Speed Awareness Workshop review
Discussion
Well guys n gals, I just got home from my SAS Workshop with Drivetech/Thames Valley Police. Thought I'd write a review as they are brought up every few days, and it's got an obvious title, so if anyone asks again, we know they haven't used the search function!
Firstly, out of 24 of us, myself (23 years old) and 2 (rather hot) girls were obviously the only ones under 30. And straight from the moment I walked into the waiting room, it was obvious most folk were chatting about 'I was only caught at 37mph, this is ridiculous' and 'I thought it was a 40mph'. I really felt like saying, well, we were all caught over the speed limit, and admitted it. This is an ALTERNATIVE to punishment, and being open-minded will allow us to get the most of our 2.5hrs and £74. So my first point would be just that. No matter how much you think you know, at least listen and process the information put forward.
The workshop itself consisted of a 45min computer based assessment, with monitors and mice built into the desks. It was very relaxed and easy going. There were 2 sets of questions, and 2 video exercises, alternating in succession. The questions assess your attitude to driving, and your consideration of your mental and physical alertness while driving (tiredness, alcohol, etc). The video exercises concentrated on following distances, road speeds and hazard perception. An automated response guide is printed anonymously, but passed back to the individual by seat number during the break. The results of these are proven to be very accurate (mine certainly were), and it was interesting to see other people's moments of realisation when they were reading through the comments.
After a short break we had the lecture part of the workshop. This was conducted in a very relaxed and informative manner. No shock tactics or ramming 'speed kills' down our throats. It was really informative, and presented facts in a demonstrative way, so there was no way of people denying what they were told. Again, seeing the shock on peoples faces really brought home to me how little some people understand cars, roads and driving (some of whom have been driving since before I was born!). Having seen a video of a car performing an emergency stop from 30mph, and then passing the mark by a couple metres stopping from 35mph was no biggy. But when we were then told the vehicle was still doing about 11mph when it passed the 30mph stopping point provoked a couple of gasps. While not suprised, I was intrigued.
The big shocker to me came when we were asked a few simple questions about different roads and speed limits. All of us knew the general NSL on single carriageway urban roads (30mph), though few could recognise such a road through anything more than the limit signs. I was the only one who recognised the centre line markings. Guesses at NSL on a rural single-carriageway ranged from 40mph-60mph, and the same for dual carriageways. Though to my horror, I was the only attendee in the room who didn't define a dual carriageway as 'a road with 2 lanes'!!!!????
Personally, I did very well on all the tests and questions. My hazard awareness came back as excellent, as did my leaving of gaps at various speeds. My attitude to driving and awareness was very good too, though it did comment that I was 'slightly faster than average'. As mentioned earlier, this is spot on in my (possibly big-headed) opinion. Though I didn't learn anything 'new', it has helped me to realise that I have the potential to be a very good driver. I am not a 'speeder' but was caught during a momentary lapse of thought. As such, from this day forth, I will be really working on my attention to speed and, after my performance on the course, am very interested in expanding on my road skills and progressing with some advanced driving courses.
All in all, very successful. Much better than points and a fine, and highly educational to me, not so much in the dangers of speeding, but how I can go about being a safer and better driver. I hope that everyone else on the course took away something useful and gains as much benefit as I did (God knows they need to!)
Thanks for reading
Smithy
Firstly, out of 24 of us, myself (23 years old) and 2 (rather hot) girls were obviously the only ones under 30. And straight from the moment I walked into the waiting room, it was obvious most folk were chatting about 'I was only caught at 37mph, this is ridiculous' and 'I thought it was a 40mph'. I really felt like saying, well, we were all caught over the speed limit, and admitted it. This is an ALTERNATIVE to punishment, and being open-minded will allow us to get the most of our 2.5hrs and £74. So my first point would be just that. No matter how much you think you know, at least listen and process the information put forward.
The workshop itself consisted of a 45min computer based assessment, with monitors and mice built into the desks. It was very relaxed and easy going. There were 2 sets of questions, and 2 video exercises, alternating in succession. The questions assess your attitude to driving, and your consideration of your mental and physical alertness while driving (tiredness, alcohol, etc). The video exercises concentrated on following distances, road speeds and hazard perception. An automated response guide is printed anonymously, but passed back to the individual by seat number during the break. The results of these are proven to be very accurate (mine certainly were), and it was interesting to see other people's moments of realisation when they were reading through the comments.
After a short break we had the lecture part of the workshop. This was conducted in a very relaxed and informative manner. No shock tactics or ramming 'speed kills' down our throats. It was really informative, and presented facts in a demonstrative way, so there was no way of people denying what they were told. Again, seeing the shock on peoples faces really brought home to me how little some people understand cars, roads and driving (some of whom have been driving since before I was born!). Having seen a video of a car performing an emergency stop from 30mph, and then passing the mark by a couple metres stopping from 35mph was no biggy. But when we were then told the vehicle was still doing about 11mph when it passed the 30mph stopping point provoked a couple of gasps. While not suprised, I was intrigued.
The big shocker to me came when we were asked a few simple questions about different roads and speed limits. All of us knew the general NSL on single carriageway urban roads (30mph), though few could recognise such a road through anything more than the limit signs. I was the only one who recognised the centre line markings. Guesses at NSL on a rural single-carriageway ranged from 40mph-60mph, and the same for dual carriageways. Though to my horror, I was the only attendee in the room who didn't define a dual carriageway as 'a road with 2 lanes'!!!!????
