Speed Awareness Course

[silver1011]

Holy thread revival batman! I guess this thread was last updated before it could be moved out of the Octavia section to 'General Car Chat' 

 

After being caught speeding before I now stick to 30, 40 and 50mph speed limits religiously, which after lots of practice means I don't have to keep checking my speedo, I get a feel for the correct speed. Saying that though, if they are catching those that are going only 2 or 3mph over then I might well get caught out again in the future.

 

I am insured with Admiral, no doubt I'll have to tell them about my SAC then! 

[Michaelski]

'fraid so, Silver 1011, if you are in the "kill zone" when you're doing marginally over the limit, then it's the (virtually automatic)offer of a SAC: do north of 9 mph over the limit, then it's no SAC, but a fine & the points. Could be that the government & these Speed Partnerships (the local authority/ies & some enterprising ex copper/coppers) are fighting each other for what is, after all, a hugely lucrative & an escalating profitable market.

Things will change (& not for the better) before too long, I fear. Something in the region of £70+ Million was raked in by the various astute hombres who sets up thesecosy little "Partnerships" (the L/A's receive their lucrative "chunk")& I can't see the exchequer forgoing this healthy little money-spinner for too long. What George Cole would call a "nice little earner".

[Newbie VRS]

'fraid so, Silver 1011, if you are in the "kill zone" when you're doing marginally over the limit, then it's the (virtually automatic)offer of a SAC: do north of 9 mph over the limit, then it's no SAC, but a fine & the points. Could be that the government & these Speed Partnerships (the local authority/ies & some enterprising ex copper/coppers) are fighting each other for what is, after all, a hugely lucrative & an escalating profitable market.

Things will change (& not for the better) before too long, I fear. Something in the region of £70+ Million was raked in by the various astute hombres who sets up thesecosy little "Partnerships" (the L/A's receive their lucrative "chunk")& I can't see the exchequer forgoing this healthy little money-spinner for too long. What George Cole would call a "nice little earner".

 

I had a SAC doing 81 in a 70, I think it depends where you are caught

[Michaelski]

The opinion of a very interested friend of mine (& from what I have read, many other well-versed people) is that where the Companies running these SAC's CAN offer you a SAC (perhaps by overly liberally interpreting the rules) they will do, as the (extremely hefty) income is divvied up between them & the appropriate Local Authority - who enters into the partnership, and provides assistance - both financial (by way of Grants) & according to my friend, even the involvement of the Police Authority that they control. Where they CAN'T possibly offer a SAC, then the process of due Law follows (Points & a Fine) but that income goes to the government.

As SAC's are now reputed to be generating many tens of Millions of Pounds each year, then there is an obvious temptation (wherever the possibility is) for some wannabe get-rich-quick guy, to put together an ostensibly reputable Company (quite often run by serving/recently retired senior policemen) & staff it with retired traffic Cops (padding out their very generous pensions): private driving instructors (who want an easier & less-stressful life) & retired "jobsworth's" who can't resist the opportunity to continue to try to dictate their take on the rules of life to an ever-increasing number of the community, and in the process, also pad out their pension.

Cynical??? Well, do your own private research, and see if you agree.

[RainbowFire]

Holy thread revival batman! I guess this thread was last updated before it could be moved out of the Octavia section to 'General Car Chat' 

 

After being caught speeding before I now stick to 30, 40 and 50mph speed limits religiously, which after lots of practice means I don't have to keep checking my speedo, I get a feel for the correct speed. Saying that though, if they are catching those that are going only 2 or 3mph over then I might well get caught out again in the future.

 

I am insured with Admiral, no doubt I'll have to tell them about my SAC then! 

 

To be fair: your speedo over-reads in the first place. Check it against GPS. Both my Octys read 2-4 over what I'm actually doing. So to be caught at 3 mph over the limit, my speedo could easily have been on 7 over the limit.

 

Apparently, by law, the speedo cannot under-read.

 

 

.....and yeah, what a thread revival!

[roaddetective]

The opinion of a very interested friend of mine (& from what I have read, many other well-versed people) is that where the Companies running these SAC's CAN offer you a SAC (perhaps by overly liberally interpreting the rules) they will do, as the (extremely hefty) income is divvied up between them & the appropriate Local Authority - who enters into the partnership, and provides assistance - both financial (by way of Grants) & according to my friend, even the involvement of the Police Authority that they control. Where they CAN'T possibly offer a SAC, then the process of due Law follows (Points & a Fine) but that income goes to the government.

As SAC's are now reputed to be generating many tens of Millions of Pounds each year, then there is an obvious temptation (wherever the possibility is) for some wannabe get-rich-quick guy, to put together an ostensibly reputable Company (quite often run by serving/recently retired senior policemen) & staff it with retired traffic Cops (padding out their very generous pensions): private driving instructors (who want an easier & less-stressful life) & retired "jobsworth's" who can't resist the opportunity to continue to try to dictate their take on the rules of life to an ever-increasing number of the community, and in the process, also pad out their pension.

