Speed Awareness Course

[gregoir]

I attended a speed awareness course today. I was the only person "done" on a motorway.M6 in Cumbria at 80mph. The organiser said I was "unlucky" to have been summoned.

5 out of the 20 attendees were done by the same camera in Darley Dale, Derbyshire. The camera had been installed in the yellow box after several years of emptiness.

What did I learn? Well that only a minority knew what the NSL and dual carriageway limit was (many thought 40 and 60mph ).Hence my frustration with slow drivers.

What very useful tip did I get? When stopping on a main road ,preparing to turn right, keep your wheels pointing straight ahead. Otherwise you may be tail ended into oncoming traffic.

The reasons for not having 30mpg repeater signs are just absurd (It's the law...). I said I want them, I want to know if I am driving below the limit or the guy in a white transit behind me is an idiot. I do not want to peer down side roads to look for 30mph sign to deduce if I am going below the limit. No way if I'm in a strange area with lots of traffic. The course was distinctly lacking in positive tips about better driving or how to keep your speed down and mainly reinforced the nasty consequences of speeding. I'd say it was a useful course for many people and better than getting points.

We were warned that things will get worse. Automatic cameras will monitor seat belt wearing, no road tax , no insurance , tailgating etc etc.

Edited 15 November, 2010 by gregoir

[KenONeill]

"...wearing, no road , no ..." - How and where?

[Brimma]

I'd say it was a useful course for many people and better than getting points.

Nail hit firmly on head

Presumably as there is no fixed penalty or conviction, there is no need to mention it to insurance companies either, so doing the course, whatever you may or may not get out of it, is a win win situation

[dan yeates]

Yes, when on my trailer towing test I was frustrated by the lack of speed limit repeater signs, especially 30mph ones. There’s a very wide road near my house, some of which is dual carriageway and there are no speed limit signs along there at all. It is a 30mph limit but at night people fly along there.

[gregoir]

Automatic cameras, sitting in unattended vans , tickets to be turned out by computer. An absurd and scary scenario. I know no more. The civilian instructor was equally horrified at the prospects.

If I wear a winter coat with say a hood , a collar and a scarf I fear I'd get a ticket for not wearing a seat belt. A police officer and a bus driver have both berated me while I was wearing a seat belt so a real possibility.

As for tail gating, well, what happens if someone brakes unexpectedly and the traffic all closes up beside the camera? Is that tail gating?

[jrw]

Also define tailgating? If I am up the backside of a 1960's Ford Anglia (the car in which the highway code braking distances are based on) and he brakes i am dam sure that my car with 312mm vented discs will out brake him yet if it was the other way round and he was a 'safe distance' (again define this) I am sure that he would skid straight into the back of me in an emergency stop situation.

[marcusthehat]

I have bitched about the absolute lack of 40 & 30 repeater signs till I am tired.

And Yes if driving in a strange area one really has no idea what the actual limit is, cos it varies up & down.

Yet regarding drinking in public places, being an offence etc, there has to be a sign on every bloody lamposts(seems like) otherwise the prosceution will not stand, cos they didny know it was not allowed. etc etc

so where is the difference?

Edited 15 November, 2010 by dieseldogg

[andyjl1968]

............

We were warned that things will get worse. Automatic cameras will monitor seat belt wearing, no road tax , no insurance , tailgating etc etc.

Try having the police do you for being on your mobile when it was wasn't anywhere near you........

[GoneToBeemer]

Try having the police do you for being on your mobile when it was wasn't anywhere near you........

Please elaborate!!?

[andyjl1968]

Had the police try to do me for being on my mobile phone when I wasn't. Followed me for about half a mile through a village before he pulled me after alledgedly spotting me on it when he was travelling in the opposite direction ( he had to turn around to come after me ). Never checked the phone's call log even though I offered; said that there was no point as I'd probably deleted the call. Asked him check with the provider but he again refused. Wanted me surrender my licence there and then for endorsment, £60 fine, etc.

Anyway I refused to give him my licence and did again at the station when giving them my docs for the obligatory once over. Took it court and walked away with no convictions, endorsments etc... Took about 6 months from start to finish but got the result I wanted as I was furious about the whole incident and they way I was treated. I often wonder how many drivers get into the same situation and decide against the whole court route as they feel they'll lose and just take the hit instead.

[jrw]

Had the police try to do me for being on my mobile phone when I wasn't. Followed me for about half a mile through a village before he pulled me after alledgedly spotting me on it when he was travelling in the opposite direction ( he had to turn around to come after me ). Never checked the phone's call log even though I offered; said that there was no point as I'd probably deleted the call. Asked him check with the provider but he again refused. Wanted me surrender my licence there and then for endorsment, £60 fine, etc.

Anyway I refused to give him my licence and did again at the station when giving them my docs for the obligatory once over. Took it court and walked away with no convictions, endorsments etc... Took about 6 months from start to finish but got the result I wanted as I was furious about the whole incident and they way I was treated. I often wonder how many drivers get into the same situation and decide against the whole court route as they feel they'll lose and just take the hit instead.

Well done - you're like me but there is a good many as you state would just pay up.

