Driver Awareness Course.

[The Great Wallsendo]

Cost me a saturdays fishing last summer

Would've preferred to take the 3 points and 60 quid but the wife made me go

All pretty patronising stuff really...my only tip would be to join in as it makes the time pass more quickly

 

[garyp]

I did one down wessington way.

Couple of things I took from it.

Blokey "teaching" informed us Northumbria only prosecute if 10% over limit plus 2. So 35 in a 30. 57 in a 50 etc. Two people on with me were advised to appeal as they were within this.

The mobile vans are council owned but are operated by police. He was adamant that the mobile vans weren't money maker, but they were a deterrent to slow people down? But he couldn't say why these vans are sneakily parked up or why they aren't more visibly marked up/advertised.

I was done by an unmarked van, on way back from hebburn marina!! So with having a clean licence I did the course.

3 weeks after course I got caught again. Sp30. Ffs.

 

[SteveG]

Northumbria police did me for 33 in a 30

 

[garyp]

Not denying it mate, that's just what he told us on the course.

Like I said, there were two on that he told they should appeal.

Some info here like.

http://www.speedlimit.org.uk/faq.html

 

[SteveG]

I have to say tho the guy who did the course was quite funny at times and didnt patronise. He agreed with quite a few negative points that were raised.

A few interesting tips were mentioned first thing i did was remove the baby elephant from the parcel shelf lol

 

[Prof Peach]

Not denying it mate, that's just what he told us on the course.

Those numbers were told me by a friend who's a traffic copper. He did say that not all cameras are set the same and any leeway is not a legal right. If you wind up the nice policeman he can and will book you for even the most minor infringement.

 

[SteveG]

Didnt get a chance to wind the camera van up

Guess they just hadnt made enough money on the shift the day I was nabbed. But hey I was over the limit so not making excuses just a statement im sure my money was put to realy good use

 

[The Plum]

a went passed one the other week[5 or 6weeks back] i didnt know he was there till i turned back as id forgot summat,then the cars oppisit were flashing he was parked behind a van on the footpathi nearly shat when i saw him,i wish id took some pictures cos he was definately hiding obscured from view,anyway me cheeks were parting for a few weeks incase id been speeding but i musnt of been as never got a ticket,[i dont speed as a rule]the dirty get was outa line in my opinion,shud be able to do summat in caseslike that hes not suppose yto hide im sure its against the lawatb plum

 

[nunthorpe mag]

Went down for some lug and got done on Redcar Lane 35mph just took the points buggered if I'm going to give them another £20
I blame wor lass never stops yabering in the car affects me concentration like

 

[5150]

I did mine at Cramlington years ago, boring to say the least. I got snapped by a mobile van in Newcastle on Barracks road where the speed limit keeps chopping and changing, same deal - 35 in a 30
If I remember rightly you're only allowed to do the course once every 3yrs.

 

[onefortheroad]

Went down for some lug and got done on Redcar Lane 35mph just took the points buggered if I'm going to give them another £20
I blame wor lass never stops yabering in the car affects me concentration like

and your insurance goes up a circa £50 to £ 100 a year for the next 5 years

 

[nunthorpe mag]

Pretty sure SP30s make little difference to insurance there so common these days........last time I had one 10 years ago it didn't

 

[5150]

Just for your attention,if your insurance company ask if you been on a speed awareness course you have to inform them.

I'm not so sure about that, by attending the course the charge is dropped completely (along with the points and fine), I can see some might ask but since you've not been charged with any offence then it shouldn't be relative.
The whole point of doing the course is to avoid the points, fine and increased insurance premiums.

 

[5150]

Hmm, that said I've just read a few sites and the viewpoint seems to have changed since I did my course. Example below from Frequently Asked Questions about the Speed Awareness Course

Do I need to tell my insurance company that I’ve attended a Speed Awareness Course?
The following guidance comes from the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (NDORS), who are responsible for developing the National Speed Awareness Course.

