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Speed Awareness Course

Author: Tracy Wilkinson - Updated: 1 July 2011 |

National Speed Awareness Scheme Speeding

The National Speed Awareness Scheme is an innovative scheme that has been put in place by police forces across the UK to allow motorists caught speeding to complete a workshop rather than be issued with three penalty points and a £60 fine.

Each force appoints a member of the ANDISP (Association of National Driver Improvement Course Providers) to oversee and deliver the courses in their particular area. ANDISP has been established to make sure that such courses have a quality standard and are consistent in their teachings.

Who Can go on the Course?

The National Speed Awareness Scheme is offered to a number of offending motorists after they have been Caught Speeding. Usually the drivers eligible will be those that have exceeded the legal limit but not by a huge amount. Each individual police force will decide what their margins are. If you are invited to attend such a course, you will be given a specific date, time and location and you will need to accept the offer, or decline and take the fine and the Points On Your Licence instead.

What if I Accept But I Can’t Make it on the Day Specified?

Please make sure that you leave in plenty of time and try to arrive early on the day of your course. If you are late, it is likely that you will not be allowed to join the class and will forfeit your place. If you cannot attend due to illness, you will need to let the course organisers know at the first opportunity (there will be a contact number on your offer letter) and you will need to provide a doctor's note as evidence. Your case will need to be reviewed by the police before they come to a decision on whether you will be offered another place or if the offer will be withdrawn.

Related on No Penalty Points...

Do I Have to Pay?

Yes. The course fees are usually between £60 and £100 (depending on which course provider you use) which you pay to the course provider direct – a similar price to paying the fine, although of course, avoiding penalty points can keep your insurance premiums down and save you money in the long run.

What Does the Course Cover?

The idea behind the course is the belief that if a person's attitude and behaviour can be changed, then this is more likely to prevent them from re-offending than simply paying a fine and receiving points on their licence. The course objectives will cover things like:

Why the person was speeding
To help them understand the consequences of speeding
To help them to learn and identify different speed limits and the areas they are likely to apply
To ensure they can identify hazards, and how road speed should be altered to accommodate them

How Long Does it Last?

In most cases, the course will be about 6 hours long and will vary, though it will usually consist of a combination of the following:

Classroom based theory training
In-car practical training sessions with approved driving instructors
Workshops

How Often Can I go on One of These Courses?

Once you have attended a Speed Awareness Course you are not allowed to do another for a minimum of 3 years.

If I Appeal Against my Offence and am Unsuccessful, Can I Still go on the Course?

No. If you decide that you want to Appeal Against The Offence you are free to do so, but as soon as you do, the offer to attend a course will be withdrawn.

Important Things to Remember:

You must take your driving licence with you (if you hold a photo card licence you must bring both the cards and the paper part) or you will not be allowed to take your place on the course.
You are not going to have to take a driving test but you will be expected to take part in discussions between the group to pass the course.
There will be around 15-20 people on an average driver improvement course.

More Information on Appealing

If you're thinking about Challenging Your Speeding Ticket, why not read our article to find how to go about it and what your rights are.

Comments...

i have a course to do soon, i know this is purely a revenue generation sheme. according to the police i was doing 80 on a 70mph duel carriageway. i know for a fact that i was doing 78 (satnav don't lie). the info enclosed stated that speed awareness courses are offered if you are doing 79-90mph. without contesting the evidence i cannot see the "incriminating" evidence nor can i see the calibration sheets from the unit the police used! bottom line they are gaining revenue for falsly accusing people! if there equipment was working i would at most get a stern word on the side of the road but NO, ive got to spend £93 for 4 hours to they can sit on the side or the road with the engine running burning petrol!! alot of you will say "78 is still speeding" and yes i was! but i dont like having false evidence used to pry my hard earned money out of my pocket!!!!

Billy N O Mates - 21 February 2012 @ 12:25 PM

hey, i did this course when i was caught on my moped a few years back, but have since passed my test so its now a full lisance. so can i still do this course

kyle234 - 8 February 2012 @ 11:20 PM

oh come on,we get speeding tickets for doing 10mph over the speed limit,n police speed in areas well over the speed limit,jus because they got blue lights,i hear of police knocking over pedestrians quiet often,so wha makes them different,i know they got emergencies go to but come on,iv seen them doin silly speeds on residential areas,but oh well eh,1 rule 4 them n 1 for us.haha this country does make me laugh

gazzie - 21 January 2012 @ 8:21 AM

how do i cancel a speed awareness course ?

