Speed awareness course

[Christmassydecs]

I’m so upset to have received notice in the post that I drove at 43mph in a 30mph zone. No excuses, I did it and I’m thoroughly ashamed. It wasn’t a built up area but a country road in Cumbria I’ve never previously driven on and I missed any 30 sign. I’m normally a very careful driver and reached age 69 trouble free.

Has anyone attended a speed awareness course as an alternative to licence points and is it a theory test or more listening to talks? I’m not sure if I’ll be eligible to take the course option as from what I’ve read the cut off point is up to 42mph in a 30 zone. I was recorded doing 43mph. Does anyone know if the 42mph is set in stone or if there is room for discretion?

you won’t be eligible

you’ll get points and a fine (£100 if i recall correctly)

I always use Google maps for this reason.

It shows the speed limit for roads that change within seconds from 50mph to 30mph.

I did the course last week. I think it’s only offered if you’re slightly over the limit.

It was actually very interactive and informative and is intended to refresh your memory and remind you about safe driving. I did it on Zoom so not difficult to attend but they do make you pay attention.

Sorry I think you will be getting the points and fine.

I think I might have been offered it at 43 in a 30mph limit. I think it depends on the force.

It was good. Interactive discussion. Sadly it didn't prevent me having to do another one four years later. 25 in a 20. Clear road, early am, no visible signs.

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.

I couldn't recommend it enough.

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

Thank you all for your replies. I’m so upset and annoyed with myself.

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.

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!

They're run by a police officer

Mine wasn't

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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!)

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

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

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

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.

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.