Speed Awareness Course

[Hammersia]

NFT said:

Beetnik said:

Thinking is it's unlikely to happen again (based on past record) so with say a 5% loading on insurance premium + cost of fine it's basically 5 minutes admin and £200 vs £100 and a morning/afternoon out of a busy schedule. But if it does then the option of a course may still be available.

I suspect she'll go for the course but useful to know how it might pan out otherwise.

I'd do admin, save SAC option, valuable time lost to course and can learn own lessons.

If I have to sit through a long SAC, I will make sure it counts, likely on NSL/DC/MW at a speed close to end of SAC threshold, not for a few mph or a 30 sign far from anyone or anything, else it would boil my blood too much.

P.S. Others may do SAC, and if speeding, push speeds up into the FPN threshold to really earn the points, but then where is the incentive to keep any rare incidence of speeding low on speedo.

Edited by NFT on Monday 11th March 22:50

In Essex got offered a huge choice of Zoom times and dates including starting at I think 6pm, seemed like a no brainer to me in every sense.

[ARHarh]

I have done 3 SAC's now. The first was just after they started the courses, some 15 or so years ago. The last was about 2 years ago.

[Mont Blanc]

Beetnik said:

Thinking is it's unlikely to happen again (based on past record) so with say a 5% loading on insurance premium + cost of fine it's basically 5 minutes admin and £200 vs £100 and a morning/afternoon out of a busy schedule. But if it does then the option of a course may still be available.

I suspect she'll go for the course but useful to know how it might pan out otherwise.

You would have to be insane not to do the course.

I did one and it was only 2-3 hours on Zoom, and I was offered a selection of convenient times. Daytime, evening, weekends etc. I just did mine one afternoon whilst I was working from home.

[ARHarh]

Its a pleasant enough experience and you do learn a thing or 2, especially about the amount of drivers who have little idea of speed limits or road signs, the education though does not seem to stop me being caught, always so far at 35 mph in a 30.

[Simpo Two]

GasEngineer said:

AIUI the purpose of a Speed Awareness Course isn't about avoiding getting points on your licence.

Rather than a waste of an afternoon, it is supposed to educate you to help you understand where you went wrong. You become a slower driver and thus don't reoffend.

FTFY


Wen I did my Zoom SAC the chap giving it was actually entertaining and a good presenter, and one of the girls on the course was rather attractive, so it was better than daytime TV. I may have let slip the fact it was an Aston, sorry about that

Edited by Simpo Two on Tuesday 12th March 11:43

[Pica-Pica]

Hammersia said:

NFT said:

Beetnik said:

Thinking is it's unlikely to happen again (based on past record) so with say a 5% loading on insurance premium + cost of fine it's basically 5 minutes admin and £200 vs £100 and a morning/afternoon out of a busy schedule. But if it does then the option of a course may still be available.

I suspect she'll go for the course but useful to know how it might pan out otherwise.

I'd do admin, save SAC option, valuable time lost to course and can learn own lessons.

If I have to sit through a long SAC, I will make sure it counts, likely on NSL/DC/MW at a speed close to end of SAC threshold, not for a few mph or a 30 sign far from anyone or anything, else it would boil my blood too much.

P.S. Others may do SAC, and if speeding, push speeds up into the FPN threshold to really earn the points, but then where is the incentive to keep any rare incidence of speeding low on speedo.

Edited by NFT on Monday 11th March 22:50

In Essex got offered a huge choice of Zoom times and dates including starting at I think 6pm, seemed like a no brainer to me in every sense.

.. and in the context of some posts, the term ‘no-brainer’ becomes truly apposite.

[nutsyH]

GolfDragon said:

I don’t know if this is an urban myth but I heard if you get caught in a different locality and you’ve already done a speed awareness course (but in a different locality to the 2nd offence) you can still get offered another speed awareness course.

I did one with Dorset Constabulary, over zoom, and the cop was very careful to point out that a further offence "within the Dorset Constabulary area in the next 3 years" would not qualify for a further SAC.