Cynical??? Well, do your own private research, and see if you agree.

I am one of those qualified fleet trainers who can conduct speed awareness courses.To be honest though, I can't stand lecturing people who don't want to be there in the first place. I stick to on the road advanced driver training. I might have a bit of sympathy when a driver gets caught doing a little over the speed limit on an open safe type of road. Even I think that some cameras are just generating cash and not there for purely road safety reasons. Mind you, if you get caught in a built up high risk area, it serves you right!! Cameras have their place and some aid road safety, but we can all be a bit cynical sometimes. At least for some drivers, it's better to do a course than get points on their licence, so even these courses have their place as well. 

[blackspaven]

I told them to shove their course up their @rse! They wanted to charge around £120 for it, so I told them the £60 and yearly slight increases in insurance on a clean license didn't add up to the same amount, let alone taking into account the waste of a day. The woman was a little surprised and checked I understood what the choice was, so I confirmed, thanked her, made sure she had it right, and hung up!

 

Each to their own, and many would disagree or feel it's not for them but I've just got rid of my points, and I was correct that it's cost me less to take the conviction!

I drive fire engines for a living and have had many, many courses in advanced motoring so I'd like to think I'm a pretty good driver.

 

Oh, it was 34 in a 30, quelle surprise!!

[blackspaven]

Oh, one more thing.

 

Years ago, a fireman on my station in Reading town centre got caught and went to the course. Not knowing that he was a fireman, the person taking the course told him that the road he was caught on by the f*ckers in the mobile van, Vastern Road, Reading, was a black spot and had caused many crashes some of which were fatal. Unfortunately for him, the fire station is the next road along so my colleague pulled him up on it that in almost 20 years at that station, he'd never been to a single accident on that road more than a slight bumper shunt in rush hour tailbacks, and due to the fact we all talk about what we've been to when it's, say, a bit interesting, there'd certainly never been a fatality on that road that had ever been mentioned, so where was he getting the info from cos it certainly wasn't correct??

 

At that point, the guy blustered and tried changing subject quickly but apparently ended up looking a bit silly. Bit despicable to rely on shock tactics just to make a point, especially when it's fallible if someone calls your bluff with knowledge.

 

I was at that station for 9 years and it was never a dangerous road, just nice & straight and lonnnnng with a convenient place to sit a van behind a barrier at a distance... pessimistic much?! What a con!

[Tranberg]

If I lived in the UK, I'd be happy to take all my mates worn out tyres and make Soweto necklaces for the Gatso's

 

Edited 2 February, 2016 by Tranberg

[roaddetective]

Sorry about the bad trainer your mate encountered. A good trainer does not make things up but sticks to the facts. You only loose credibility if you get caught out with fairy stories!!  

[roaddetective]

If I lived in the UK, I'd be happy to take all my mates worn out tyres and make Soweto necklaces for the Gatso's

 

You may now be wasting your time. Originally not all of them were loaded with expensive cameras, even less working ones now as they are a bit old tech. It may give you some satisfaction to know that the inventor of gatsos did get caught speeding by his own invention before he left this earth.

[Tranberg]

We have speed trap vans here in Denmark, and apps used by 100 of thousands drivers, who report the speed vans as soon as they park.

 

The most popular is free, but gets a lot of donations, you can check out the real-time map at: https://fartkontrol.nu/ (Fart means speed in Danish)

 

There has even been developed a special device only for the purpose of making it even easier to report and get warned about the speed trap vans.

 

If you get a ticket from one of these traps, you have only yourself to blame for it.

 

Basically, I only have to obey the speed limit where the phone shows me the vans are parked.

Edited 2 February, 2016 by Tranberg

[silver1011]

I'd imagine setting fire or vandalising the cameras makes it worse. They have to be repaired / replaced which costs us all money. The authorities then need to issue more tickets to pay for the repairs.

[RainbowFire]

Sorry about the bad trainer your mate encountered. A good trainer does not make things up but sticks to the facts. You only loose credibility if you get caught out with fairy stories!!  

 

The pair I had at Maidstone back in August were really good. The mood was kept fairly light, so no preachy about speed etc. I liked the video from the Aussie guy wbout losing speed in a crash too. There was a freaky moment for them though when we were doing some hazard perception....the road in question is one I've used a few times in Preston, so already knew what was coming ;)

 

I have to admit, I think the Driver Awareness Course attendanceshould be a compulsary as part of the theory.......prevention is better than cure

[silver1011]

To be fair: your speedo over-reads in the first place. Check it against GPS. Both my Octys read 2-4 over what I'm actually doing. So to be caught at 3 mph over the limit, my speedo could easily have been on 7 over the limit.

