ABD Launches Campaign Against Speed Awareness Courses
Discussion
Not sure if this has been posted already, but the ABD is looking for support in trying to tackle the legalised robbery that is 'speed awareness courses' before it snowballs into a more humongous scam than it already is. Please read the link at the bottom of the press release for more detailed information...
Alliance of British Drivers (London)
Press Release
Date: 16 July 2016
AMPOW Campaign Against Misuse of Police Waivers
The Alliance of British Drivers (ABD) has launched a campaign against the misuse of speed awareness courses because the actions of the police in offering such "Education Courses" as an alternative to prosecution for speeding and other offences are distorting road safety policy. It is leading to the proliferation of speed cameras and threatened prosecutions because the police now have a direct financial incentive to maximise their activities in this area. This is wrong.
In our view there is no statutory support for this activity and it is contrary to law. In addition it is a perversion of justice for the police to waive prosecution on the basis of money being paid to them.
There is also no hard evidence that putting people through a speed-awareness course has any impact on their subsequent accident record, or behaviour in general. So what we now have is an enormous industry dedicated to raising money to pay course operators, the police and other organisations who benefit from these arrangements.
The Government has claimed that the police only recover their "administration" costs but that is not in fact true. They are actually using their proportion of fees paid by course attendees to finance more cameras and more staff to operate them plus to fund other equipment and activities from the surpluses generated. We can provide evidence on this.
We ask the Government to put a stop to these arrangements forthwith simply because Parliament has never approved these activities. If they do not we will consider a legal challenge to prevent these abusive practices from continuing.
More Information
You can learn more about this campaign from a new web site set up to support the campaign here: http://www.speed-awareness.org . Members of the public can register their support for the campaign and sign a petition here: http://www.speed-awareness.org/join.html
A document that gives all the evidence on what has been happening and why it is illegal is present here:
http://www.speed-awareness.org/Speed-Awareness-Cam...
Alliance of British Drivers (London)
Press Release
Date: 16 July 2016
AMPOW Campaign Against Misuse of Police Waivers
The Alliance of British Drivers (ABD) has launched a campaign against the misuse of speed awareness courses because the actions of the police in offering such "Education Courses" as an alternative to prosecution for speeding and other offences are distorting road safety policy. It is leading to the proliferation of speed cameras and threatened prosecutions because the police now have a direct financial incentive to maximise their activities in this area. This is wrong.
In our view there is no statutory support for this activity and it is contrary to law. In addition it is a perversion of justice for the police to waive prosecution on the basis of money being paid to them.
There is also no hard evidence that putting people through a speed-awareness course has any impact on their subsequent accident record, or behaviour in general. So what we now have is an enormous industry dedicated to raising money to pay course operators, the police and other organisations who benefit from these arrangements.
The Government has claimed that the police only recover their "administration" costs but that is not in fact true. They are actually using their proportion of fees paid by course attendees to finance more cameras and more staff to operate them plus to fund other equipment and activities from the surpluses generated. We can provide evidence on this.
We ask the Government to put a stop to these arrangements forthwith simply because Parliament has never approved these activities. If they do not we will consider a legal challenge to prevent these abusive practices from continuing.
More Information
You can learn more about this campaign from a new web site set up to support the campaign here: http://www.speed-awareness.org . Members of the public can register their support for the campaign and sign a petition here: http://www.speed-awareness.org/join.html
A document that gives all the evidence on what has been happening and why it is illegal is present here:
http://www.speed-awareness.org/Speed-Awareness-Cam...
I don't see the problem with a SAC - the end result is less money into the coffers to fund more cameras etc than a traditional fine -> Good.
Less points being dished out so the insurance companies can gouge us -> Good.
It also normalises post-test driver education, also a good thing.
I've done a SAC, and it was reasonably informative, and most people there agreed they actually learnt something which improved their driving on the day.
Less points being dished out so the insurance companies can gouge us -> Good.
It also normalises post-test driver education, also a good thing.
I've done a SAC, and it was reasonably informative, and most people there agreed they actually learnt something which improved their driving on the day.
TheLuke said:
The courses are a good thing. I'm sorry I dont agree.
Teaching whats wrong and what can be done to correct that Is much better than just dishing out points willy-nilly.
This.Teaching whats wrong and what can be done to correct that Is much better than just dishing out points willy-nilly.
crofty1984 said:
I think they're a good thing too. I'd not be against them being a requirement when renewing your photocatalytic every 5-10 years of it was much, much cheaper. Not a pass/fail thing, but it couldn't hurt for a lot of the population to have a reminder.
And this.To maintain any professional qualification you have to complete so many hours of CPD every year to ensure that you're keeping up to date with developments and your skills/knowledge aren't decaying over time. I think when it comes to controlling up to 3.5 tonnes* at up to 70mph, a similar system in principle wouldn't go amiss.
*Just speaking in relation to the majority of the general public - same should apply for drivers of all categories, if it doesn't already apply to other categories.
