Speed awareness course - or not?

lizziebabe

I got caught on camera doing 36 in a 30 zone on Christmas day last year. As I had never had any points I chose to do the SAC as it cost the same as the fine. As another poster wrote it was extremely good and well run.

It was very good to get a refresher and I have been driving for 33 years and consider myself to be a good driver but everyone who has been driving for a long time does get complacent and fall into bad habits.

I was pleased that I did it and now am even safer on the roads and more aware. Go for it -

Apparently you can only do 1 course in 3 years, so if you get caught again within that time you have to get the points and fine.

Lum

There are very few reasons not to take the course, about the only valid one is if you are self employed and are earning hundreds of pounds an hour.

The criteria to take the course varies per camera partnership, but the basic idea is the same, people at the low end of the scale get offered the course, so for a given partnership it may be, e.g. 39 in a 30, 50 in a 40, 61 in a 50, 72 in a 60 and 83 in a 70. The next county along it may be 35 in a 30, 46 in a 40 etc.

Whether you have previous points on your licence doesn't affect whether you get offered the course or not, the only criteria are that you were below one of the thresholds and that you have not already been on such a course within the last 3 years.

You may as well take it. Your next ticket may come from a camera partnership that still doesn't offer the course and then you'll have 6 points.


What is interesting though is that the local council makes a small profit from the courses and now that we are seeing some councils threatening to withdraw funding for camera partnerships, the thresholds at which people get offered the course have been rising in many areas. Funny that.

It's also worth noting that you can shop around for the course. By which I mean you can elect to do it in any area of your choosing. The price can vary by as much as £50 (Lowest I've seen is £55, highest is a little over £100) so this may be worth looking into.

Invalidation

As for insurance rising for an SP30 on your licence? Rubbish. I have 2 X SP30's on my licence and have 3 Vehicles all insured on different policies, A Clio, a VW T4 and a Cobra, and on renewal it made no difference when I told the Insurance companies about them
I also went on a Speed awareness course. It was worse than watching paint dry. Death by Boredom.

Lum

Try getting those same policies with 9 points on your licence and you wont be so lucky.
I suspect the course was worth it in your case.

That said, I think more weighting is being given to points again, because things have calmed down a little since 2006 when the enforcement was at it's highest, which makes the course more attractive.

Turn up, try to stay awake, avoid the points, it really is that simple. There's no exam and if you shop around you can avoid any driving element too.

LandyAndy

apples1 wrote: »

I opted for the course. It cost £60 which was same as fine would have been.
I was caught on camera doing 35 in a 30. I really did not want to do the course but did not feel it sensible to take the points and put up my insurance. I have been driving 22 years, never had an accident. I consider myself a good careful driver and certainly not a speed freak.


The course was so good I would have paid for my husband to go on it and I would recommend it to any driver. It was exceptionally well delivered and I learnt some very useful things. It was not patronising in any way shape or form. There was a real mix of delegates but I would bet my £60 that they all got something from it.

That was exactly my experience of the Wiltshire SAC that I went on.......except the husband bit;).

Invalidation

Lum wrote: »

Try getting those same policies with 9 points on your licence and you wont be so lucky.

But I havent got nine points. People were making the point that an SP30 Increases the Insurance premium when in mine and others cases it didnt.

I suspect the course was worth it in your case.

You 'suspect' wrongly In the first case I was done for speeding after coming off a dual carriageway and was slowing down. The scum with the camera was simply waiting for people who didnt suddenly hit their brakes. I was done for 38MPH. The second case was when I was overtaking some old fart crawling along. I broke the speed limit whilst overtaking..........shoot me!. The third time, the one I got the SAC for was in Bristol. I still maintain I wasnt speeding, and the reading was for the truck that was actually passing me when I was caught by the scamster partnership. At no time in all 3 cases was I ever doing over 40 MPH at any time. serious stuff eh ?

That said, I think more weighting is being given to points again, because things have calmed down a little since 2006 when the enforcement was at it's highest, which makes the course more attractive.

IMHO the course is a waste of time and just a way to avoid the 3 Points on the licence. I wouldnt take it again.

Turn up, try to stay awake, avoid the points, it really is that simple. There's no exam and if you shop around you can avoid any driving element too.

Dont tell me....Ive done it. Total waste of time. Im 60 and have been driving since the day I turned 16. I have never ever had any convictions or accidents for driving untill the idiots began their money making scams.

LandyAndy

Invalidation wrote: »

As for insurance rising for an SP30 on your licence? Rubbish. I have 2 X SP30's on my licence and have 3 Vehicles all insured on different policies, A Clio, a VW T4 and a Cobra, and on renewal it made no difference when I told the Insurance companies about them
I also went on a Speed awareness course. It was worse than watching paint dry. Death by Boredom.

There's none so blind as them as won't see.

Invalidation

apples1 wrote: »

The course was so good I would have paid for my husband to go on it and I would recommend it to any driver. It was exceptionally well delivered and I learnt some very useful things..

You learned something? They dont tell you anything that you shouldnt already have known as a driver.

LandyAndy

Invalidation wrote: »

But I havent got nine points.You would have if you hadn't done the course People were making the point that an SP30 Increases the Insurance premium when in mine and others cases it didnt.
You 'suspect' wrongly In the first case I was done for speeding after coming off a dual carriageway and was slowing down. The scum with the camera was simply waiting for people who didnt suddenly hit their brakes.Are you sure he wasn't just waiting for people who failing to look ahead and anticipate? I was done for 38MPH. The second case was when I was overtaking some old fart crawling along. I broke the speed limit whilst overtaking..........shoot me!.Condemned out of your own mouth The third time, the one I got the SAC for was in Bristol. I still maintain I wasnt speeding, and the reading was for the truck that was actually passing me when I was caught by the scamster partnership.Indeed, you were so confident you challenged it in court...Oh, you didn't did you At no time in all 3 cases was I ever doing over 40 MPH at any time. serious stuff eh ?In all three cases you were breaking a clearly identifible speed limit.
IMHO the course is a waste of time and just a way to avoid the 3 Points on the licence. I wouldnt take it again.
Dont tell me....Ive done it. Total waste of time. Im 60 and have been driving since the day I turned 16. I have never ever had any convictions or accidents for driving untill the idiots began their money making scams What makes me think you are sanctimonious knowall?.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

You were speeding. You got caught. You got away with breaking the law repeatedly for years and years and now complain when a method is devised to catch you.

Just drive within the limits.

LandyAndy

Invalidation wrote: »

You learned something? They dont tell you anything that you shouldnt already have known as a driver.

Well, you'd obviously forgotten how to identify a speed limit.