Safe Speed Forums

Having been snapped doing a perfectly safe 48 in a 40, that used to be (and still should be) perfectly reasonable 60 limit, I have been offered a Speed awareness course instead of points (I wont say instead of a fine also, cos the course costs more than the fine). Clearly I need to do the course, as surely playing the system to avoid the points is the way to go. However, I am curious about the nature of the course, and whether or not I have to sel my soul in order to pass?
Do we get a chance to voice our opinion on the matter, or do you just have to take the bullshit just to avoid the points. Have many people here had experience of these pathetic courses, that could let me know what Im in for. I already know they are just more vultures making a living out of thin air.

Jules

My brother in law went on one some years ago and at the end of it the tutor asked if he had learnt anything about exceeding the speed limit. His reply being,"Yes you get there quicker". His answer,right or wrong is just another way of raising the revenue from the motorist. OLLIE

Jules! Hi I'm a recent member compared to you

Okay, a guy from my work went on one last year.

He's 56 years old and never, EVER, had a problem with his impeccable driving record - until recent years for some reason...

TBH he did say it was "interesting and thought provoking" and also "something worth going on".

But here's the thing...

He did it because, like me, he needs to keep his licence so it was a means to a licence-keeping end - not because he is, or ever has been, a threat on our roads! What does that say?

I'll be very interested in your feedback Jules.

Nice to e-meet you at last

Tony

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

So his answer didn't, or couldn't, provoke a fail then Ollie?

Cheers bud. Keep up the good work

Tone

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

Hi Tony. No it didn't affect the fact that he had attended the course. There is no exam to pass,its just to raise cash for the Government expenses fund as the trough must be getting exhausted now. Sorry I haven't been in contact but many things have been happening of late some to do with computing and transfer of videos to DVDs and which is still in the balance. Here's to all those camera operators. Take care. OLLIE

Thanks guys, I shall let you know how I get on.
The aim of the game here is to keep the points off

Jules

But at what cost Jules?? The fee will be raised no doubt in the future and will become astronomical as with the APD at airports. At what cost would you turn down the course??? OLLIE. Have a nice day.

It would not be in their interest to alienate the public more than they already have. The courses are far shorter than they used to be and now carry much more sensible data and info, but they vary them and they are inconsistent from one County to another.
Do send me a copy of the course and the price and length and what you thought of it all. Have fun.

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Safe Speed for Intelligent Road Safety through proper research, experience & guidance.

To my mind ,these courses seem to have sprung in popularity since the demise of hiving off ( i.e since all speed fines have gone to HMG) ,with SCPs only getting the funding that LAs deign to give them .From memory the police (& possibly the SCP ) get a percentage of the course fee ( and the courses are apparently run by ex police ) .

So on the basis of that ,I could be inclined to think that once again ,the safety aspect only happens by accident ,and that £££££ are the prime mover . ( from the POV of the SCP) ,but possibly not from the tutors .

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

Then of course there is the strange position that we are now allowing the public to pay to attend a lesson where they promote a public info set of information ! Talk about old money for new rope ! Why only tell those that are 'caught' too ?
Is this information not something that we should ALL be hearing not just those that are within a few mph of the posted limit ?

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Safe Speed for Intelligent Road Safety through proper research, experience & guidance.

Something else that rings a cynic alarm - only those within a set limit -used to be only those in the lower limits ,but is it being extended ,and if so - that really smacks of profit

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

The consensus about the course, from drivers who attended, is that it was beneficial and should be made "compulsory"
It is probably the only way they would have attended, and the only way others will attend. People do not see their driving as bad, even when demonstrated to them that it is.
It may even be that the courses cost more to provide than the money drivers pay.
The speed limit through the village I live in has been reduced from 40 to 30.
Over half those driving through are still well over the limit, with one guy being measured [police] at over 60.
So, the limit will be variable from next year....down to 20 for the school in/out periods.
It is also worth mentioning that the signs that flash when the limit is exceeded can, in many cases, record the amount of drivers exceeding the limit for later scrutiny.

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

One of my colleages has been on a course in Hampshire and he said it was quite useful with minimal "finger wagging at naughty boys" type stuff. The course notes featured COAST.


I'm not quite sure of the point you are making here. Could you expand a bit.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

Good point, though I doubt the data would be meaningful unless they raise the trigger level/accuracy, certainly of all the one's I've seen, which activate despite my car speedo reading 30mph (GPS in the region of 28mph) in a 30mph limit. Of course this setting low is great for a reminder, better to remind too many than too few, but if they start using this data to illustrate a "speeding problem" in a particular location then it becomes risky.

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Regulation without education merely creates more criminals.

How do companies survive if they do not make a profit.? The road safety organizations are there to see that they do make a profit so that they stay in employment. Where else in the World is there an organization which has a licence to print money.? There is also no competition for them to contend with. Consider what would happen to this Country if every driver didn't use their vehicle for just one week. No fuel tax, no RFL(s) no fines of any discription, even parking fines and you have a Country that would shut down over night. Without the motorist to soak for back door tax they would shut down. Not generating fines alone would bring about a dire situation for Gordon and his cronies. Anyone who hasn't seen a two faced person just look at him on the TV,how anyone can trust him I just do not know.!!!

Just because the sign flashes at 28 does not mean the data reflects the trigger for the sign.

The village speed limit ?
Nobody pays much attention to it, even with the flashing 30 sign and with the SCHOOL signs, so from next year they will have to traverse the village at 20 for large time periods or continue to traverse it at 30+ and then be penalised....don't forget....speed limit + 50% = court appearance = large fines = large costs.

As for the speed awareness course being a labour initiative....if you really think any politician, given the widespread disobedience of speed limits, will remove speed cameras and increase the speeds allowed then you really do have a problem.

Speed cameras have not gone, as I said they would not a long time ago, and they are rapidly morphing into widespread area networks of same as well as now recording the data and using it for anpr.

You are not going to change it in any significant way because the people driving the systems are NOT elected and the ELECTED persons have little control, or knowledge, of those who are there for their whole life.....

And THAT is not going to change...election or not.

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

My inference from this is that if "Nobody pays much attention to it!" then the hazard density must be low and drivers are reacting to this by driving at what they consider to be a reasonable speed. My conclusion must be that the reduction in the limit from 40mph to 30 mph was ill-founded and certainly not based on 85th percentile basics where the typical safe driver is not restricted.

I fear that the 20mph limit will allow the prosecution of many people dropping their children off at the school which is probably not what was intended.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

It's a village school.
The vast majority of the children walk to it.
The parents who drop-off their kids are usually en-route to somewhere.
I must admit it is a nice wide road...with school in the middle and two farmyard entrances as well.
It still has several bouquets of flowers to commemorate the young mother killed by a high speed driver...as well as more to remember the 3 others killed not negotiating the bends at either end.
I suggest that the drivers driving at 40 (60 when it was a 40 limit) are just ignorant and uncaring. the amount of accidents in the village area also suggests they are unskilled.
I doubt the 85th percentile rule is of any use anymore...

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

Can you explain what you mean by this?

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.