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?

I did the course many years ago, and I would honestly choose the points if faced with the choice now. Although it is worthwhile sitting through the course to avoid the points, I would rather avoid it now.
Also - you absolutely will NOT be going to court!

That's your opinion, it isn't mine.

There are more fatalities because the roads are dangerous for various reasons. Country roads are often marked at 50 or 60 and that isn't safe but... legal.

@JollyHollyMe If you're at Gloucester Services on your journey between Bristol and London, then you've gone the wrong way!

A summons would normally be 50+mph

I’ve noticed it isn’t completely up to date with some 20mph roads lately, unfortunately.

Yes true

There’s one sure way of keeping your cash in your account. You can’t blame the cameras for someone’s heavy right foot!

The driver needs to be confirmed first.

You have to be thick as shit to fail says the person who has done the course 3 times!

Have you looked on google maps to see where the 30 sign was before you got caught?

Not necessarily as an excuse for getting out of the fine but it seems to be something you've taken to heart. There are a few signs by me where, due to council cut backs, trees and bushes have almost completely overgrown them. It might give you some peace of mind so you know what to look out for in a similar type of road next time.

Presumably if you didn't see the 30,you assumed it was NSL, so were actually driving quite a bit below, again suggesting you are normally a careful driver.

Don't beat yourself up over it. Everyone can make a mistake. When I was offered a course, the sheer amount of options was staggering. They seemed to run twice a day, every day, in nearly every police force. With 10-20 people per course, that's a LOT of people getting caught, and then when you take into account that people over a set limit won't be offered a course, nor will people who have already done it in the last 3 years, that's thousands of people every day getting caught speeding, which, I'm sure, is a drop in the ocean compared to the people not getting caught!

She has passed the course three times.

the only people they fail apparently are those who are not taking it seriously.

They passed but apparently didn’t learn.

You’re right about failing people. The SA course is an alternative to prosecution, so in accepting the course you are agreeing that you are guilty of the speeding offence and as such if someone doesn’t engage with the course with the appropriate attitude the tutor will fail them.

You are quite right - I meant irrelevant as explained further down in my post - “reasons ( excuses) for speeding hold no value except in very rare circumstances ! “

So what happens if you fail do you get the fine and points if so you will be £200 out of pocket so would have been better taking the fine and points in the first place

You would have been better off not speeding in the first place, but seriously you will pass the course if you aren't an arsehole while on the course. If you cannot manage that, take the points and lose the £200+ with grace.

Well as yours clearly distracted you, I'd say it's obvious!!

I am convinced there are lots of roads in Northern Ireland where the rules don't apply. Footpath and streetlights and 50 or 40 mph with no repeaters. I still tend to do 30 in them just in case. Next time I notice one I am going to check on Google maps.

So if somebody was doing 49mph in a 20 zone they wouldn’t go to court? Find that hard to believe.

OP I found the course useful and it certainly made me much more aware of other indicators of limits.

The only down side was the bloody macho men ( 1 taxi driver and 2 van drivers) who were so bloody obnoxious and argumentative that they really pissed the instructor off!

@Bingobanging @Shade17 clearly means for a 30mph road which is what OP was on. The point at which you receive a summons is entirely relative to the speed you should have been doing.

Yeah I did the course by zoom during lock down, one guy was lying in bed doing it. Another woman still in bed. I was at the kitchen table in Pjs. I was just 33 in a 30. It’s a crazy junction on a corner of a hill. Mad.

You’ll be fine it’s just an awareness course, you just review the rules and they ask some questions, nobody fails anything, there’s nothing to fail.

Those are facts based on research & collision investigations not my opinion.

Only on mn is the holier than thou : 'I've never sped', vomit inducing.

I've done the course 3 times! (Clearly hasn't helped me!!) It's quite fun and I enjoyed it. Nice bunch of people each time. People of all ages, backgrounds etc..

No need to feel ashamed. I've been driving close to 30 years and never used to pick up points, but over the last 10 hrs there have been more and more speed cameras appearing and some in places which feel designed to catch u out.

3 points on your license is fine. Don't worry.

You don't fail. Basically instead of 3 points you get a 3 hour lecture on someone else's opinion on the risks of speeding. Guy leading ours was great but didn't have an answer when I pointed out the XC90 safety record as a reason to dispute the "fatal 4".

Speed limits should be going up with advancement of technology not down.