dave - 20 January 2012 @ 5:55 PM

[quote]I received a speeding penalty notice 36mph in a 30mph zone, offered speed awareness course or £60 fine and 3 points, I have been driving 54 years with a clean licence, I want to continue with a clean licence, speeding motorists can kill I lost my eldest son because of a speeding motorist[/quote]36 in a 30 is a speeding motorist but the difference is you want to get away with it. Disgraceful

OnlyMe - 16 January 2012 @ 6:09 AM

Someone made this comment:The difference insurance companies charge for three points is minimal, some charge no more if you only have three points'.This is incorrect. I am 26 years old with 8 years no claims and renewed my insurance today with a highly reputable insurance company and was charged £400 extra than if I had no points on my license. I received a speeding ticket in August for driving at 60mph in a 50mph zone and decided to accept the fine and the 3 points. This has proved to be a costly mistake and I would obviously recommend anyone in a similar situation to DO THE COURSE and avoid points on your license at all costs.

Paul - 13 January 2012 @ 12:28 AM

Hi, was caught doing 40mph in 30mph mile camera. I have already 3 points from a previous traffic lights offence dated 2008. Can anybody help if they'll be offering me speed awareness course??? Regards

Malik - 4 January 2012 @ 10:52 PM

I have just been caught speeding (my 1st driving offence in 30 years of driving) doing 39mph in a 30mph. I was prepared to accept the speeding awareness course but after reading the comments from other people if has left me feeling confused. Why do some of the courses last for 4-5 hours and others between 2 - 2.5 hours and why is the cost different? After reading this i think i will take the points on my licence and the fine. I object to being treated like a naughty child as suggested in some of the comments.

Lindylou - 4 January 2012 @ 11:13 AM

Had a speed awareness course , (I believe within the last 3 years with another county) How can I check the date?, Happy to go on the course offered but scared in case I am breaking the law.

goldie - 28 December 2011 @ 9:47 AM

I attended a course in w.wales and I would like to say that it was more like an AA meeting where we were all treated like children and mrs E.BYRNE the course instructor had no usefull information she just asked us for answers which were in her little book, after hearing the same answer from twenty four people I gave a humoured answer like a few people did and did not write things down in the useless book she provided I was asked to leave the room like a child, then asked to leave the course, I was not abusive or destruptive in anyway, the instuctor just did not have a sense of humour and she might have forgot that I paid 85 pounds to attend the course so that I would not get 3 points.huw.

huw - 21 December 2011 @ 12:32 PM

I attended a speeding awareness course in Thames Valley recently. This cost £95 and is worth every penny. It just makes you think more carefully about the bad habits you have got into as a motorist.Yes I now get a queue of traffic behind me as I keep to the speed limit but I would rather have that than someones death or injury on my conscience.

Lol - 19 December 2011 @ 10:52 PM

Are you offered a speed awarness course if you have only been driving for one year?

belly - 14 December 2011 @ 9:31 PM

I have recently attended a speed awareness course.Although I found the course informative.The course is run by retired Police officers in conjunction with the AA, Towards the end of the course the lecturer told us that part of the reason for these courses is because, following the change of government,all the revinue generated from speed cameras now goes to the chancellor.The revinue generated from the courses is shared between the Police and the course operators. Which is wye they are so keen to offer us the oppertunity to participate.Paul.

perrywinkle - 14 December 2011 @ 9:59 AM

There are a number of e-petitions on the direct.gov.uk website concerning speed cameras, which can be signed up to. I do not suggest that this will result in speed cameras being abolished, but it least it is a small opportunity to let the government know that these cameras do not sit easily with the British public.

G - 8 December 2011 @ 2:54 PM

I was issued with a fixed penalty speeding fine on 24th November 2011 for doing 41mph in a 30mph zone in Wimborne. I wished to do the Speed Awareness Course to avoid the 3 points, but was told that I had to attend the one at Wool. I live in Horsham and I cannot accept that I could not do one in my area, as it is supposed to be a national scheme. Is it because Dorset is using it as a cash cow?

Speedy - 3 December 2011 @ 5:55 PM

lets stand up to thses punks and rub their faces in the road!

jimbo jumbo - 28 November 2011 @ 3:03 PM

I was doing 37 in a 30 mile zone and thought it was 40 (my mistake) the police was kind enough to offer me a Speed awareness Course, but I live in Merseyside and I offended in Cleveland. Merseyside has a Course Centre, could I attend that centre or do i have to go up to Cleveland???

mitador - 19 November 2011 @ 12:43 PM

I'm paying the fine and taking the points. I object to the course as I've heard that some senior police have vested interests in the companies that run the courses. Anyone comment on how true this is?

