[Closed] Speed awareness course - a few questions to fellow road crims

presumably an sp30? £100 and 3 pts

The course is normally £80 or the £100 fine and points... the course is a no brainer to be honest.

A friend did one recently in an evening, when I did one it was a morning so meant a day off work.

Got pinged by a cash-cow camera

🙄

Count yourself lucky you weren´t in Cheshire.

I did one a few years ago and it was time off work.

It was actually quite an interesting day. Some of the other folk really were clueless though, making these things compulsory every few years would not be a bad idea IMO.

Ive spoken to a few people who've done the course, it wasn't at all what they expected, no preaching, just good common sense advice on driving safely.
Unanimously, they enjoyed it.
Only a group of 3 though, ymmv.

You don't need to take a day off work, they run weekends and you can book anywhere in England/Wales.

And whatever you do, when you're asked why you got caught - just admit you were speeding...

Pretty much everyone on the course I did had an 'excuse' as to why they got caught and how they never normally speed. For me, it was easy, I'd set the cruise control at 80mph (and got caught 1mph over the 'allowance').

And at the end everyone was asked what they'd do different, for me it was set my cruise control at 79mph 🙂

Got pinged by a camera van when breaking the law

FTFY

I did one about six years ago. Think of it as top up training rather than punishment. Most of the course that I did was about techniques to avoid getting caught again which just happen to be the same as economical and courteous driving.

Edit: I got caught by a camera at Kirkby Lonsdale on the A65, no excuses, it's been there years and I drive the road reasonably regularly. Just got impatient one day.

I've done two. They've both been really good. 🙂

Anyway, weigh it up...get quotes for insurance with and without the sp30 thru comparison websites - it may be that a lot of insurers won't hit you too hard, and some will (possibly depending on your age as well). On multiple threads here, people have attested to both outcomes. If you're pretty sure you won't rack up another 9, then it might make financial sense to take the points and move on.

The course isn't too bad. Again, lots here have said they've learned something, lots haven't and said they were shite. Personally, I got a few things from mine...obviously not enough from the first (though there was an approx 5-6 year gap between them).

I did one a few years ago and then sat another one last year (yep two in four years) firat one was dreadful and preachy, but the latest one was really good and informative and a completely different format actually walked away feeling like i had learnt something (like how not to get caught) weighed up options of clean licence and cost the course was a no brainer, how ever coffee was terrible, so take your own bean, grinder, filtered water and coffee making machine of choice in true STW style

I guess it boils down to how much 3 points affects your insurance premium. And the likely-hood of you acquiring more before they expire. If the cost of the course plus associated ball-ache is more than the premium increase (if any), and you're unlikely to rack up any more points in the near future then I'd not do the course. If it was the other way round, then do the course. I've no idea on the average impact that an SP30 has on premiums though...

I did the coure at Warrington and it was garbage. The presenters tried to make it funny and that didn't work; not to mention that we were distracted by the gales of laughter coming from the other course in the room next door.

There are Saturday courses as well. So it doesn't have to involve a day off work

Just do the course, marvel at the stupidity of your fellow travellers, and try to think up reasons why you're not as bad as them. 🙂

Just do the course, marvel at the stupidity of your fellow travellers, and try to think up reasons why you're not as bad as them.

😀

That was me. There will be an introductory bit where they do a "what were you doing/how did you get caught?" to everyone. The excuses some people come out with are absolute belters. It's pretty obvious some of them are still in denial.

I did the coure at Warrington and it was garbage. The presenters tried to make it funny and that didn't work; not to mention that we were distracted by the gales of laughter coming from the other course in the room next door.

Warrington eh?
I guess they were so annoyed at your not laughing at their jokes that they decided to just slap the next guy with a £300 fine instead. 😉

My mother in law got pinged for speeding in the way to her speed awareness course 🙂

I've done two. They've both been really good.

The first one can't have been that good....

[i]Some of the other folk really were clueless though[/i]

It's always the [i]others[/i] isn't it?

I felt the same on my "what's driving us" course. All the others were idiots.
You have to wonder though.

The first one can't have been that good....

Oh, you think?

Based on there needing to be a second...

Y'know when you have to explain a joke... 🙂

It costs about the same as the fixed penalty fine. And its not a cash cow - if it were they wouldn't give you the opportunity to do a course instead of taking the points and paying the fine and just pocket the fine money. It was an eye opener for me and I am more careful and aware now, but in order to learn something you have to open your mind.