[Avenicus]

I did a SAC a few years ago. Elderly lady swore blind the speed limit on the motorway was 100mph.

Met a van driver on the smoke break who had one of those Mike Tyson Maori tattoos on his face - lovely chap. Met him again a few weeks later in M&S when shopping with the wife and introduced him as "my mate Dave from the Speeding Course".

Anyhoo - I enjoyed the day off work and the experience

[Simpo Two]

Avenicus said:

Anyhoo - I enjoyed the day off work and the experience

It's getting to be like jury service

[Dog Star]

Beetnik said:

Thinking is it's unlikely to happen again (based on past record) so with say a 5% loading on insurance premium + cost of fine it's basically 5 minutes admin and £200 vs £100 and a morning/afternoon out of a busy schedule. But if it does then the option of a course may still be available.

I suspect she'll go for the course but useful to know how it might pan out otherwise.

Not to mention the hike in insurance premiums for the next five years - our insurance for our 3 cars went from £700 to £1000 last renewal - £200 of that increase was me picking up an SP30 (my and Mrs DSs licences having been pristine toil this point). Contrary to what people say insurers (or some of them) DO mind about 3 points.

How massively important and under the cosh is Mrs Beetnik that she can’t spare a few hours? They do them on Zoom now.

[21TonyK]

Having been nicked doing 34 in a 30 average zone at 7:50am on Christmas Eve on the A303.

I found my SAC both useful and informative.

Never work Christmas Eve again and never use the A303.

[NFT]

21TonyK said:

Having been nicked doing 34 in a 30 average zone at 7:50am on Christmas Eve on the A303.

I found my SAC both useful and informative.

Never work Christmas Eve again and never use the A303.

Was it 34? Some on here claim its only at 35 they take action.

[the-norseman]

Wish I had been offered sac for my first time, Northampton police decided the cut off was 86 and I was doing 87, £100 and 3 points. In fairness insurance companies weren't bothered.

[martinbiz]

NFT said:

Was it 34? Some knowledgeable people on here claim its only at 35 they take action.

fixed that for you

[LunarOne]

Simpo Two said:

Avenicus said:

Anyhoo - I enjoyed the day off work and the experience

It's getting to be like jury service

I think I'd quite like to do jury duty, and I wouldn't mind doing a speed awareness course. But I haven't been caught speeding since 1995 despite liking a turn of speed. Now that they've reduced all my local NSL roads to 40 limits, I suppose it's just a matter of time because I generally ignore those ridiculous limits.

[martinbiz]

the-norseman said:

Wish I had been offered sac for my first time, Northampton police decided the cut off was 86 and I was doing 87, £100 and 3 points. In fairness insurance companies weren't bothered.

Annoying and unlucky, but not Northampton police, country wide guidelines. up to and including 10% (77mph) + 9mph so 86 is the cut off

[BoomerPride]

I went to a SAC last year. I was sitting next to a really grumpy fella huffing and puffing.

However, he cheered up when he discovered that he could do 70 on a dual carriageway when he had always thought it to be 60. Duh.

[NFT]

martinbiz said:

NFT said:

Was it 34? Some knowledgeable people on here claim its only at 35 they take action.

fixed that for you

Indeed, thank you martinbiz.

[NFT]

BoomerPride said:

I went to a SAC last year. I was sitting next to a really grumpy fella huffing and puffing.

However, he cheered up when he discovered that he could do 70 on a dual carriageway when he had always thought it to be 60. Duh.

Sounds like the net result of enrolling him was some "motions", likely behind the wheel for a period, and a Higher Kinetic energy on a fast road, splendid outcome for the Speed Kills.. Slower is safer... message.

Any idea what the cause of his SAC was? Some misrepresentation of safe driving being somehow unsafe at a sign or due to a few mph far from anyone perhaps?

[Pent]

i have done two SAC - one in each of my local counties.