Malc - 15 November 2011 @ 2:29 PM

I've never had points and apparently was recorded doing 58 in a 50 limit, the cost of a day off work plus the travel expenses and the extra cost of the course simply out weighs my choice to do it. My first speeding fine in over 22 years of driving for a living so I'll take the points thank you rather than line some private companies pockets. Money is all it seems to be about nowadays and and I'm afraid to say it does work both ways.

nimrod - 9 November 2011 @ 8:26 PM

I did a speed awareness course yesterday in Wales it cost me £85 and lasted 4 hrs - my boss also had to go on 1 - he was caught in Bristol and his couse was £65 and an hour and a half - how is this fair?? speeding should be treated the same throughout! Wales is one of the poorest parts of the UK and yet we get charged the most! I have to say the course itself was ok but the organisation said they were not a profit organisation - there were 23 of us at £85 each. how much did they pay for the room and the tutor??

Peter - 8 November 2011 @ 1:11 PM

Went on one recently, it was four hours and could have easily been condensed into two, tops. I couldn't help feel it was more about punishment than education. You didn't need to to pass anything just attend - so how they know whether anything had been learned. A money maker dreamed up by course providers and police.

Marcus - 12 October 2011 @ 7:38 PM

Hi, can someone tell me if I can swap my course to one near my home?I got caught by a camera in Wales whilst visiting friends, I want to do the course to keep my licence clean but they've offered me only venues in Wales, Midlands or further north - I live in Cornwall.I know I shouldn't have been speeding but I didn't actually realise I was, thought I was in 40 zone.

Sue - 8 October 2011 @ 2:02 PM

I have been motoring for about 45 years and have a clean licence.I live in Cornwall.Recently I was up-country collecting items that I had purchased on eBay.I needed to go to a trailer parts shop in Southampton to buy double-hump safety rims to upgrade my trailer as I am very safety conscious.The journey involved travelling down the A3024 Maybray King Way, a dual carriageway that is almost like a motorway.I felt sure that such a grand road would have a 40 limit if not 50 but just then I noticed a flash. (it was extremely bright and sunny that day and not easy to cope with driving into the sun)Allegedly the car was clocked at 36 by a Truvelo.I REGARD THIS AS A SCAM.If the "Safety Camera Partnership" wanted people to go at 30 they could get 30 painted in the road.Of course they won't do it because it would cut off the money supply.I regard this inadequate signage and a 30 limit on what is almost a motorway as fraud and deception.As to white road paint being a hazard to motorcyclists just look on Google Earth to see how much white paint there already is.Fraud, fraud, fraud and its just a cash cow.Well I guess I'm guilty of "debating" but in my honest opinion deception such as this is what one might expect in Zimbabwe or The Dukes of Hazzard.

Davey - 6 October 2011 @ 8:03 PM

I was diving yesterday down a road with a 30MPH limit, When the policeman jumped out from the bushes!he said i was speding at 38MPH, I don't dispute that i was driving above the spped limit, But my question is when there is a yellow speed check camera by the side of a road they have to show a sign before the camera warning the driver a camera is ahead. A warning sign is also shown when a policevan has stopped by the side of the road and doing speed checks from the back of his van, So why don't they (or do they) have to show a warning sign before they jump out of buses with there dreaded handheld speed check gun ?????

Paul - 5 October 2011 @ 10:19 PM

Hi, I got caught speeding on my bike and have been given chance to attend the course, it is in Hull and I live in Leicestershire, can I change the venue to a more local one?

streetfighter - 17 September 2011 @ 11:33 AM

If I take a speed awareness course is it still regarded as an offence? i.e. do I need to declare it to my insurance company?

Gert - 17 September 2011 @ 2:05 AM

I have received the option of a £60 fine and 3 points or I can take a speed awareness course at a cost of £85. So, basically they're saying, "You will get a fine and points on your licence unless you buy something from our store!". It's basically a backhander.

Antoninus - 5 September 2011 @ 2:19 PM

I recently attended one of these courses but was unfortunately thrown out by a few members of staff for "debating". The course encourages your input so long as your input doesn't question anything they don't want you to question! It now appears that I'm back where I started, only a day off work and £75 lighter. Any advice would be appreciated as I'm more than prepared to explore all options available to me.

I got thrown off the - 28 August 2011 @ 8:30 AM

I received a speeding penalty notice 36mph in a 30mph zone, offered speed awareness course or £60 fine and 3 points, I have been driving 54 years with a clean licence, I want to continue with a clean licence, speeding motorists can kill I lost my eldest son because of a speeding motorist

gord - 27 August 2011 @ 2:47 PM

having been issued with a notice of prosecution(C10202269) TO WHICH i replied to giving my explanation and accepting i was in the wrong ,i returned all the forms to NYP.Then I received the invitation from the AA to attend a course and asking me to complete and return/online.My form has todate NOT been returned to me. I am thinking that should this be typical of the efficiency of the system then it could be best for me to take my punishment anddecline the offer of the course.

