Speed Awareness Course tomorrow...

[Slinky]

Got popped in November whilst travelling home from Santa Pod, 35 in a 30 (couple of hundred yards away from NSL, moving from 30 - NSL) and very kindly the Northamptonshire Constabulary offered me a Speed Awareness course (one of many things seemingly not available in Worcestershire/West Mercia)..

I've already done a little research and had a quick chat with Ma (Maj) and understand that this is about education rather than punishment, therefore other than sitting and listening there is no real requirement from me (i.e. I can't "fail" the course), but what can I expect? A boat load of condescending diatribe about how lethal "speed" is? (of course, speed in itself isn't dangerous, inappropriate speed is)..

Before anyone says it, yes, I know about the legal speed limit and I wholly appreciate that I exceeded it, hence my invitation to select an afternoon at Northamptonshire County Cricket Ground or the addition of 3 points to my pristine license..

Any thoughts, experiences, memories of entertaining SAC moments?

TIA,

slinky

[Vron]

You have to demonstrate the "correct attitude" on the day or you can still get the £60 and 3pts evan after paying to attend the course.

[Taita]

Just sit there and nod.

I started building a house in my head. Whenever I'm stuck with nothing to do, I lay a few bricks (quiet).

[Slinky]

Just found this..

pdf linky

Seems to explain the course.. looks like it's going to be fun

[ShadownINja]

Vron said:

You have to demonstrate the "correct attitude" on the day or you can still get the £60 and 3pts evan after paying to attend the course.

Yes, I hear you're best off nodding like a government drone.

[cs02rm0]

That PDF should be preserved for discussions of bias and propaganda in future history lessons. Crazy stuff.

[bridgdav]

Think of it as a refresher of the stuff you already know or know that you didn't know or know that you thought you knew.

A few hours of talk, discussion, questions and a couple of Quizzes.

You can't get the answers wrong, there isn't a pass or fail.
As the other guys have said, just sit there and Nod (off) and it'll be over before you know it.
There are a few things which are interesting.
I thought it was going to be shock tactics, but it was more about knowing what speed to do and when.
NSL's how to spot them etc etc..

[Slinky]

cs02rm0 said:

That PDF should be preserved for discussions of bias and propaganda in future history lessons. Crazy stuff.

My thoughts exactly.... but then again, I am an evil kitten slaying, child killing, greenhouse effect causing, climate change assisting mass murderer..

Oh no, hang on, I just went at a speed slightly above the arbitrarily chosen (conveniently divisible by 10) safe speed limit..

Gah..

[Bowler]

Slinky said:

Got popped in November whilst travelling home from Santa Pod, 35 in a 30 (couple of hundred yards away from NSL, moving from 30 - NSL) and very kindly the Northamptonshire Constabulary offered me a Speed Awareness course (one of many things seemingly not available in Worcestershire/West Mercia)..

Let me guess? You got nicked on the B570 Gipsy lane, just passed the Railway museum, where the NSL goes to 30, as you go into Irthlingborough? Been there, done that, seen Plod too many times on my trips to and from the Pod - no tickets though....

Seriously, I've done a speed awareness course (Warks). I'll guess that you got nicked at 10% over plus 2 mph, as above that it's an automatic fine - this is what they told me on the course, as I was curious why the baseball cap/saxo brigade weren't there - mainly older types.

For me, it wasn't a lecture or finger wagging, it was just as it says on the tin - about awareness. It was run by a driving instructor and an ex-copper. They might give the group a copule of scenarios and go round the room for answers, but there's no pass or fail (it's interesting to see how wrong some people can be though)

HTH

[missdiane]

I went to the same place last March, again 35 in a 30, took the course, two older chaps having a good old banter about how we can teach ourselves simple steps not to creep up over the limit and obvoiusly the usual what happens when you do.
Not too much preaching.
I think I was the youngest one there (34) and I also noticed the younger of us knew speed limits and restrictions more than the older ones

I turned up in the Lotus, 29 mph all the way there
(it was so close I should have walked)

Edited by missdiane on Monday 19th January 21:31

[Slinky]

Bowler said:

Let me guess? You got nicked on the B570 Gipsy lane, just passed the Railway museum, where the NSL goes to 30, as you go into Irthlingborough? Been there, done that, seen Plod too many times on my trips to and from the Pod - no tickets though....

How did you guess sir...

Bowler said:

Seriously, I've done a speed awareness course (Warks). I'll guess that you got nicked at 10% over plus 2 mph, as above that it's an automatic fine - this is what they told me on the course, as I was curious why the baseball cap/saxo brigade weren't there - mainly older types.

For me, it wasn't a lecture or finger wagging, it was just as it says on the tin - about awareness. It was run by a driving instructor and an ex-copper. They might give the group a copule of scenarios and go round the room for answers, but there's no pass or fail (it's interesting to see how wrong some people can be though)

HTH

Cheers for that..

missdiane said:

I went to the same place last March, again 35 in a 30, took the course, two older chaps having a good old banter about how we can teach ourselves simple steps not to creep up over the limit and obvoiusly the usual what happens when you do.
Not too much preaching.
I think I was the youngest one there (34) and I also noticed the younger of us knew speed limits and restrictions more than the older ones

I turned up in the Lotus, 29 mph all the way there
(it was so close I should have walked)

Cheers Diane...

I'll be turning up in the roadster, although it's slightly further for me, travelling over from Worcester..

slinky

[buggalugs]

Vron said:

You have to demonstrate the "correct attitude" on the day or you can still get the £60 and 3pts evan after paying to attend the course.

I don't think that's true - it certanly wasn't when I did it. As long as you turn up on time and aren't too disruptive then you 'complete the course' so to speak, job done. You can ask questions, discuss and disagree if you want.

[jayfish]

the answer is 21

[Funk]

Dare you to turn up late and utter the following sentence:

"Sorry I'm late, traffic was a nightmare. Had to put my foot down a bit to make up for lost time."

Dare you.

Go on.

[parapaul]

Funk said:

Dare you to turn up late and utter the following sentence:

"Sorry I'm late, traffic was a nightmare. Had to put my foot down a bit to make up for lost time."

Dare you.

Go on.

[Slinky]

parapaul said:

Funk said:

Dare you to turn up late and utter the following sentence:

"Sorry I'm late, traffic was a nightmare. Had to put my foot down a bit to make up for lost time."

Dare you.

Go on.

Tempting, as is, "I would have been here on time if that bd on the (insert road name here) hadn't pulled me over! I mean, come on, I was only doing 93!"

[Guybrush]

Why not have a bit of fun... get 20 or so printouts of all the evidence of revenue-generation and surveys and so on showing excess speed being responsible for only about 5% of all accidents etc etc. The SafeSpeed website has a lot of information. Then anonomously distribute the paperwork around before the course session. That should wind them up.

[dcb]

Guybrush said:

Why not have a bit of fun...

+1

The Brits are obsessed with speed - other nations take other factors
into account for a more balanced view.

[Funk]

Remind them that whilst there are 3,500 KSI on British roads each year, around 40,000 people die in hospital from infections they picked up whilst there for treatment for other things.

Speed cameras in hospitals should help.

[raharley]

Winding them up is not a good idea. One woman in my class was shown the door because, after repeated sarcastic comments, she said she was speeding home at 100mph in 30 because her kebab was getting cold.