Who does the best Speed Awareness courses?
Discussion
Due to my own foolishness I have been invited by Kent Police to take part in a Speed Awareness course. They note that the Kent-based course is classroom only, over 5 hours, with no practical driving element.
As the courses clearly vary from region to region, and in an effort to make the best of any opportunity, I would like to find out where the best ones are.
Does anyone have any experience of these courses, and more importantly, anything positive to say about any of them!?
As the courses clearly vary from region to region, and in an effort to make the best of any opportunity, I would like to find out where the best ones are.
Does anyone have any experience of these courses, and more importantly, anything positive to say about any of them!?
I had to attend one back in 2010 (Telford area), and I was pleasantly surprised by it.
Not once was it patronising, and most of it focused on well established advanced driving techniques such as limit points for corners and hazard "connectors". Most of all it was very light-hearted, and I was amazed to find out that the guy sitting to my left was a Police pursuit driver nipped by a camera whilst off duty.
Not once was it patronising, and most of it focused on well established advanced driving techniques such as limit points for corners and hazard "connectors". Most of all it was very light-hearted, and I was amazed to find out that the guy sitting to my left was a Police pursuit driver nipped by a camera whilst off duty.
Silver Smudger said:
Due to my own foolishness I have been invited by Kent Police to take part in a Speed Awareness course. They note that the Kent-based course is classroom only, over 5 hours, with no practical driving element.
As the courses clearly vary from region to region, and in an effort to make the best of any opportunity, I would like to find out where the best ones are.
Does anyone have any experience of these courses, and more importantly, anything positive to say about any of them!?
Impressive. Difficult to get their attention for speeding.As the courses clearly vary from region to region, and in an effort to make the best of any opportunity, I would like to find out where the best ones are.
Does anyone have any experience of these courses, and more importantly, anything positive to say about any of them!?
TallbutBuxomly said:
Silver Smudger said:
Due to my own foolishness I have been invited by Kent Police to take part in a Speed Awareness course. They note that the Kent-based course is classroom only, over 5 hours, with no practical driving element.
As the courses clearly vary from region to region, and in an effort to make the best of any opportunity, I would like to find out where the best ones are.
Does anyone have any experience of these courses, and more importantly, anything positive to say about any of them!?
Impressive. Difficult to get their attention for speeding.As the courses clearly vary from region to region, and in an effort to make the best of any opportunity, I would like to find out where the best ones are.
Does anyone have any experience of these courses, and more importantly, anything positive to say about any of them!?
Got me for 37 mph in a 30 - Not been caught in about 6 years and slipped up in front of a camera I know is there.
Frik said:
I did one in Flint years ago and it was patronising rubbish.
However I did one the other week in Guildford run by AA Drivetech and it was very good. Highly recommended.
so you've now done two? doesn't that suggest that you should pay more attention and that 'speed awareness' courses are indeed a pile of s*ite?However I did one the other week in Guildford run by AA Drivetech and it was very good. Highly recommended.
I did one in Hampshire - in Southampton, at the Best Western Chilworth Manor Hotel, for those that might know it.
In 2009.
Run by two ex-traffic BIB.
I note that some people on here are doing courses now with a bit of road driving attached to it? Not sure how that works, but mine wasn't, it was all classroom.
Anyway the two BIB's did their best to inject some fun into it - and although a bit of it was a tad cringeworthy, for the most part, I've had worse mornings at a seminar
I went with an open mind, and hoped I might learn something. I think that a lot of Joe Public might well have learned something, for example, they did quite a bit of work on 'hazard perception', and I would say that maybe 50% of the course focused on the 'speed kills' mantra, and 50% on some sound hazard perception awareness.
For any decent PH'er though, who prides themselves on defensive driving with good hazard perception - well, you're not gonna learn any revelations or new stuff that you don't already (hopefully) practise when driving.
We then obviously had the whole slo-mo video of a car ploughing into a child in a town centre, and how the injuries to a body rise in an inversely proportional manner to the speed of the vehicle. But unless you're a complete numpty, you know this already, right? I've had numerous speeding tickets over the years, but on motorbikes mainly, for making what I deem 'good progress' on fast, well-sighted, quiet A roads, well out of town centres.
Even when I was a much younger muppet with a complete disregard for my own personal safety, even I could see it was a bad idea to speed through towns, villages and built-up areas!
But anyway, I digress. As a morning spent parrying some fun comments around a room with some other people, and a couple of light-heated ex-BIB, it was infinitely preferable to the usual 3 points and fine route.
Meaning I still have a clean license, in fact! Gotta be a result, right?
In 2009.
Run by two ex-traffic BIB.
I note that some people on here are doing courses now with a bit of road driving attached to it? Not sure how that works, but mine wasn't, it was all classroom.
Anyway the two BIB's did their best to inject some fun into it - and although a bit of it was a tad cringeworthy, for the most part, I've had worse mornings at a seminar
I went with an open mind, and hoped I might learn something. I think that a lot of Joe Public might well have learned something, for example, they did quite a bit of work on 'hazard perception', and I would say that maybe 50% of the course focused on the 'speed kills' mantra, and 50% on some sound hazard perception awareness.
