Speed Awareness Courses looking less attractive?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20328860

Drivers who attend a speed awareness course instead of taking a fine and points on their licence may see their insurance premiums increase.

The BBC has learned that Admiral is treating it as if it were a conviction, even though the police do not.

The insurance group says its statistics show that drivers who have attended a course, pose a higher risk.

The Association of Chief Police Officers say Admiral’s stance could harm efforts to improve road safety.

The insurance group says its statistics show that drivers who have attended a course, pose a higher risk.

Strange as the whole principle behind speed awareness is that enforcements doesn’t work, whilst education does!

No need to say you’ve been on the course is there?

How do they check? The DVLA must be passing the details on.

Given the responses from some people on here who have been on a speed awareness course it doesn’t surprise me.

Also – if you’re not aware of your speed should you be driving?

I keep thinking this recently but if everyone just said F… The insurance
It would solve a shed load of problems sure it might create a few but in all honesty insurance is just a way for some to get a payout if folks knew there wasn’t a meal ticket on the end of an accident how they would drive?

Another thought even if there was for example next year not a single accident or vehicle theft I bet insurance would still go up

Seriously considering abandoning cars all together

What next? Higher premiums if you drive on roads that have bad accident stats?

They ask you on your renewal forms if you’ve been on a course according to the article, failure to own up would be the same as not coughing up to any other piece of information witheld, i.e. it would invalidate your insurance if they found out.

I can see their argument but I think it falls a bit flat when other elements of the info they use and have a significant effect on your premiums are so bluntly applied such as where you live. I also think if the industry could get it’s house in order to weed out fradulent claims and the claims handling industry they’d be in a better place arguing over how they calculate the premiums.

Still all a bit of a lottery if you get caught, especially with so many cameras offline. I can see the spy in the car boxs becoming more prevelant as they get cheaper. I’d have one if it knocked £100 off my premium a year, also give me the boot up the backside to drive more appropriately sometimes.

Another thought even if there was for example next year not a single accident or vehicle theft I bet insurance would still go up

You don’t understand what Actuaries do for a living do you ?

No idea mate explain? Actually no need goggled it

The way I see it insurance is legal requirement
Insurance company therefore has right to shaft you for whatever they lost gambling in stocks and shares.

Easy option stop driving

However there’s a fat greedy **** on the board somewhere making a a mint and it irks me somewhat

Higher premiums if you drive on roads that have bad accident stats?

FGS don’t be giving them ideas!

I’ve been on one, is it something that needs to be declared if you didn’t get any points or any actual conviction?

Depends…when you renewed your insurance did they ask if youd been on a course? If not, no probs…if yes and you said no…good luck if they find out…

Insurance company therefore has right to shaft you for whatever they lost gambling in stocks and shares

I remember reading somewhere recently that Direct Line lose or lost money on their insurance business and the only reason they make a profit is because of their investments.

Edited: it wasn’t Direct Line but Admiral

Elsewhere, Admiral, another insurer which posted results yesterday, said revenue dropped 2pc to £570m.
Soaring claims from personal injuries such as whiplash has meant the UK motor insurance market hasn’t made an underwriting profit for about 15 years and relies on other income, such as investment returns, according to the Association of British Insurers.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/insurance/9651515/Direct-Line-profits-hurt-amid-competitive-market.html

but how would they find out?

^^^^
I just read on another singletrack thread that’s how it works
If I want to support direct line maybe buying shares would be a better option
But hey I believe every article I read on the Internet also and I’m sure creative accounting is merely fictional heresy
If they don’t like the market they are in fair enough they know what to do
however admiral are the ones that are saying speed awareness can be added to the public udder ripe for a milking

Insurance wouldn’t be so high if the providers weren’t run by idiots. Take the example of my mate. Got knocked off his bike and fractured his arm. He contacted the person responsibles insurer as he correctly thought he was due some compensation for injury, bike/clothes were knackered etc. He thought he might get 3k ish, which he felt was fair. The insurance company point blank refused.

Roll on 3 months and my mate has got one of our lawyer mates involved. Eventually they admitted responsibility (it was a no brainer case) and forked out 11 k plus the lawyer fees. If they’d just done the fair thing in the first place then they would have paid out far less, and our premiums wouldn’t be skyrocketing as a result.