I suspect if you're 'weighing' up the options then maybe you should just take the points and pay the fine and carry on regardless as it sounds like you're not going to go into the course with an open mind ready to better your knowledge and understanding. The point of the course it to attempt to educate you as to why the speed limits are what they are and that they are not just made up to ruin your fun. But if you think it's all nonsense and you can't learn anything new (despite never have been taught anything that the course covers) then best not waste their time and yours.

I found the course made a couple of useful points and the cluelessness of the other drivers was amazing. Most of them didn't know what a dual carriagewy was FFS.

Most of them didn't know what a dual carriagewy was FFS.

That bit was useful. I'd been going at 60 on dual carriageways with a single lane - was good to know that I could go at 70 on them too. 😀

It was actually quite an interesting day. Some of the other folk really were clueless though,

I did one a few years ago. It's pretty basic stuff, anyone coming away having "learned a lot" probably shouldn't have been on the road to start with. It's worth going if you like people-watching.

A few gems spring to mind. One woman admitted knocking over a cyclist, something she seemingly found hilarious and expected the rest of the room to laugh along with her. A young lad who'd recently passed revealed that he didn't know any road signs beyond the ones he'd been told were on the test. Absolutely no-one (other than me and the course providers) knew what the difference between a single- and dual-carriageway really was, or what the NSL was on them.

One of the things we were asked was whether we thought we were below- or above-average drivers. I said "above" and was informed that this meant I was over-confident. I objected on the grounds that I felt I was above average because the standard of the average driver is dreadful, but no, seemingly it's impossible to be above average despite what "average" actually means. 🙄

My mother in law got pinged for speeding in the way to her speed awareness course

Walking to work this morning, seemed to be an lot of people speeding given the conditions.

Does this course cure you of being a thick ****?

One of the things we were asked was whether we thought we were below- or above-average drivers. I said "above" and was informed that this meant I was over-confident. I objected on the grounds that I felt I was above average because the standard of the average driver is dreadful, but no, seemingly it's impossible to be above average despite what "average" actually means.

There's always one. 🙂

Does this course cure you of being a thick ****?

The only cure for that is abortion in the 97th trimester.

Ive done 2 😳
On the last one the funny part was when one of my fellow criminals admitted he was a driving instructor!

Be prepared for some very bitter people who don't seem to appreciate that it's their own fault they are there!

The only cure for that is abortion in the 97th trimester.

Controversial.

*stands outside Cougar's house and mumbles*

Be prepared for some very bitter people who don't seem to appreciate that it's their own fault they are there!

Along with confident driving gods. 🙂

Most of them didn't know what a dual carriagewy was FFS.

Yes we spent a fair bit of time on that!

Walking to work this morning, seemed to be an lot of people speeding given the conditions.

[i]Yes we spent a fair bit of time on that! [/i]

Some dual carriageway earlier

[img] [/img]

4hrs of my life i'll never get back.

Sat with a fat scruffy van driver proudly boasting of his 2 previous bans for drink driving, including a spell on her majesties service. Just wanted to punch him in the face for most of the afternoon.

Filled out my answers in pigeon German just to keep the boredom from driving my pen through that soft bit on the side of your skull.

Slimjim. 34 in a 30.

My mother in law got pinged for speeding in the way to her speed awareness course

I know of a bloke who rear ended the local speed camera van whilst they were both waiting to emerge onto the roundabout at the end of a slip road.....

Speed awareness courses will be scary as most people haven't got a clue about anything.

[i]My mother in law got pinged for speeding in the way to her speed awareness course[/i]

this reminds me of the bullshit story they told on my course - bloke leaving the course, texts his wife to say he's on his way home and crashes. Dies. Er, yeah chinny reckon. They told a few gems like that. I suppose the thick people there (all of them except me) believed them 😆

I think a basic intelligence test should be added to the driving test. And maybe a year of compulsory bike-riding in traffic.

if they 'replace' an SP30 for Insurance purposes, why do the Insurance companies ask you if you have been on a Speed Awareness Course ?

Because they can.

[quote=nickc ]There are Saturday courses as well. So it doesn't have to involve a day off work

So it depends how much your Saturday is worth to you, rather than how much a day off work is worth to you. To me they're about the same, so it doesn't make any real difference. Still happy that taking the points was the best option for me financially. I'm with Cougar on the likely benefits of the course and the relevance to the reasons I was caught.

Cougar - Moderator
Because they can.

they could also ask what colour of underpants I was wearing, however the point of my question is what is the relevance of it to an Insurer, and if you answer in the positive, does your premium go up the same as it would do if you took the points ?