Reply With Quotei done the same found it interesting learnt a lot of stuff i had forgotten wasnt at all condasending but did go on a bit but agree a good money maker
Got caught by a fixed camera doing 36mph in a 30mph zone, usual thing I just cocked up I new the camera was there but an extra 6mph is easy to do without realising (I know I have a speedo)
Anyway no complaints I was speeding and was caught.
I was offered a course which cost £100 but no fine and no points on your licence.
I was snapped in Sussex but live in Surrey and was allowed to book a course near home which was helpful.
Course lasted four hours and was a bit tedious near the end, the chap was very good and it wasn't like you were a bad boy or made to eat humble pie in any way.
If you get the offer then take it it's not that bad, it was run by AA DRIVE TEC, thirty two people in the room all paying £100 it must be a good little earner for them!
i done the same found it interesting learnt a lot of stuff i had forgotten wasnt at all condasending but did go on a bit but agree a good money maker
On my course we stopped for coffee and I asked him how he got caught, to which he replied 'Dunno mates Im doing this for my mate as he has 9 points!' great system then
RIAC
Learnt nothing really, more than a few people being a bit anti, one funny comment when the chap asked 'why do we have speed limits?' And the answer came back....'nanny state?' The chap was good and wouldn't be drawn into that discussion :-)
Yes... a good earner. They must get a LOT more money from this sort of thing than the alternative - letters, court things, smaller fine, etc...Originally Posted by dizz
I did one about 5/6 years ago and it was only £60 then. I was doing 35 in a 30 zone which was very silly as I was totally aware the cameras were there. Swindon however has changed since then and they have removed all of the cameras in the town, interestingly deaths and accidents haven't increased and I'm certain I read somewhere that the roads in Swindon were amongst some of the safest in the UK....however a bit like Cilla I might have made that bit up.
The course does kind of knock it home to you about speeding however fast your going and I certainly now keep one eye to the limits.
Can't see how you can do it for someone else as we had to produce photo id in the form of a photo card driving licences or a passport, maybe it was a regular thing and they have now stopped it?
Last edited by dizz; 31st August 2014 at 10:41.
Oh they talked about Swindon and the lack of fixed cameras they just have more mobile units now :-(
I once asked how to get on one if you were just interested in doing it. Apparently you can't. When I got caught doing 36 I couldn't do it as exceed 10% the speed limit (30). So never been on one despite my best efforts.
I quite enjoyed the one I did; quite an informative evening.
I was surprised that only 2 of us in a room of 30 or so actually know what the speed limits were.
The tutors were good and the only annoyance was the bloke that decided to try and leave at exactly the end time (as he'd done what he was required to do to meet the terms of the course) though it was clear that the tutor only had a minute of so of wrapping up left to do.
The only reason were running even a little late was that one little old lady was having to do the hazard perception test with a mouse and had never used a computer before
Just done one for doing 35 in a 30. Expected to feel like a criminal in the course but was informative & worthwhile I guess. Thought I'd been done again a week after the original camera flash (before the course) but luckily escaped that one!
I don't think they do. They get £20-£30 per head more than a fine but have to hire a location, run the course (2-3 people minimum), carry out additional administration etc.
The alternative is a computer generated fine and points on your licence costing peanuts.
I found it a worthwhile refresher course and certainly not a punishment.
I assume that when asked who was driving the car on the initial Notice his mate took the hit!
RIAC
They said if you wanted to take this further you could join RASPA or IAM (might have those spelt wrong) but a £60 a year membership gets you unlimited one-to-one advanced driver training, I might have a look into this myself.
Haven't spotted them to be honest, I know there's a few but it hasn't made up for all the ones that were removed.
I enjoyed it so much that I went back and did the course for a second time just over two years later...
Was a little tedious... Amazing how many people didn't know the various speed limits
The Woman who did it was far too enthusiastic for a Saturday morning which became a little grating
"I don't call it the Highway Code, I call it the myway code" - I kid you not... I nearly hit her
Dorset have always been at the front of these courses and run them themselves
They run 4 COURSES OF 15 PEOPLE PAYING £120 EVERY DAY 5 DAYS A WEEK……
But of course it is not run to make profit…………
I got caught on the A303 in 2012 on my way to Thruxton for a track day. I saw the mobile speed van and managed to shed enough speed to be offered the SAC.
I found it interesting, I'd certainly forgotten a few things in 15+ years of driving. However, two of my cars are insured with the group that owns Admiral, and they specifically ask if you've done a SAC and then load the premium accordingly.
I did one a couple of years ago, was quite interesting to be honest. Although I'm still adamant it was the wife driving at the time (she won that argument)!
I thought you only got the opportunity to do the course once, and then if you were caught again its points and a fine?
You can only do it once within a 3 year period now.
Yep... I just qualified to do it again and am points free !!! (thought it was two but could well be three years)
I`ve never attended a course, but I`m convinced it's the correct approach. People do need educating about the dangers of excessive speed in the wrong places. I speak as a covert, having been fortunate not to get a ban a couple of years ago for speeding on a motorway in the wee small hours.
The flaw in the logic is not offering speed awareness education to those who have previous offences or those who are doing way over the limit. These are the guys who need to alter their approach to driving (yes, I was one) and I`d make it compulsory for these individuals. I`d go as far as to give them a compulsory 2 or 3 day course at their own expense to get the message across.
Unless the laws of physics have changed, kinetic energy increases as a square of speed; that's DOUBLE the energy to be dissipated in a collision at 42mph vs 30mph. Energy = damage......it ain`t rocket science.
Paul
I had an unblemished driving record for 43 years (ex Police driver) and was pinged doing 36 in a 30 zone. We were going out for Sunday dinner, had a car full of family yapping and was distracted briefly and my speed went up to 36 .. easily done. Anyway I ended up on the speed course done by the Institute of advanced drivers... was useful information as a refresher.
Rod
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