NO NICK NAME - 11 August 2011 @ 10:36 AM

You will not be allowed onto the course unless you produce your driving licence. So you should contact the provider of the course to explain your situation and they may rearrange a date for you.

NoPenaltyPoints - 11 August 2011 @ 10:01 AM

Hi, I made a reservation for a speed awarness course on 19 August at Newbury, Berkshire. Since I sent my driving licence to DVLA for another speeding ticket I got, I do not have the driving licence at the moment. I sent my driving licence two weeks ago, however, I haven't received my driving licence yet. In this case, can I bring my passport or international driving licence instead on the course? Thanks.

Hyun - 11 August 2011 @ 8:08 AM

Hi, can anyone tell me if the speed awareness course is available to new drivers in the first two years of holding their licence? Thanks

sam1987 - 10 August 2011 @ 8:43 PM

It doesn't matter how the course is delivered, this is tyranny.In reality there is no appeal.There was a time when adults were allowed to be adults and encouraged to use their initiative and make judgements according to the conditions.Indeed, I was taught to keep up with the traffic, not to hold up traffic and to drive according to the conditions, with care.Now it doesn't matter how badly anyone drives as long as they don't exceed the speed limit.That is the only criteria. I could recount so many incidents of bad driving or near accidents from those driving under 30 miles per hour yet wholly convinced of their rightness.We are a nation of individuals who mustn't think for ourselves and it won't therefore be long before we can't. This is a job creation scheme and another means to extract money from the motorist.People should be very worried about what is happening in this country and this is just another indicator of the direction we're heading in.

jujudrop - 30 July 2011 @ 7:26 PM

I have been accused of driving without care and invited to attend the dac course the costs vary with wales being the dearest at £180 plus,london is second at £177.6 and hampshire third at a cost £173,else it seems to be around £163 to £166 with the police receiving a fee. This cannot be legal as if offered the police money you be charged with perverting the course of justice. To many unanswered questions in my case and insurance paid out by stating without predjudice, witness very dubious.

bluemooner - 21 July 2011 @ 8:20 PM

If I take a speed awareness course is it still regarded as an offence? i.e. do I need to declare it to my insurance company?

IJ - 15 July 2011 @ 10:49 AM

If you do receive a speeding ticket, you could appeal it. But the important thing to remember if that you shouldn'tbreak the law - no matter what the circumstances.

NoPenaltyPoints - 7 July 2011 @ 10:08 AM

Hi there. I was driving last night along the motorway behind a car with no lights on so I tried flashing them to get their attention but they weren't noticing. So I decided to over take to try and get there attention without noticing. I went straight past a mobile camera doing around about 80 in a 70 and now I'm worrying whether I'm going to get a ticket for trying to prevent an accident. What do you think?

G - 6 July 2011 @ 6:00 PM

I was recently caught speeding (52 mph in a 40 mph zone). On receiving my Notice Of Intent to Prosecute I was offered (as long as a place was available) to attend the Driver Awareness Training at a cost of £85.00. I could have taken the £60 fine and 3 points but wanted to maintain a clean licence.I was able to book a course that suited and close to home (Portsmouth). The course was approx 3 1/2 hours and was well worth it. I was sceptical, before attending, but the course was delivered in a relaxed atmosphere and the trainers were very good. I would recommended attending to keep a clean licence or to avoid racking up more points. I was pleasently surprised at the content and approach of the trainers - I had expected a lot of finger pointing - of which there was none. Give it a go if you get caught - it is worth the extra £25 to avoid the points.

Senator - 5 July 2011 @ 4:10 PM

Can I ask to attend a course instead of paying the fine and receiving the points?

JM - 1 July 2011 @ 7:08 PM

I believe you are sometimes better paying the fine. The fine is £60 with 3 points for a period of three years. The difference insurance companies charge for three points is minimal, some charge no more if you only have three points. I have today searched on line to see the different prices private companies charge for persons to sit the said course, "Speed Awareness Course", the prices change from County to County, e.g North Wales through the AA charge £85.00, Cheshire through their council charge £77.50 and Merseyside charging £79.00. I would argue that their needs to be a price cap on the charge of the course, you are putting money into the pockets of the companies who run the courses. The £60 fine you would normally pay through the Police has to be used for road safety and driver awareness, thus putting money back in to save a life, not putting in the pockets of private companies clearly making money off motorist who speed. Which we all do. I admit it's one for yourself to balance up, but I would rather put the £60 back into road safety than the private companies ripping the British Public Off.Tom

tom - 30 June 2011 @ 1:43 PM

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