Personally, I did very well on all the tests and questions. My hazard awareness came back as excellent, as did my leaving of gaps at various speeds. My attitude to driving and awareness was very good too, though it did comment that I was 'slightly faster than average'. As mentioned earlier, this is spot on in my (possibly big-headed) opinion. Though I didn't learn anything 'new', it has helped me to realise that I have the potential to be a very good driver. I am not a 'speeder' but was caught during a momentary lapse of thought. As such, from this day forth, I will be really working on my attention to speed and, after my performance on the course, am very interested in expanding on my road skills and progressing with some advanced driving courses.
All in all, very successful. Much better than points and a fine, and highly educational to me, not so much in the dangers of speeding, but how I can go about being a safer and better driver. I hope that everyone else on the course took away something useful and gains as much benefit as I did (God knows they need to!)
Thanks for reading
Smithy
Edited by Miffy84 on Monday 4th February 19:25
Well I'm going similar route in March,
Fortunately I sort of enjoy tests and such, certainly hope I'm not grumbling' in the waiting room.
As you say you've probably elected a little financial penalty over points so stop moaning and try not to let yourself down, although I'm sure I will.
I would say that for myself I don't respond well to blood and gore images as a rule, and my driving is unlikely to alter much as a result of criticism
Fortunately I sort of enjoy tests and such, certainly hope I'm not grumbling' in the waiting room.
As you say you've probably elected a little financial penalty over points so stop moaning and try not to let yourself down, although I'm sure I will.
I would say that for myself I don't respond well to blood and gore images as a rule, and my driving is unlikely to alter much as a result of criticism
Edited by Rich 36 on Monday 4th February 21:37
Targarama said:
A day off work, putting up with all that and everyone else moaning all day. No thanks. I think I'd take the 3 points and 60 pound fine (but then I am on 0 points).
I too am on zero points (still, thanks to this alternative). Everyone else started off moaning, but as I have said, they were all suprised or got something wrong at some point during the session, so hopefully they took away something beneficial. I heard nothing new to me, but still think it helped to reinstate the validity of speed limits, no matter how you feel about them, not to mention saving my insurance premiumHowever, a narrow-minded attitude will help you learn very little in any situation. If you were offered one, why not at least give it a try? I didn't think I'd 'learn' anything, but still benefitted from the experience
Smithy
I had an almost identical experience which is not surprising really as the course was provided by the same company. The lack of knowledge of a lot of the participants was indeed scary, as were the comments along the lines of "that's ridiculous" when told that the NSL on a single carriageway is 60mph (I put it down to the fact that the lady who made this exclamation had probably never driven outside of London and thought her car would explode if it went above 40).
I'm not sure anyone else in the room knew all the speed limits on the various classifications of roads and they certainly didn't know that there were different kinds of lane dividers called hazard lines.
I did quite well on the hazard perception videos too but this may be due in part to the fact that I've been recently trying these out while helping my wife to pass her test and also the fact that they were all filmed around Reading, with a significant number of them being the Oxford road in Reading which I use on almost every journey I make by car.
[I was caught at 30-something in the limehouse link tunnel by the camera at the eastbound exit which is mounted right up in the corner of the tunnel and covered in dirt to blend in with the wall.]
I'm not sure anyone else in the room knew all the speed limits on the various classifications of roads and they certainly didn't know that there were different kinds of lane dividers called hazard lines.
I did quite well on the hazard perception videos too but this may be due in part to the fact that I've been recently trying these out while helping my wife to pass her test and also the fact that they were all filmed around Reading, with a significant number of them being the Oxford road in Reading which I use on almost every journey I make by car.
[I was caught at 30-something in the limehouse link tunnel by the camera at the eastbound exit which is mounted right up in the corner of the tunnel and covered in dirt to blend in with the wall.]
EU_Foreigner said:
So why is it not a national option? Hardly seems fair that some have the option to "get educated" and others don't.
The workshops are run by private organsiations (at least ours were) who cover everything from low speeding (Urban Workshops), high speeding (High Speed Workshops), DUIers, general educational driving workshops, etc. They work in partnership with Thames Valley Police.I guess if such companies and schemes aren't available in the area, the police can't utilise it. But with growing success, we should hopefully see them appearing around the UK.
Smithy
Miffy84 said:
Firstly, out of 24 of us, myself (23 years old) and 2 (rather hot) girls were obviously the only ones under 30.
That says it all about the effectiveness of "speed cameras" at detecting the worst drivers. Most actual deadly accidents involve lads between 17 and 25. The camera has managed to pick 1 "risky" driver out of 24....
Ean218 said:
Miffy84 said:
Firstly, out of 24 of us, myself (23 years old) and 2 (rather hot) girls were obviously the only ones under 30.
That says it all about the effectiveness of "speed cameras" at detecting the worst drivers. Most actual deadly accidents involve lads between 17 and 25. The camera has managed to pick 1 "risky" driver out of 24....
Smithy
It's good to read some positive feedback from one of these courses. Getting caught speeding nowerdays is obviously a pain in the arse, especially if you are in a low bracket. But apart from the £74 hole in your wallet, sounds like you really soaked up what was being said and are glad of the experience.
If people want to be negative about the course, then have your 3 points, £60 notes, and higher insurance premiums and sod off.... but don't moan about it.
If there ever was something which was an easy option, this is it!!
If people want to be negative about the course, then have your 3 points, £60 notes, and higher insurance premiums and sod off.... but don't moan about it.
If there ever was something which was an easy option, this is it!!
Miffy84 said:
Ean218 said:
Miffy84 said:
Firstly, out of 24 of us, myself (23 years old) and 2 (rather hot) girls were obviously the only ones under 30.
That says it all about the effectiveness of "speed cameras" at detecting the worst drivers. Most actual deadly accidents involve lads between 17 and 25. The camera has managed to pick 1 "risky" driver out of 24....
Smithy
And another +1.
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