Speed Awareness Courses
Good idea badly executed? Courses now offered to drivers caught speeding
In the face of increasing criticism of revenue raising by Safety Camera Partnerships, a number of police forces have opted to give some drivers the option to go on training courses instead of receiving points. The courses have to be paid for by the motorist.
Whilst the idea is sound, the Association of British Drivers is expressing concerns today that some courses are poorly focused and simply preaching a "Don't break the speed limit" message rather than taking the opportunity to expound the virtues of good observation and hazard awareness as skills which result in safer application of speed.
Commenting on the fact that it's the slower speeders that are being offered the courses, ABD Road Safety Spokesman Mark McArthur-Christie said, "Those convicted at dangerously high speeds are high risk drivers who need training ".
Some councils such as East Sussex have been targeting hazard awareness training courses at those drivers found to be at fault in accidents and those convicted of 'driving without due care and attention' offences with great success.
The ABD would like to see far more drivers picked up for 'due care' offences and sent on such courses and for all drivers involved in accidents to receive such training, regardless of blame.
According to 'Roadcraft', the police drivers handbook, those who have had one accident are twice as likely to have another within 3 years -those who crashed pulling into the path of another vehicle are 3 times as likely to do so again.
ABD Chairman Brian Gregory concluded: "Catching safe drivers for breaking badly set speed limits has always been pointless, and has resulted in great animosity towards the police. It has also failed to improve the death toll on Britain's roads. We fear that these courses will be scoped to justify this activity to an increasingly sceptical public rather than to impart anything useful about road safety ."
Link: www.abd.org.uk
Advanced/Performance Driver Training: Ride Drive , John Lyon's High Performance Course
A similarly pointless Drink Driving Rehabilitation course is supposed to stop people from re-offending. Sadly the statistics prove it doesn't work.
What's needed is better education and driver training for the Learner Drivers at an early stage, with ongoing driver training at all levels. Mostly though, an honest, non-revenue related penalty system, with sensibly placed enforcements outside high risk areas, like schools and housing estates. Once the general public start to beleive that they are not being ripped off, they will start to take notice of such schemes. However, until this happens, the majority will just look on it as another propaganda campaign. Also the fixed penalty fines system is a classist attack on the working class, and fixed penalties do nothing to deter the wealthy.
Ever wondered why governments always insist on knowing whats best for the country without asking intermediary professional organisations, like the AA, RAC, Rospa, Safe Speed etc? Quite simply because they are not as interested in reducing casualties as much as they are in generating revenue.
Martin.
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