For any decent PH'er though, who prides themselves on defensive driving with good hazard perception - well, you're not gonna learn any revelations or new stuff that you don't already (hopefully) practise when driving.
We then obviously had the whole slo-mo video of a car ploughing into a child in a town centre, and how the injuries to a body rise in an inversely proportional manner to the speed of the vehicle. But unless you're a complete numpty, you know this already, right? I've had numerous speeding tickets over the years, but on motorbikes mainly, for making what I deem 'good progress' on fast, well-sighted, quiet A roads, well out of town centres.
Even when I was a much younger muppet with a complete disregard for my own personal safety, even I could see it was a bad idea to speed through towns, villages and built-up areas!
But anyway, I digress. As a morning spent parrying some fun comments around a room with some other people, and a couple of light-heated ex-BIB, it was infinitely preferable to the usual 3 points and fine route.
Meaning I still have a clean license, in fact! Gotta be a result, right?
Silver Smudger said:
Was a fixed camera (that has been there as long as I can remember - Doh!) - Trundled politely through the village at 30-ish as prescribed, then down a slight slope to the camera before the limit increases. Sped up a little on the slope and *flash*
Got me for 37 mph in a 30 - Not been caught in about 6 years and slipped up in front of a camera I know is there.
Got me for 37 mph in a 30 - Not been caught in about 6 years and slipped up in front of a camera I know is there.
Doofus! Those are the ones I love. When people get caught by static cameras they know are there through innnatention. My dad got done by one once it his reaction was hilarious. He was so pissed with himself. He poped out the house briefly warning my mum that the mobile scamera was in its regular place and came back 45 mins later ranting that he forgot on the way home and got zapped (this was in the days of the pressure lines across the road and a camera set up on the roadside with a flash)Thankfully i havent been done yet but have come close once or twice.
the huddersfield one is a patronising waste of money. the driving examination at the end was with a local IAM geek, we spent at least 15minutes of the 45 allocatd in a cafe drinking coffee. i was actually highly praised by him for my driving around town at 30mph max, said i didnt have any issues, (other than being out of pocket by a long way and lost a days wages to be there). he didnt comment on my quick driving progress as the course doesnt cover any of that. the classroom was a mixture of people, including some real numb nuts, it was quite embarrassing at times listening to some of their stories as to why they were there. one woman could only drive from point a to point b, she wasnt confident in going anywhere else, and we spent 25minutes listening to that and the discussion around it.
someone has spotted a nice money making little earner for all concerned that does zero or very little to change the perception and habits of drivers. if you dont /cant take the points find the cheapest and shortest awareness course, and take some pack up with you prepared for a long boring day, its not going to make you a better driver.
someone has spotted a nice money making little earner for all concerned that does zero or very little to change the perception and habits of drivers. if you dont /cant take the points find the cheapest and shortest awareness course, and take some pack up with you prepared for a long boring day, its not going to make you a better driver.
cheadle hulme said:
I did a Merseyside one. One of the questions to our table was if the speed limits for a transit van on a country road should be different to a car. Cue unanimous agreement that transit vans should stick to the same limits as anyone else!
Unfortunately it is 10mph lower for a transit (assuming the lane is NSL). I learnt this the hard way (clocked for 59mph in a NSL in the works Iveco)The one they run in Ludlow (Shropshire) was ok, but for someone who had only passed their test a few years previous I felt a little bored as 90% of the material was stuff I'd learnt from the test (which I got 100% on at the time
)200Plus Club said:
the huddersfield one is a patronising waste of money. the driving examination at the end was with a local IAM geek, we spent at least 15minutes of the 45 allocatd in a cafe drinking coffee. i was actually highly praised by him for my driving around town at 30mph max, said i didnt have any issues, (other than being out of pocket by a long way and lost a days wages to be there). he didnt comment on my quick driving progress as the course doesnt cover any of that. the classroom was a mixture of people, including some real numb nuts, it was quite embarrassing at times listening to some of their stories as to why they were there. one woman could only drive from point a to point b, she wasnt confident in going anywhere else, and we spent 25minutes listening to that and the discussion around it.
someone has spotted a nice money making little earner for all concerned that does zero or very little to change the perception and habits of drivers. if you dont /cant take the points find the cheapest and shortest awareness course, and take some pack up with you prepared for a long boring day, its not going to make you a better driver.
When did you do this ? I went about 2years ago was classroom based run by the council on behalf of west yorks police. Thought it was a waste of time one question was about speed limits for coaches towing trailers , not sure why this was in there. Quite a few taxi drivers and couple of people didn't turn up. someone has spotted a nice money making little earner for all concerned that does zero or very little to change the perception and habits of drivers. if you dont /cant take the points find the cheapest and shortest awareness course, and take some pack up with you prepared for a long boring day, its not going to make you a better driver.
ds, we don't get them up here. 
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