I could append a few letters after my name thanks Trilogy but I don't think that qualification one-upmanship is very edifying, do you?

I certainly don't feel that I'd benefit from redoing my first degree which, is essentially analogous of a speed awareness course. Relearning what you've already been taught but forgot because you weren't interested until plod threatened you with some points.

I'm amazed at how some people (those you spoke of who didn't know the Highway Code/laws) with such little road knowledge could ever have passed their driving tests - the suggestion on the other thread about changing laws to improve safety should definitely include re-testing everyone every 10 years.

For everyone else, then the courses are of the "No s*** Sherlock" type of usefulness. Its today's "me me me" and "I must have this done now" culture that encourages, even forces some people to speed - many of my work colleagues over the years have been caught speeding, often because they were late leaving for a meeting due to time pressures on other projects. I actually got rollocked on more than one occasion for "leaving in good time" (rather than at the last minute, hoping for no delays and giving it a bit of welly/taking risks).

Oh come on everyone,

We all know its another form of taxation. We get taxed for everything possible in this country, so is it even worth arguing the point when you've just been fined £60 for being caught on doing 34 in a 30 limit by a camera hidden behind a tree in a place where there has never been an accident ? And a police cars just passed it at 40, even though he's not got his sirens on !!

Worse still, think how your £60 will be squandered by your local authority . . . . . . . . . . . .

Rubbish . It's an option.

Taxation is not usually optional.

If you choose to speed and get caught tough.

The art in speeding is not getting caught - i.e. speeding where it's unlikely you will get done..

Most motorists could not observe a speed camera so they get caught... just careless driving..

I speak as smoemone who has speeded since passing his test...

I have noticed that several rural roads which were NSL for at least 40 years have now acquired "50" limits, with frequent cameras and occasional stretches of "40" , even though these roads are fairly straight and level, well away from any houses or schools and without blind junctions or similar hazards.

The proliferation of cameras strongly suggests this is to raise revenue, rather than for genuine safety reasons.

Every camera installation should be justified by listing all accidents genuinely due to excess speed within (say) 400 yards of the proposed location.

That sums up my sentiments entirely, Leif.

Not buying it.

Basically, everyone prefers SACs to points, because they don't want their licence besmirched with points. So we all have to pay lip-service to the efficacy of these courses to try to preserve the arbitrary and unfair distinction between points and SAC.

You knew about speed and stopping distances when you took your driving test.

You knew about speed limits when you took your driving test

You knew that the mangling of a body is proportional to the square of the velocity of the vehicle that hit it.

Yet you weren't interested in any of this until a greetings card arrived from the local constabulary.

Admit it, you only went on the course to avoid getting three points!

Schoolkids keep unusual hours in this area its called night school.

8:30pm isn't during school time.

It's not "most" speedos, it's "all" - they're not allowed by law to under-read.

Apologiies, I misread as 08:30. Some report their speedos to be spot on v GPS but both mine over read measured from my Garmin outdoor GPS.

I ended up on a speed awareness course earlier this year. These days I rarely exceed 75mph on a motorway, and feel 30mph is too fast for most urban situations. I usually end up with a queue behind me when Im sticking to 30. I've often got young children in the car which is an extra incentive to drive as safely as possible. Been driving 22 years, never had or caused an accident, but I try not to be complacent- if you think you're a good driver, you're probably not.

I got caught by a mobile camera van hiding under a bridge on a dry bright, Sunday morning at around 9:15am on an amost empty dual-carriageway that had just passed from 70 to a 50mph restriction. Am I a dangerous driver? Should my insurance go up?

I opted for the speed awareness course and although a lot of it was preaching to the converted, I felt I gained something from it. In fact I'd recommend it... anything that makes you stop and think about all the various risks while driving, and the consequences of a crash has got to be a worthwhile use of your time.

I share the road with boy racers, crash for cash scammers, real speeders, the inattentive, the show-offs. There's no way I'll be subsidising them through my insurance payments just because I fell into Plod's trap... I'd guess 85% of cars got caught that Sunday morning. Am I being a hypocrite? I don't think so but you're free to disagree.

ACPO Guidelines appear not to be 10% + 1 but 10% +2

www.speedlimit.org.uk/faq.html

Edited by Armitage Shanks {p} on 18/12/2012 at 16:52