Speed awareness course - sex discrimination?

[MrsFionaCharming]

This is just theoretical pondering I’m not actually planning on making a complaint. Also, I know speeding is bad and I’m happy to face the consequences of my actions, this isn’t about that. Just interested to know others thoughts.

I’m doing a virtual speed awareness course tomorrow, lasting around 3 hours. When I signed up, it specified you must not be caring for children at the same time. I have a breastfed 6 week old. Now, my husband works flexibly and baby will happily take an expressed bottle so it’s not a problem. But what about women who don’t have a partner or with a bottle refusing baby? That woman wouldn’t be able to do the course and would be forced to accept the points and the rise in insurance etc that comes with that. Given a man wouldn’t be in that position and made to accept the points due to his biology, could this be considered sex discrimination?

It is sex discrimination.

For all those piling have your never drove over the speed limit?

Further the fact that she is being offered the speed awareness course means she was only marginally over the limit or she wouldn't be being offered JR

So what do you suggest (in addition to what has already been stated as reasonable adjustments)?

It’s a three hour course with a break in the middle, not a three month prison sentence.

DH had to do a course recently. I'm not sure about deferring - he had to book his own course and select a date and time that he could attend.
There may have been a time limit, but it wasn't short - he booked it several weeks before he attended the course.
He had to take a morning off work to do it as well.
I think they should allow deferral if they don't already, but you should ask.

If you defer it are you banned from driving until you attend?

It is always useful to give babies a bottle (of EBM) from time to time from no later than 6 weeks onwards, so they can be left.

Because this isn't the only sort of life event that can mean you have to be away from your baby for a few hours, and that's one less worry for you.

A lot of people on here don’t understand what a protected characteristic is… you’re still at risk of discrimination even though motherhood is a choice…

Pay the fine and take the points then?

It was a huge problem for me trying to get after-school child care sorted out when I did it. And there was no option to leave 10 mins early to make sure I could collect kids in time.

Were I in that situation you mentioned, and it was a virtual online course still, I’d just have the baby there as there would be no option otherwise.

No

Ok then can you defer it OP? Will they let you defer it a couple of years?

You have to complete it within a set time limit, I think it might be 12 months. If you don't do it within the timescale then it's referred back to the police to issue points and a fine instead.

If you can express and if your baby will accept it, of course…

Who would have looked after your baby if you were sent to prison for killing someone while you were speeding? Because that's what could have happened. However you'd have cared for baby then, do that.

Considering she'd have been about 5 months pregnant then she'd have had the baby in prison and been allowed to breastfeed.

Have you actually emailed and asked them as they probably do have a contingency in this case
That said when people have several children you can't always drop everything and feed baby asap
Plus as you have broken the law technically then I guess they may expect you to get childcare , as im sure when someone is arrested or has to go to court then they have to have childcare in place
But I bet if you contact them they actually could offer solutions

If she was offered the course, she wouldn't have been speeding that much. I'm sure you've gone over the speed limit by a few mph in your life.

I think you raise a great point OP and I think it could/would cause women to be at a disadvantage.

Mumsnet is embarrassing in its responses sometimes.

Is it virtual? I would just do the course with camera off and baby in arms if so.

Happened to me, I had to take the points. DD was teeny and EBF (couldn’t express) and I couldn’t have left her anyway.

Worst bit is, we realised some time later that the day it happened it was actually DH that had my car and not me. So I inadvertently took his sodding points!! Grrr. Still annoyed by it 3 years on!

its not discrimination, if it was in person you couldn’t take children. Why is this any different. I hope your baby wasn’t in the car when you were speeding.

Mine was face to face ! Had to attend at a centre some miles away - it was discriminatory to anyone rural that don’t have a car as couldn’t easily connect from rural parts by public transport.
maybe they’ve switched to zoom since covid?
In which case can’t see issue with having a baby breastfeeding with you then anyway

For the course I did you had to have your video and mic on throughout and no one allowed to be in the room with you. You had to give the course your full attention throughout. However you have several months and a wide range of dates and times to book. There is no need for anyone to be doing the course with a 6 week old! I don’t understand why, if the speeding offence was in April, you are doing the course now? Or why anyone would book to do it when they know they’ll have a tiny baby.

How would they have been done for speeding if they didn’t have a car, or at least access to one?

why are so many people so desperate to be the victim rather than just grow the F up

Mine was face to face ! Had to attend at a centre some miles away - it was discriminatory to anyone rural that don’t have a car.
😂😂😂