I’ve delivered one, does that count?

Biggest waste of a day for me, those who had to attend made it obvious that they were there for one reason only. To avoid the points and fine.

Thread title should read “Admiril Insurance looking less attractive”

I went on a course recently. It was very much aimed at making people safer drivers.. Being more observant, smoother, etc. There were a few argumentative c**ts in the room who obviously weren’t going to take home anything from it, but I think most would have.. I’ve been better since!
What Admiril lose in custom, others will pick up. Not every insurance company will start to penalise it.. That’s 700000 people a year that are potential customers.

This is worrying as I am with admiral and I am attending an awareness course in the coming weeks.

The DVLA must be passing the details on.

I thought it was nothing to do with DVLA as you don’t get endorsed erg you don’t need to tell DVLA. I’ll be ringing DVLA on monday to as kif I can remove my permission to share my information with 3rd party companies.

if you’re not aware of your speed should you be driving?

Awesome smugness. Well done – high standard even for SmugTrackWorld. I hope your high horse never breaks the speed limit.

It’s a serious question.

Second offense should result in a ban, it’s the only way.

I’d say I’m not aware of my speed 99% of the time I’m driving. I tend to look out of the windscreen rather than down at the instrument dials.

They will if they start having to pay out more often.

if you’ve only been driving for a few months, that would be understandable.

I have attended a speed awareness course.

My ‘crime’ was using speed to avoid another driver who was driving very erratically. If I had braked, I would have put several other road users in danger, so I used speed to get past the idiot driver who was putting me at risk. This was on a dual carriageway with no risk to other drivers. There was a camera up ahead and it clocked me at 60 on a 50-limited stretch of road, just as I was starting to slow down again.

I thought the course was excellent. I learned a lot and it refreshed and reinforced a lot of points for me.

if you’ve only been driving for a few months, that would be understandable.

Hehe. I think you’re mistaking me with someone who gives a toss what condescending internet blowhards think they know about my driving.

Edited for civility.

I thought the course was excellent. I learned a lot and it refreshed and reinforced a lot of points for me.

+1, it was actually useful and didn’t really feel too condescending or anything like that. The guy doing it was a bit of a smarmy prick though.

I think you’re mistaking me with someone who gives a toss what condescending internet blowhards think they know about my driving.

🙄

🙂

I enjoyed the first.

Found the second quite boring though. 🙂

What I don’t understand is why they are effectively get out of jail free cards? If you’ve committed a serious enough offence that the Popo feel you need a bit of re-educating that’s fine, but you should be penalised for the offence too. IMO they shouldn’t be an either or, option.

Generally, they’re only offered to people who have slightly exceeded the speed limit…and who may benefit from re-educating. eg 35 in a 30, 60 in a 50 etc. If you’re caught committing a “serious” offence, eg limit + >50%, then generally you’re just punished with points/fine/ban or a combination of all three. (All this afaik)

smell_it – Member

Second offense should result in a ban, it’s the only way

Is that a bit like an offence but committed in the US?

Maybe the content of the courses is not upto scratch and doesn’t educate well enough to change attitudes.

What I don’t understand is why they are effectively get out of jail free cards? If you’ve committed a serious enough offence that the Popo feel you need a bit of re-educating that’s fine, but you should be penalised for the offence too. IMO they shouldn’t be an either or, option.

Whatever your (wrong in this case) opinion is, you cannot deny that £85 isn’t getting off scot-free. just because you don’t get the points, it doesn’t mean it has been overlooked by any stretch of the imagination.

I don’t feel like I need re-educating in how speed kills but I am opting for the course because I think it might teach me some things I wasn’t aware of.

you cannot deny that £85 isn’t getting off scot-free

It’s peanuts though in terms of buying and running a car. One tank of petrol?

Can I have £85 please?

3pts on my licence doesnt seem to have put up my premiums so it seems a bit harsh to put up premiums for the course.

media making a story out of nothing?

I heard about this today. I think they are treating the course as they would points. Quite regressive I think and Admiral should be boycotted, seems an opportunity for the competition.

I cannot believe the smugness on here, two speeding fines and a ban ! I am very much in favour of road safety but that suggestion is ridiculous.