Speed awareness course -What you need to know?

What is a Speed Awareness Course?

A speed awareness course is designed to educate drivers on the heightened risks associated with speeding. Offered by some regional police forces as an alternative to penalty points and fines, it allows low-end speeding motorists to under go a re-education course. The goal is to prevent further incidents of speeding.
The speed awareness course is managed by the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (NDORS) and is not a compulsory option. It is up to the regional police force to decide whether to offer it and for the speeding driver to choose to accept it.

Who is Eligible for a Speed Awareness Course?

Eligibility for a speed awareness course is generally limited to minor speeding offences, typically those occurring between the speed limit + 10% + 2 mph and the speed limit + 10% + 9 mph. Additionally, the following conditions must be met:

• No more than 12 weeks have passed since the date of the alleged offence.
• No further offences were committed at the time of the alleged offence.
• You have not attended a speed awareness course within the three years prior to the current offence.

How to Determine Eligibility for a Speed Awareness Course

If you are stopped by the police for speeding or caught by a speed camera, you will receive a notice of prosecution within fourteen days of the offence. It is crucial to complete and return this notice within the specified timeframe.

Once you admit to being the driver at the time of the alleged offence, you will receive further documentation outlining your options. These may include attending a speed awareness course if you meet the eligibility criteria, receiving a fixed penalty notice if education is not suitable, or facing a summons.

If offered a speed awareness course, you will typically be provided with a date, time, and location for attendance. It's important to note that procedures can vary among different police forces. If you have any doubts about the documentation you receive, contact your regional police department for clarification.

Do you have to attend a speed awareness course?

No, attending a speed awareness course is optional. You have the choice to decline the offer for the speed awareness course and instead opt to pay the specified fixed penalty notice and accept the points on your license.

Do you have to pay to attend a speed awareness course?

Yes. The cost of the course varies across the country but is typically £80 to £100. You may also wish to bear in mind that the course usually lasts around half a day. If you work you may also have to take unpaid leave or use a day’s annual leave to attend the course and this may have an added financial impact.

How long does a speed awareness course take?

Courses do vary, although in most cases it is usually lasts four to five hours long.

Topics covered on a speed awareness course

The purpose of speed awareness is to try and educate drivers about the increased risk to themselves and other road users when speeding.

Common topics include:

– benefits of complying with speed limits
– attitudes surrounding speeding
– consequences of speeding
– knowledge and skills
– personal responsibility
– impact on other road users

What happens on a speed awareness course?

On the day you can expect to take part in a series of workshops, but there is no pass or fail at the end of the day. You may be asked to take part in a quiz, but the results have no bearing on your day, it is more a bit of fun to see what you have learnt.
The course is run by advanced driver instructors and no police are present on the day. However, there are fairly strict rules and procedures in place.
For instance, if you are over ten minutes late, you may be asked to leave the course and be referred back to the police. Similarly, anyone caught on their phone or causing continued disruptions may be asked to leave.

Does going on a speed awareness course affect car insurance?

A speed awareness course is not classed as a driving conviction, as you avoid taking any penalty points and your licence remains clean, therefore should not impact your insurance.
However, some insurers may raise your premiums on the basis that you do pose an increased speeding risk.

Do speed awareness courses work?

A government study found that people who attended the course were 23% less likely to re-offend within six months, and only 21% of those will go on to re-offend in the following three years.