 

Apparently, by law, the speedo cannot under-read.

 

 

.....and yeah, what a thread revival!

 

I have to be more careful now as I've fitted larger profile tyres on my car so I imagine my speedo is probably reading about right.

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/373406-can-i-fit-22550-r17-tyres-to-my-superb/

 

I was on the A1 earlier this week and was sat at 50-55mph in some 50mph roadworks. I've now realised I was probably averaging much closer to 60mph than I thought, oh dear!

Edited 2 February, 2016 by silver1011

[RainbowFire]

I have to be more careful now as I've fitted larger profile tyres on my car so I imagine my speedo is probably reading about right.

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/373406-can-i-fit-22550-r17-tyres-to-my-superb/

 

I was on the A1 earlier this week and was sat at 50-55mph in some 50mph roadworks. I've now realised I was probably averaging much closer to 60mph than I thought, oh dear!

 

 

IIRC VCDS will allow a certain amount of re-calibration of the speedo.

[Bazzer1955]

When I was done for speeding I also chose the points over the course. When I rang my insurance to tell them they said 3 points would make no difference to me, and it didn't for all the 3 years I had them, I was leaving a motorway where the speed changed from 70 to 50... I was doing 68

[blackspaven]

When I was done for speeding I also chose the points over the course. When I rang my insurance to tell them they said 3 points would make no difference to me, and it didn't for all the 3 years I had them, I was leaving a motorway where the speed changed from 70 to 50... I was doing 68

Exactly what I was told, but there was a slight increase but it was minimal and certainly not anywhere near the cost of the course plus the fine.

[RainbowFire]

Exactly what I was told, but there was a slight increase but it was minimal and certainly not anywhere near the cost of the course plus the fine.

 

Er? Really?

I only had to pay for the course, in lieu of the fine. The course in Maidstone as £68 I think. The fine considerably more. (£100)

[meta55b]

A mate of mine was caught speeding in England. He was sent all the info on one of these driver awareness courses. He worked out the cost of the course, the cost for fuel, 850 miles round trip, overnight stay cost, loss of earnings for time off work and food. He told them to stick the course and give him the points as he would be better of. He never received the points or a fine. He's even checked with the powers that be about the points and has a letter stating that he has none and no record of speeding.

[FlyingGecko]

In the cause of being STRICTLY honest, I did learn ONE thing from the SAC.

"Apparently" most insurance companies ask only if you have received a conviction, when renewing your insurance - and a SAC does not qualify, because you did not receive a conviction.

Equally apparently, Admiral (& all of their associated companies) DO ask if their insured has undertaken a SAC, and if so, then the premium is increased!!!

 

 

What? My course invitation stressed that taking that option meant you REALLY, REALLY, didn't need to tell your insurance, no record is made against your licence, and the instructors on the day also laid it on thick. Maybe that's another reason not to insure with the Admiral group, apart from their rubbish customer service scores.

 

 

 

After the class lesson and film show, we had to go out with the instructors - all ex-police - and pootle around in their cars to show we could drive within the speed limits - 30 and 40 where we drove around. My instructor also went on about "mechanical sympathy", fuel consumption, etc, and insisted we changed into a higher gear very early - around 1200 RPM.  Bl**dy car was nearly stalling, but he would've marked us as failing the course if we did otherwise. On that particular part of the whole day, he was talking out of his @rse.

 

My crime was 42 in a 40 zone on a clear empty road at 1.30 am. Fair enough, they've missed all the times I could've been done for low flying.

[Ootohere]

What Police Area of England or Wales were you in that you were threatened with Prosecution for a 42 in a 40 Speed Limit, 

and which Organisation Provides the Speed Awareness Course in that Police Area?

[RainbowFire]

A mate of mine was caught speeding in England. He was sent all the info on one of these driver awareness courses. He worked out the cost of the course, the cost for fuel, 850 miles round trip, overnight stay cost, loss of earnings for time off work and food. He told them to stick the course and give him the points as he would be better of. He never received the points or a fine. He's even checked with the powers that be about the points and has a letter stating that he has none and no record of speeding.

 

This must have been some time ago, you can now select where you take the course, it does not have to be within the area in which the alledged offense occured.

[Ootohere]

You can not select to take one in Scotland though.

So even across the Border into England can be a fair trek if you are up on the Moray Firth or even further North.

(Like 550 miles of a round trip to Carlisle from Elgin which is not that far North in the UK.)

http://safetayside.co.uk/faqs.html

Edited 2 February, 2016 by GoneOffskiroottoot

[meta55b]

This must have been some time ago, you can now select where you take the course, it does not have to be within the area in which the alledged offense occured.

It was about 5 years ago.