Speed Awarness Course

[yoshiro]

I’m learning to drive, haven’t even got my license yet and was recently on a driving lesson where I’ve been caught by a van doing 35 in a 30. I remember my instructor was telling me about a road rule as I was slowing down so I was maybe a second or two late hitting the brakes. I’ve been offered a course or a fine. I just think it’s a bit unfair given I was on a lesson but if I have to pay I obviously will. Has anyone had any similar experiences and managed to appeal?

(sorry wasn’t sure what topic to pick)

Whilst you were under instruction, I don't understand how you were slowing down yet still exceeding the speed limit🙄

Unfortunately you were the driver of the car and thus responsible for the fine but I would reconsider paying for lessons from an instructor who blatantly allows you to get caught speeding !

Appeal what exactly? You were speeding. I'm sure you know what breaking the speed limit is, your instructor isn't responsible for that, they often can't even see the speedometer. Never mind hitting the brakes because you saw the speed camera, you shouldn't have been going over the limit full stop.
Take this as a warning and do the course. 35mph logged means your speedo was pushing 37-38mph. That's a lot over the limit.

Did the car not have dual controls?
Did the instructor not have a voice?
How very odd…

Do the course. You learn some useful things that will help you be more aware of speed limits and a better driver. There's no shame in it, many people have been on them.

Do not try to appeal. The speed awareness course is a lifeline that stops drivers from getting the actual legal sanctions but if you appeal that alternative can be withdrawn. The speed awareness course is a good investment of time but a major first section of the course is making you take personal responsibility for the fact that you were breaking the law and anyone who tries to get through the course still blaming some other factor (in your case, your driving instructor) won't pass the course.

@NotMeNoNoYeah I think that would be best, unfortunately just going to just have to be an expensive life lesson haha

Do the course. It’s informative! And then no points on your license.

and also- you were over the limit, there is nothing to appeal against.

@Landlubber2019That is very true and I will do the course but as for my instructor he’s otherwise the best one I’ve had and I’m quite close to my test date, fingers crossed no more hiccups!

@DoohickyJuneYes to both, unfortunately he wa/ pointing at a road sign in the other direction to tell me what it meant so I didn’t see the sign until it was too late but unfortunately still my fault :(

@Pecletthink you might be right!

@RareGoalsVergeSorry I didn’t see this! Yeah I did see that appealing it takes away the option of the course. It is fair enough and I was definitely the one driving but also I do think if my instructor is pointing in the other direction as I pass speed limit sign then he should be made aware that it causes situations like this.

@yoshiro The letter said I was doing 35mph does that mean I was actually doing 37-38mph? I’m not quite sure how it works.

No car speedometer is 100% accurate as it just measures the rotation speed of the axle, and how that translates to road speed will vary by 5-7% according to tyre wear and inflation and temperature. The law for a vehicle to pass the MOT is that the speedometer can over report speed by up to 10% but it must never under report. So if your real speed is 31 mph it is illegal for your speedometer to be calibrated to tell you 30 mph, but totally fine for it to tell you up to 34 mph.

External speed measuring devices like handheld speed guns, speeding cameras or the smiley-face/frowny-face signs that are used for traffic calming, all measure much more accurately, usually using the doppler effect, and will have no such variation. If your real speed was 35mph your speedometer could have been reading 38mph.

@RareGoalsVerge That is so interesting, good to know!! - and yeah it’s possible I was for a second as I was dropping from national limit but I remember I did drop down to 30 immediately when I realised so I’m guessing I got caught just before :(

do think if my instructor is pointing in the other direction as I pass speed limit sign then he should be made aware that it causes situations like this.

Unfortunately, that's just part of driving - you have to multitask. Even with no one else in the car, you might be looking for a roadside or house number, and still have to be aware of the current speed limit. You have to be ready for potential hazards - a child running into the road, another car doing an unexpected manoeuvre, veering onto your side of the road, things like that. And while bearing all that in mind, you need to be thinking about whether you're in the right gear, needing to slow down, to signal, etc. And you could have the added challenge of having squabbling kids or a barking dog or chattering friends or someone else in the car, who are purely distractions, not trying to help you improve as a driving instructor should be.

It gets easier - I don't have to consciously think about gear changing in the way I did when I was learning, and that's just down to years and several thousand miles of driving experience. But you do have to be aware at all times.

Anyway, the speed awareness course is interesting and well worth doing. I recently had to do a motirway awareness course, and made me aware that it's probably useful that learners can now go on motorways in certain circumstances, because otherwise, passing your test round urban roads mostly at 30mph or less is enough to allow you on a motorway.

Go and enjoy it - it's better than points.

The speed awareness course will also help to teach you that if there's a speed limit reduction coming up, you are supposed to see the sign in the distance and change to the lower speed before you reach the sign, so your instructor pointing at something in another direction should have been irrelevant as you should have already been at 30 by that point. Don't drive on roads you haven't spent a few seconds observing, including observing all the signs as soon as they come into view. If a sign hasn't been in your line of sight for a few seconds (eg there was a bend in the road) then you were going too fast while in the national speed limit section of road - you are not supposed to be going at 60mph whenever NSL applies, you are supposed to be choosing a speed appropriate to the road that allows you to have plenty of time to observe the road ahead, so willonly go at 60mph on very wide and straight sections of NSL roads. I don't think your driving instructor is teaching you very well.

Hmmm see I think while under instruction the instructor should hold some responsibility. No idea on legalities of that though. The speed awareness courses are good (I’ve done a couple over the years 🙈) so take the learning.

@RareGoalsVergeHave you considered becoming an instructor?

@TeenLifeMum Haha thanks for the sympathy, I will enjoy the course thank you!

I am paid way more than a driving instructor for much more interesting work that I get to do with a lot more flexibility than they have, without reference to anyone else's availability. No nope. But good luck learning to drive.

Perhaps you should consider not posting in community based forums if you don't like hearing other peoples opinions lol

One thing the speed awareness course teaches you is how to recognise what the speed limit will be by the features of the road e.g. streetlights means 30 or can be 20 if indicated. A dual carriageway needs a true barrier between both sides of traffic , understanding these rules will give you a much better understanding of the speed you should be driving at