also admitted that she was glad when the letter turned out to be for speeding/not seeing the five speed limit signs on the single stretch of country road to her house, as she'd driven into the back of a big green tractor sitting at a red light a couple of days previously.

Idiot.

Basic highway code. Does no-one read it anymore?

...

But I was asking about dual carriageways with central reservations.

So that doesn't answer the question

Are you asking about my first, second or third one? 😂🤷🏻‍♀️
Common sense. I was speeding for the following reasons:

1. Sunday morning on A303 with 3 other cars all in the slow lane but all going a steady 80 in good weather conditions (police car behind the bridge)
2. driving between 2 villages I thought the speed limit was 40, turns out it was 30 but no signs just lamp posts that I didn’t clock between the trees.
3. Driving at 33mph late at night on a main road

This is over 25 years… dh has never had a speeding fine which, considering his previous long commute has shown me I’m very unlucky and shouldn’t take risks.

You mean the Inside lane?

There is no such thing as the slow lane. Was that covered in the course?

@cakeorwine are you always such an annoying pedant? As the A303 has only 2 lanes (one in some parts) it’s clear in my post which lane I’m referring to. And no, they didn’t do any dictionary definitions of lane titles as part of the course 🙄

It's not about being a pedant. Refering to it as a slow lane implies there is a fast one where speeding is acceptable.

The thing is - people do think of it as the slow lane - and speed in the outside lane.

A mind set change is needed to think of it as the inside lane - and the outside lane used for overtaking.

Your reaction shows you didn't either take that in on your course or it wasn't covered.

It's changed over the years. I also learned that it changed and to read it every year.

@cakeorwine no one was in the outside lane as no one was overtaking, we were all going 80 in the inside lane. Does that language help you? Changing the language doesn’t change the situation at all.

I like to speak in plain English and feel my post is perfectly clearly expressed. Obviously, whichever lane you’re in, you’re not supposed to go over 70 and you only pull out if you need to overtake. Middle lane drivers drive me nuts. However, there was no middle lane because it was the A303 so that’s not relevant.

It's not helping me. It's helping you.

Still - if it helps you realise that there is an inside lane and an outside lane (instead of a slow lane and a fast lane) , then maybe it does help me and help others.

Your defensiveness is interesting.

That if the driver behind you is ‘up your bum’ you should slow down not speed up, to increase the distance between you and the car in front. If you speed up you’ll just end up with a small gap in front and behind.

Oh yes and if you’re in a 20 zone stick to 2nd gear and 3rd gear in a 30 zone. Will stop you accidentally going too fast