[GoneToBeemer]

Had the police try to do me for being on my mobile phone when I wasn't. Followed me for about half a mile through a village before he pulled me after alledgedly spotting me on it when he was travelling in the opposite direction ( he had to turn around to come after me ). Never checked the phone's call log even though I offered; said that there was no point as I'd probably deleted the call. Asked him check with the provider but he again refused. Wanted me surrender my licence there and then for endorsment, £60 fine, etc.

Anyway I refused to give him my licence and did again at the station when giving them my docs for the obligatory once over. Took it court and walked away with no convictions, endorsments etc... Took about 6 months from start to finish but got the result I wanted as I was furious about the whole incident and they way I was treated. I often wonder how many drivers get into the same situation and decide against the whole court route as they feel they'll lose and just take the hit instead.

Congratulations mate, good to see people standing their groud! It does make you wonder exactly what goes on sometimes!

[moley]

+1 for the repeaters in 30 limits.

I often arrive at a hotel late at night that I've not been to before. When I get up in the morning to travel to the customer I have to try and remember what the speed limit outside the hotel is. Sometimes I can go for miles until I see a repeater or a new speed limit.

I also think the speed limit should be clearly marked on the camera, after all they are safety cameras not cash machines

A colleauge in Germany was banned for a few months for tailgating, what I could make of it was he had been caught on camera on more than one occasion.

I don't know how these cameras work, but I leave a sensible gap between me and the car in front. When leaving the motorway I must be leaving a very sensible gap because someone always dart from the fast lane at the last minute and squeezes into the gap causing me to brake, am I then guilty of tailgating?

[eccleshill]

Regarding 30mph repeaters: if there are street lights and no other speed limit signs then the limit is 30mph. If there are street lights and it is any speed limit other than 30 then a speed limit sign is fixed to every 3rd or 4th lamp post (can't remember which)

[gregoir]

As said for the reasons above, I'd like them on every few lamp posts . Too many roads are 30/40/50 semi urban roads with ever changing limits. Who knows if you've just missed a 30mph hidden in a hedge (spotted this a few times when reversing the route ) and carrried on merrily at the wrong speed?

[flinflon]

Regarding 30mph repeaters: if there are street lights and no other speed limit signs then the limit is 30mph. If there are street lights and it is any speed limit other than 30 then a speed limit sign is fixed to every 3rd or 4th lamp post (can't remember which)

What about villages with no street lighting do they have to display 30 signs? I suppose all this is dealt with in the Highway Code. I'd better buy a copy from Smith's, mine's years out of date. Round this neck of the woods 30 limit is always considered the lower limit unless you are taking driving test or you've passed your 80th birthday!

[Welsh_kai_boy]

Maybe the chevrons on the motorway that are devised to seperate cars in sections (M5 etc) will have cameras on them (2 second rule maybe?)

[*tim*]

What about villages with no street lighting do they have to display 30 signs?

Yes.

Street lighting = 30mph, unless signed otherwise.

No street lighting = national speed limit, unless signed otherwise

EDIT: to clarify (and possibly confuse) the lighting columns have to be ~150m (180m??) or less apart for area to be classified as having street lighting.

Edited 15 November, 2010 by *tim*

[prolfe]

One thing I learnt on one of these is that lamposts point in the direction of the bend ahead. They also are over other hazzards - laybys, bus stops, junctions etc.

As for keeping your speed down, get a TomTom and turn on the warning of over the speed limit for the road. works a treat, and when you can't tell the speed of the road the TomTom will show you. Also use cruise control to help maintain a constant speed.

[Paul007]

Courses provided by www.iam.org.uk help with this sort of thing and you also get a free copy of the Highway Code.

[Lowflyer]

I think tailgaiting on motorways is probably a much bigger cause of death then speeding is. Particularly for lorries - it really annoys me when you see Traffic Police ignoring lorries that are driving on the boot-lid of the vehicle in front. I suppose they can't pull them over for "Driving Without Due Care and Attention" because they wouldn't be able to get their Traffic car in the gap!

[LaceSensor]

am I the only person thinking "if in doubt do 30 mph"!?

slow and steady gets you there with no points

(yes I have been done for 37 in a 30 and done the course the OP refers to)

[Brimma]

am I the only person thinking "if in doubt do 30 mph"!?

slow and steady gets you there with no points

(yes I have been done for 37 in a 30 and done the course the OP refers to)

:clap: :clap: :clap:

I certainly wouldn't advocate taking notice of sat nav recommendations on speed limits, especially if they are as inaccurate as the ones on the Columbus/MFD3 maps :(

Edited 16 November, 2010 by Brimma

[PhilP1903]

I got pulled over in my old Fiat Stilo for using my phone whilst driving. The copper came to my window and asked me had i been talkin on my phone and i said yes, he then started to give me a load of verbals about how dangerous it was when i turned my head and looked straight at him and tapped the blue tooth headset in my ear. The expression on his face was brilliant , went about 5 different shades of red muttered sorry sir and stamped back to his car. I had to sit n wait till he drove of before bursting out laughing.

Edited 15 November, 2010 by BillyT1903

[Raf_]

I got pulled over in my old Fiat Stilo for using my phone whilst driving. The copper came to my window and asked me had i been talkin on my phone and i said yes, he then started to give me a load of verbals about how dangerous it was when i turned my head and looked straight at him and tapped the blue tooth headset in my ear. The expression on his face was brilliant , went about 5 different shades of red muttered sorry sir and stamped back to his car. I had to sit n wait till he drove of before bursting out laughing.