Aren't the courses generally cheaper than the fine anyway? So the argument for them being a cash cow seems a bit moot - pay £100 and get 6 points, or pay £80 (or whatever), no points and go on a speed awareness course. Either way the government gets money, seems to me that they would actually be better off fiscally by taking a larger fine rather than a smaller amount which then pays for the course, etc.
And I'm not surprised there's no hard evidence of their effectiveness...how would you even measure it? Surely the only metric is to see how many people who've done the course re-offend. But anecdotally, I know a few people who have been on the course and they all say that's its actually informative and useful, so based on that, I'd say I'm happy for them to stay.
And I'm not surprised there's no hard evidence of their effectiveness...how would you even measure it? Surely the only metric is to see how many people who've done the course re-offend. But anecdotally, I know a few people who have been on the course and they all say that's its actually informative and useful, so based on that, I'd say I'm happy for them to stay.
Krikkit said:
I don't see the problem with a SAC - the end result is less money into the coffers to fund more cameras etc than a traditional fine -> Good.
I don't think that's the case - SACs only proliferated after the end of the netting off arrangements which had allowed safety camera partnerships to pocket fines for their operational costs. I'm sure their emergence as an income stream and the cessation of the income stream from prosecutions were entirely unrelated.
Another here who believes that they are generally a good thing. I have attended two. I found the sessions unpatronising in style and usefully informative. I would be happy for all drivers to be required to attend something similar every few years. I am not necessarily keen on local police forces taking commission income from them (unlike fines which go direct to the Treasury) but I accept that speed enforcement has played a part in reducing road accident casualties over the last 20 years.
I've now done 3 SACs and each one was very different.
Course 1 was very good and informative and really made you think about planning ahead and how your car would respond to different surfaces etc. It also refreshed me on a lot of things I had forgotten since passing my test. 10/10
4 years later I had my 2nd SAC and they spent most of the time justifying the large growth in speed cameras due to "Safety" and that they make no money from them. It was as if they were selling us them as a major safety feature that no road should be without. Learnt nothing and didn't believe a word. 2/10
Just over three years later I had my 3rd course. Within 5 mins they admitted that cameras were the quickest way to raise money a if you didn't want to pay the 'tax' then stick to the speed limit. There was some really interesting info on why it is hard to spot Motorbikes and cyclists due to how the brain processes the info around you as you drive. They also taught us a lot about how managed motorways works and why the variable speed limits are imposed even when the road is empty, which again was really good to learn. 8/10
Are these courses a good thing? Yes my driving does change after them.
If so why have I had 3? No excuse I let myself slip back in to bad habits. (On each occasion I have been caught no more than 6mph over the limit - 46 in 40, 46 in 40 and 35 in 30.) Which is due to me not paying enough attention to my speed again all my fault.
But it's good that these courses have given me a kick every so often as I do find my self being more aware afterwards.
Course 1 was very good and informative and really made you think about planning ahead and how your car would respond to different surfaces etc. It also refreshed me on a lot of things I had forgotten since passing my test. 10/10
4 years later I had my 2nd SAC and they spent most of the time justifying the large growth in speed cameras due to "Safety" and that they make no money from them. It was as if they were selling us them as a major safety feature that no road should be without. Learnt nothing and didn't believe a word. 2/10
Just over three years later I had my 3rd course. Within 5 mins they admitted that cameras were the quickest way to raise money a if you didn't want to pay the 'tax' then stick to the speed limit. There was some really interesting info on why it is hard to spot Motorbikes and cyclists due to how the brain processes the info around you as you drive. They also taught us a lot about how managed motorways works and why the variable speed limits are imposed even when the road is empty, which again was really good to learn. 8/10
Are these courses a good thing? Yes my driving does change after them.
If so why have I had 3? No excuse I let myself slip back in to bad habits. (On each occasion I have been caught no more than 6mph over the limit - 46 in 40, 46 in 40 and 35 in 30.) Which is due to me not paying enough attention to my speed again all my fault.
But it's good that these courses have given me a kick every so often as I do find my self being more aware afterwards.
Education motorists is a good idea in theory and apparently it works in practice (I've never attended a course but many on here have and speak highly)
Why don't ABD launch a campaign against the constant lowering of speed limits? Or try to increase the limit on the motorway, something useful maybe?
Why don't ABD launch a campaign against the constant lowering of speed limits? Or try to increase the limit on the motorway, something useful maybe?
I attended one last winter and actually thought it was quite good and informative. I almost think people should have to take a course like that every few years anyway, the lack of general driving knowledge in the class was astonishing and I'm glad some of the people had to sit through it haha.
I had 1 last week, 2nd time ive been. 1st time many years ago was very much a lecture / telling off, this time round i found it quite interesting and learnt a fair bit, especially how a couple of mph over the limit drastically changes your stopping distance (thanks Tiff Needell video).
Also far more productive than 3 points, so i dont agree with the petition, infact i think they should make all new drivers sit it as an extra to a driving test.
Also far more productive than 3 points, so i dont agree with the petition, infact i think they should make all new drivers sit it as an extra to a driving test.
I did suspect many people would miss the point. This is exactly how they are getting away with offering these courses and raking in millions!
