Notice of intended prosecution

leitmotif

Hi all. I was caught doing 79 mph on a dual carriageway and have received a notice of intended prosecution from Hampshire Constabulary. As the notice states, the national guidelines dictate that the penalty for this will be either driver awareness training or a conditional offer. The reply slip allows me to tick a box indicating that I would like to be considered for the driver awareness training.

Although the police would be under no obligation to offer such training, and although it is probably offered subject to availability (and must be taken within 90 days), I am trying to work out whether it is the better option. I have found various conflicting sources online suggesting that the conditional offer could be anything between £60 and £100 plus three points added to my licence. I have also found various conflicting sources online suggesting that the training would cost somewhere within the same price range and would take four hours, though within Hampshire it seems to be approximately £75 and last only three hours.

There are three considerations when working out the total potential cost of each option:

1) Accepting a conditional offer will entail three points being added to my licence and this will need to be declared to my insurer. This will push up my car insurance. I pay annually, but I'd imagine that they'd want some form of additional payment immediately. Has anyone been in this situation? If so, by roughly what percentage did your premium go up?

2) Various conflicting sources online suggest that I would and would not have to declare the driver awareness training to my insurer. Various conflicting sources online suggest that this would and would not push up my premium. Has anyone been in this situation? If so, did your car insurance premium go up, and if so, by roughly what percentage?

3) The driver awareness training site states that the training is only offered on mornings and afternoons on working days. As I am self-employed, that would require me to miss work for an equivalent amount of time, so I need to factor in lost earnings. I have no questions attached to this point.

Advice welcome.

Lomast

Conditional offer will be £100 +3 points (used to be £60+3).

Points may need to be declared immediately or on renewal you will need to check your policy documents.

At the moment as far as I'm aware only admiral group companies (elephant, diamond and I think sheilas wheels) ask about awareness courses but again check what your policy states.

Generally 3 points or a course make a small increase in premiums but each case varies so it's impossible to give definitive answer

elsien

If you're prepared to travel there may be a course on a Saturday. The nearest courses to me were all weekday ones but I found a weekend one just over an hour away.
Most insurers don't require the course to be declared.

Car_54

Lomast wrote: »

Conditional offer will be £100 +3 points (used to be £60+3).

Points may need to be declared immediately or on renewal you will need to check your policy documents.

At the moment as far as I'm aware only admiral group companies (elephant, diamond and I think sheilas wheels) ask about awareness courses but again check what your policy states.

Generally 3 points or a course make a small increase in premiums but each case varies so it's impossible to give definitive answer

AFAIK Admiral group have stopped asking about courses. Probably because the government have published research indicating that attending one actually reduces re-offending.

leitmotif

Here is what the policy states:

"You must also tell us immediately about the following changes:
[...]
• Motoring convictions (driving licence endorsements, fixed
penalties or pending prosecutions for any motoring offences)
for any of the people insured, or to be insured.
[...]
When you inform us of a change, we will tell you if this affects
your policy, for example whether we are able to accept the
change and if so, whether the change will result in revised terms
and/or premium being applied to your policy.
If the information provided by you is not complete and accurate:
• we may cancel your policy and refuse to pay any claim, or
• we may not pay any claim in full, or
• we may revise the premium and/or change the compulsory
excess, or
• the extent of the cover may be affected."

Would receiving a notice of impending prosecution count as 'pending prosecution'? At this level of speeding offence, where the worst penalty on the table is a conditional offer, a full-blown prosecution isn't really a possibility unless I decide to challenge the allegation. Pending means 'about to happen', right?

Car_54

leitmotif wrote: »

Would receiving a notice of impending prosecution count as 'pending prosecution'? At this level of speeding offence, where the worst penalty on the table is a conditional offer, a full-blown prosecution isn't really a possibility unless I decide to challenge the allegation. Pending means 'about to happen', right?

No, wrong. Prosecution only ceases to be pending if and when you accept another method of disposal, i.e. course or fixed penalty.

TooManyPoints

No, wrong. Prosecution only ceases to be pending if and when you accept another method of disposal, i.e. course or fixed penalty.

Indeed. A full blown prosecution is a possibility until you accept and comply with the conditions of either the offer of a course or a fixed penalty. If you ignore both of those you will be prosecuted and be subject to a criminal conviction. The fact that the normal method would be an out-of-court disposal does not alter that.

forgotmyname

Years ago I took the points and a fine. Cheaper than taking a day off work and paying for a course.

Depends on your insurance though, don't forget that, made zero difference to mine.

Mercdriver

Also to be borne in mind is whether you are likely to get caught where a speed course is not an option - either above the limit for courses or if caught in Scotland. Could be the difference between being on 6 or 9 points