The insurance industry is becoming increasingly interested in NDORS attendance and completion. A frequently asked question from people being offered and attending courses is whether or not an NDORS course offer and attendance should be notified to their insurers. Legal advice is that attendance on an NDORS course is not a conviction, nor should it be treated as a conviction, unlike a fixed penalty. However, as always, the detail is in the small print.
There appears to be a very inconsistent approach by the industry to NDORS, with some insurers adjusting premiums once notified and others displaying no interest whatsoever. If an insurance company has asked, on its proposal form, at the time the insurance policy is first taken out, whether a driver has attended or is about to attend an NDORS course, then an honest answer must be given. Failure to do so would render the policy void. Similarly if, having answered “no” to such a question, the driver subsequently accepts an offer of a course, it is advisable to notify the insurance company as, by asking the question at the time the policy began, the insurance company has shown that they consider the answer to be material. Conversely if the insurance company has asked no questions about a course and has limited their questions purely to accidents and convictions within specified periods, then it is difficult to see how they could later suggest that attendance at a course designed to improve driver skills represents a material change.

This situation is currently being looked at on a national level between the Course providers (NDORS) and the insurance industry governing body.
Until a satisfactory resolution is developed, we recommend that you keep your insurance company appraised of any re-education courses that you’ve attended. Failure to do so could invalidate your policy with some companies.

Yet on Speed awareness courses - Gocompare.com they state "Insurers will not be informed by the police or local authority of your speed awareness course completion, so the onus is on you to inform them in good faith. This needs to be done by the renewal of your policy at the very latest.".... which leaves it a bit in the air, do people who start smoking after taking out a policy then ring their insurers and say "hi, just to let you know I've taken up smoking fags, please increase my premiums!". Very grey area.

 

[g.ordon]

I did mine at Cramlington years ago, boring to say the least. I got snapped by a mobile van in Newcastle on Barracks road where the speed limit keeps chopping and changing, same deal - 35 in a 30
If I remember rightly you're only allowed to do the course once every 3yrs.

That's correct mate, gap of 3 years and 1 month between my 2, hehehe

 

[dale19]

nice day out

nice day out

been on one few years back boring boring boring tea & coffee like cats pee you don't even get to keep the highway code book given to you when you register on the day.
expensive half day but better than points on your licence m8.
just sit there take it in say nowt then go home at 30 mph
( no more speeding tickets)

 

[5150]

expensive half day but better than points on your licence

From what I was reading around a lot of motoring forums earlier, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. If you're asked and declare it to the insurers (or just declare because you're a fine honest citizen) then the insurers seem to be treating attendance of the course in the same way they treat having the offence on your license.

Seems a bit daft to me, it's making the course moot but also means that if you get a parking ticket for parking on a double yellow then you should be declaring that, since you've broke the highway code in both cases. How many people are going to renew their insurance and declare that they were naughty doing 80mph down the M6 etc etc etc?!

 

[fishingmark]

I had six points on my licence back in 2004 and it didn't affect my insurance premiums at all. I got two SP30s in the space of a month and that was it for me speeding, I've stayed below the speed limit ever since and I'm still never late for anything. Speed awareness courses are all well and good but there's nothing like six points in a month to slow you down.
Our lass got a ticket last year and didn't bother with the course and again no insurance penalties. Looks to me like profiting out of people's unwarranted fears of points on their licence.

 

[The Jester]

Just got back from the course and my ar$e is numb....4 hours sat on a rock hard chair..

A couple points that have been brought up on here.......you only get to do the course once in three 3 years..

Apparently there is only one insurance company that asks if you have been on the course, he wouldnt say which one, but said that they should not penalise you as you have been on a course to make you a safer driver, so in reality you should be offered a lower premium really......

Was it worth doing....yes....i would have been soaked through working out on site, instead i was in a warm room with tea and coffee at hand and sat beside a pretty fit bird....

 

[easyfish1]

defiantly worth it then....