Speed Awareness Courses

Speeding motorists can now go back to driving school and take a speed awareness course as an alternative to having points on their licence. The courses are part of a government initiative to improve the driving of those motorists caught fractionally over the speed limit – particularly in urban areas.

Only drivers caught doing less than 38mph on a road with a 30mph limit can attend the courses. They will pay about £90 for the one-day course instead of the normal £60 fixed penalty, but they will avoid having any points added to their licences.

All those caught at 38mph and above will continue to be fined and given penalty points.

The course aims to make motorists into safer drivers. A study by Staffordshire University of the course run in Lancashire found that issuing a penalty notice had no impact on driving habits but attending the course resulted in a 5mph reduction in average speed.

Lessons include using driving simulators to improve a person’s ability to spot hazards and judge speed, and useful tips on how to avoid speeding in the future, such as selecting third gear in a 30mph limit, and also saying the speed limit aloud as the driver passes the sign to fix it in the mind.

Drivers will also be forced to confront the potentially fatal consequences of going too fast.

Chief Inspector Ian Bell, of the Association of Chief Police Officers, expects that most areas of the UK will be covered by a speed awareness course by the end of 2005.

This will give, for example, a motorist caught speeding in Devon the chance to take a course near his or her home in Newcastle – rather than having to travel long distances across the country. He stressed that the scheme is optional and that not all speeding drivers will be invited to take it up.

A national register will be kept of those taking the courses and motorists will be allowed to take only one every three years.

Home Office figures this week showed that 1.9 million motorists received penalty points for camera offences in 2003. Some 33,000 lost their licences under the 'totting up' system – a rise of 10 per cent.