Unable to rebook speed awareness course

MFR123

Hi, I hope you're well

I received a letter relating to a speeding offence in November. I have been driving for nearly half a decade and never had a speeding ticket in my life. It was on a road that begins as a 40 and turns into a 30. I take it all the time. Never had a problem. But this time, I was clocked at 41 mph.

My mistake, I should've known better.

Now, I was offered a speed awareness course and booked onto it but missed it. An error on my part, I admit.

But I have been trying to rebook it for the past month. 

I emailed the central ticket office and was told I would get a response in 5 working days. Well, it's been weeks since I emailed them. I initially got a reply asking for my name, address, and CTO number, and my query would be looked into.

So I gave it

I received a response asking for my name, address, and CTO number, and my query would be looked into.

So I gave it

I received a response asking for my name, address, and CTO number, and my query would be looked into.

So I gave it

I don't know if their system is broken, but my cut-off for booking or paying the fine (and thus getting 3 points) is April 1st, 2025,  before the matter is taken to court. 

I have emailed them, left a voicemail, I even contacted the course providers only to be told, "You'll just have to keep emailing them" 

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results"

~ Some bloke

Any advice on what to do?

Should I wait or just pay it on the day? 
I don't know if the fact that I've been trying to book for the past month with no communication from them will hold up in court if I appeal since the course is at the police's discretion anyway

Thanks

TooManyPoints

Should I wait or just pay it on the day? 

Pay what on what day?

You can't appeal because there is nothing for you to appeal against a present. 

One of three things will happen here:

1. You will eventually be able to book the course.

2. If it becomes too late for that you my be offered  fixed penalty (£100 and 3 points)

3. You will be prosecuted in court.

Most forces use four months as the cut off beyond which they will not normally offer a course or fixed penalty. If you are prosecuted, you can ask the court to sentence you to the fixed penalty equivalent. They have guidance which suggests they should do so in your circumstances:

Where a penalty notice could not be offered or taken up for reasons unconnected with the offence itself, such as administrative difficulties outside the control of the offender, the starting point should be a fine equivalent to the amount of the penalty and no order of costs should be imposed. The offender should not be disadvantaged by the unavailability of the penalty notice in these circumstances.

The court has no powers to order a course.

MFR123

Pay what on what day?

I phoned the course providers and they said I have until 1st April to book - It seems that is the cut off for me to book

I'm guessing I must respond on this day too as I was given 3 options

1. Speed awareness 
2. Paybthe fine and accept 3 points
3. Go to court

Is it normal to take a whole month to respond when they said "5 working days"?

P.S. The CTO number is the ref number on the letter right? The 16 digit one

Okell

Presumably this is an NDORS speed awareness course?  Won't the system allow you to just re-book it online?

I did one about 18 months ago and i was able to book a course less than 10 days in advance.  I'm sure your situation is not unique and I'm surprised if the system can't cope.

[Edit: to clarify, I wasn't re-booking a course I was just booking one.  But the system seemed to work pretty smoothly and I'm surprised if it won't let you re-book a course you didn't attend.  ]

MFR123

It won't let me re book - apparently I need a new reference number as my previous one has been used up - That's what the course provider told me when I phoned them up

Okell

I suppose all you can do is wait to see if you get a new reference number then.

I suspect re-booking must be quite a common problem and I'm a bit surprised you are having such difficulty.  I nearly got kicked off my course because I couldn't get the camera on my laptop to work properly and they only let me continue because I quickly got my wife to lend me her laptop.  This sort of thing must happen all the time and people have to re-book courses for one reason or another.

Keep trying the CTO.