I recently attended a DAS and found it to be quite a pleasant and informative experience. I was expecting three hours of being harangued by police officers. Instead there were two very pleasant driving instructors. It was quite a surprise to the men that of the twenty people, there was an even division between men and women. Bearing in mind that men seem to suffer most stick for being careless, this was indeed a surprise. I learned two things: first that the Highway Code deserves another look since the last time I saw it 50 years ago. It is a much thicker publication now. The second was that in a 30 mph zone, third gear was the most likely gear to enable that speed to be maintained and, apparently, it makes for better economy.
However: twenty people at £70 each totals £1,400 I cannot believe that the cost of a small hotel conference room would have been more than £30. Allowing £300 each for the two instructors and say £200 for administration a profit will have been made. Though we were all very grateful for having avoided points.