To summarise:
Speed camera partnerships were originally allowed to keep the money they raised through fines, which meant they expanded and got ever more greedy, buying more and more mobile vans and spreading like wild fire.
When the Tories came to power they told the camera partnerships off, and told them that fines must now be paid to the treasury, thus disincentivising the partnerships and halting their expansion.
The speed camera partnerships were given a fixed budget to operate with, which many couldn't survive on, and over the next few years many of them withered away and disbanded, hence the turning off of fixed cameras and mobile vans in many counties. Here in Somerset they were disbanded around 2010 from memory.
Some greedy, clever ex police chiefs then saw an opening in the market, to make lots of money by bypassing the Fixed Penalty Notice method (which the treasury now receives) and instead offering speed awareness courses. This way they could once again cream off most of the money. The courses now make multi millions of pounds which is divided among the operating parties, including the police.
I belive the police make around 30% of the take, thus incentivising them once more to buy more and more camera vans with the profits, and hence resuming the expansion of the mobile camera industry which the government had previously tried to halt. Meanwhile the fat cat course operators have already become multi millionaires.
This campaign is about stopping the courses, which in turn will once again disincentivise the expanding speed camera industry by drastically cutting their funding.
A while ago I heard a BBC report that the fines paid by drivers via FPN's for speeding offences had remained stable or fallen, yet they glaringly (ignorantly or deliberately) forget to mention that the revenue raised from speed awareness courses has increased to multi millions, and that more drivers than ever are falling foul of camera vans (whilst typically driving at a safe average speed for the road).
Please don't think with the mindset that stopping the courses will mean you have to take the points, that's exactly the way they want you to think and it's how they are getting away with it. The fact is if the courses are stopped the camera vans will largely disappear once again.
I must admit, I find it painful to see how people so willingly accept this scam, this legalised robbery, as can be seen by the responses in this thread.
Each to their own though, I guess if this is going to be the typical repsonse then there will be very little support.
It's explained in more detail here, but is quite a long read... so I guess if you're happy to keep paying the course fees as punishment for travelling at a walking pace above a dumbed down speed limit, don't bother reading it
Hopefully that won't include all of you though
http://www.speed-awareness.org/Speed...gn-Summary....
To summarise:
Speed camera partnerships were originally allowed to keep the money they raised through fines, which meant they expanded and got ever more greedy, buying more and more mobile vans and spreading like wild fire.
When the Tories came to power they told the camera partnerships off, and told them that fines must now be paid to the treasury, thus disincentivising the partnerships and halting their expansion.
The speed camera partnerships were given a fixed budget to operate with, which many couldn't survive on, and over the next few years many of them withered away and disbanded, hence the turning off of fixed cameras and mobile vans in many counties. Here in Somerset they were disbanded around 2010 from memory.
Some greedy, clever ex police chiefs then saw an opening in the market, to make lots of money by bypassing the Fixed Penalty Notice method (which the treasury now receives) and instead offering speed awareness courses. This way they could once again cream off most of the money. The courses now make multi millions of pounds which is divided among the operating parties, including the police.
I belive the police make around 30% of the take, thus incentivising them once more to buy more and more camera vans with the profits, and hence resuming the expansion of the mobile camera industry which the government had previously tried to halt. Meanwhile the fat cat course operators have already become multi millionaires.
This campaign is about stopping the courses, which in turn will once again disincentivise the expanding speed camera industry by drastically cutting their funding.
A while ago I heard a BBC report that the fines paid by drivers via FPN's for speeding offences had remained stable or fallen, yet they glaringly (ignorantly or deliberately) forget to mention that the revenue raised from speed awareness courses has increased to multi millions, and that more drivers than ever are falling foul of camera vans (whilst typically driving at a safe average speed for the road).
Please don't think with the mindset that stopping the courses will mean you have to take the points, that's exactly the way they want you to think and it's how they are getting away with it. The fact is if the courses are stopped the camera vans will largely disappear once again.
I must admit, I find it painful to see how people so willingly accept this scam, this legalised robbery, as can be seen by the responses in this thread.
Each to their own though, I guess if this is going to be the typical repsonse then there will be very little support.
It's explained in more detail here, but is quite a long read... so I guess if you're happy to keep paying the course fees as punishment for travelling at a walking pace above a dumbed down speed limit, don't bother reading it
Hopefully that won't include all of you though
http://www.speed-awareness.org/Speed...gn-Summary....
addsvrs said:
Also far more productive than 3 points, so i dont agree with the petition, infact i think they should make all new drivers sit it as an extra to a driving test.
This sums up perfectly how people simply miss the point.The course as part of the driving test, or even part of a 10 year refresher would be fine.
But as a blackmail tool to recapture lost funding, it is wrong on all levels.
The camera vans mainly prey on roads that have a speed limit below the 85th percentile speed of traffic on that road. That is to say, the average safe flow of traffic on that road is above the limit, typically roads that have had the limit lowered from NSL to 40 or even 30mph.
With the proliferation of these courses and the funds they raise, you will be seeing a lot more of this.
Roads should be policed by the police, not by civilians operating speed cameras from the back of vans to fund a multi million pound speed awareness course industry.
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