You Decide, Points or Course.

rev_henry

ACG wrote: »

I know a few people who have been on the course. Some say its just a waste of time, others (who you wouldnt expect) say they did actually take something away from it.

The fact that there are no points on your license and you may learn something from it, i would be inclined to go on the course.

Forgot to say... I get the impression it isnt just some bloke being condescending saying you shouldnt speed for 4 hours - although that may just come down to the individual doing the course.

I've heard similar things about these courses too. I think the quality varies considerably depending on who runs it i.e. where you are in the country. Though some (all?) actually take you out for a driving lesson type thing, which can only be useful, especially if you passed your test a while ago.

Hoof_Hearted

I have done the course (too many points building up). I don't think a SP30, for example, makes much difference to insurance but the course is OK. The problem is that the room is full of resentful people who were caught marginally over the limit. This can lead to some lively discussions. I don't think any of us left thinking that we had done much wrong or that the course would have much impact on our future driving, other than being more aware of where the speed traps are likely to be.

Ultrasonic

neilmcl wrote: »

Don't be naive. It'll be any any excuse to increase your risk and up your premiums.

I wasn't being naive at all. We're comparing a course to points. I didn't say declaring the course wouldn't put the premium up, but was suggesting it would put the premium up by less than the points. The only way to get a real idea would be to run dummy quotes of course, as insurance is a funny business that frequently defies common sense.

Bongles

rev_henry wrote: »

Though some (all?) actually take you out for a driving lesson type thing

I've never heard of a speed awareness course including a session of driving. Course offered for other offences might do.

To answer the OP - I'd do the course. As someone else said, it's you're chance to get caught and not get points - and those 3 points, while they might be trivial now, could be really significant if you picked up a few more down the line.

DigForVictory

A live driving lesson was part of the course, but it got lost in the standardisation of courses across the UK. Pity.

paddedjohn

Thanks for the input folks, ive decided to go on the course next month and keep my licence clean.