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Speed awareness course threshold raised in Lancashire

5:33pm Thursday 18th March 2010 in


MOTORISTS travelling at up to 10mph over the speed limit are to be offered courses rather than points and fines.

Police are set to give drivers caught at up to 39mph on 30mph roads, the chance to take speed awareness courses rather than a fixed penalty notice.

The current guidance from the Lancashire Road Safety Partnership shows motorists will be given a warning at 35mph in a 30mph zone, at 46mph in a 40mph zone, and 57mph in a 50mph zone.

At the moment, speed awareness courses can be offered to drivers caught at 36, 37 and 38mph.

But new guidelines are being introduced from April 1.

The change means those caught at up to 39mph on a 30mph roads, 50mph on 40mph roads and 61mph on 50mph roads could be offered a course rather than a £60 fine and three penalty points.

Police said the ‘increased threshold’ at which the courses would be offered was aimed at educating more drivers in a bid to reduce the number of people killed or injured on the county’s roads. Amanda Anderson, of the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety, said: “It is very easy to creep over the 30mph limit and there is a margin for error allowing for that.

“The threshold has been raised generally by a couple of miles per hour where the course will still be offered.

“Of course motorists can still just take the points and fine.

“This is good news for drivers. This is an opportunity to do something about it rather than just dish out fines. Yes, a couple of miles per hour extra over the limit is still too fast, but this course comes at a substantial cost and it is surely better if the driver takes away a changed attitude.”

Reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries on Lancashire’s road network was one of the challenges set by a recent report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies.

It is anticipated an extra 1,950 drivers a year will now take the Lancashire County Council-provided course which costs £90.

Assistant Chief Constable Andy Cooke welcomed the move and said the statistics demonstrate the positive effects of the educating drivers about the speeding.

He said: “Research shows that just 35 out of 1,000 people who have attended the Speed Awareness Course in Lancashire have re-offended, but for motorists not attending the course the figure is 95 out of 1,000.”

Comments(19)

Bill Carson says...
5:44pm Thu 18 Mar 10

WHOOPEEDOO!!!

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Driver Awareness says...
6:05pm Thu 18 Mar 10

It's not just education that matters. It's the quality of the education.

Read the book, 'Mind How You Go' and you will read for yourself what a disaster these so called Lancashire County Council educators (councillors, engineers) really are.

Put it this way: When people seek to become a self employed A.D.I. (Approved Driving Instructor) their original intention is to open up their own driving school and make lots of money - hours to suit. Wonderful!

But then some of them are no good at their job, they have a bad reputation, and they travel down the road to going bust!

Where do they end up? May I suggest, in a safe and secure publically funded council - otherwise known as a road safety partnership.

£90.00 they will charge you (as a bribe or a blackmail) to keep 'failures' in a job and make lots of dosh!

What do you think?

Education is the only way in which to improve road safety but who are the educators?

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burner says...
6:11pm Thu 18 Mar 10

I thought, " Fine by me". And then I read Driver Awareness' post. What is one to think? Interesting, as I have little respect for law enforcers as it is.

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Lancs - pensioner says...
6:15pm Thu 18 Mar 10

Although this will still be a cash cow for the Government at least common sense has prevailed, getting caught at 34mph and getting a £60 fine and three points (like I did) was I thought excessive and I felt like a criminal (in the eyes of the law I was) . At least I see this new system as educational, albeit more expensive and having to take a day of work if people get caught just over any limit.

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Private I says...
6:27pm Thu 18 Mar 10

I've just been on a speed awareness course at Leyland and was pleasantly surprised of the quality of both the classroom sessions and the practical driving part you do with instructors.
I initially had chosen to go on the course to avoid getting three points on my licence. However. my driving has noticeably improved and as someone who has driven for over 30 years I feel I am much more aware of my speed and driving.

I feel if more people take the course, not only will they avoid points on their licence, but they will find they become better drivers and ultimately there will be less accidents and fatalities on our roads

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Driver Awareness says...
6:30pm Thu 18 Mar 10

If you want to make a name for yourself, buy 'Mind How You Go' (Available online and at Waterstones)and show the 'educators' (photographs and text) and watch for their reaction.

You will probably be met by either a threat or an insult - a certain sign that you have rattled a cage and they have no answer to what you are putting to them.

Then demand your (£90.00) money back because you will be able to prove that they are 'not fit for purpose' - in fact, so bad are they that their course is tantamount to fraud.

Don't worry about being sued. There's no libel in truth.

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burner says...
6:51pm Thu 18 Mar 10

Like it, D.A. !

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chrislancs says...
7:21pm Thu 18 Mar 10

I have to agree with DA the quality of these so called educators is worrying. I for my sins drive a 44ton truck and I am being told i will have to have a dcpc. drivers certificate of professional competence, which is 35 hours training over a 5 year period. so far so good.
there are 4 reasons to object to this tax on my right to work. try this.
1. no assesment of drivers needs
2. pick your own training module.
3. no exam.
4. cant fail as the course is attendance based.
So i could sit there do nothing pay my money and get my ticket.
You could not make it up. and the people who are offering these courses are laughing all the way to the bank.
I have been doing the job at all levels and groups for over 30 years.
I know we all pick up bad habits or need a little refresher now and then but this nothing more than a tax on my right to work hidden under the guise of training. and just to rub it in, It was imposed by an unelected transport committee in europe and we just have to accept it. Drivers are mobile cash cows. we should all challenge these so called experts.
Time to change the whole corrupt system.
Chris Reid PPC
English Democrats
Hyndburn/Haslingden

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Michael@ClitheroeSince58 says...
9:28pm Thu 18 Mar 10

some very interesting comments that have got me thinking.

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jaffa90 says...
10:14pm Thu 18 Mar 10

So that still means anybody doing 40mph in a 30mph cannot go on a course even if the points/fine is reduced as well,Brilliant that`s what i call progress.

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pocketdragon says...
12:54am Fri 19 Mar 10

maybe its a course to teach them that the threshold is 10% over speed limit and not 10MPH over...

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burger face says...
4:01am Fri 19 Mar 10

so now people will travel a bit faster thinking they will get away with it i say zero tolorance fine everyone who break the law, then maybe you can fill in a few pot holes and resurface cycle paths so we dont keep knackering our bike wheels up, they are a disgrace

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DigitalNative says...
7:45am Fri 19 Mar 10

I recently got caught at 37 in a 30 and because i am still in my first two years of driving i only did the speed awareness course to stop my insurance going up even higher. i had to take the day off work that i wasn't impressed about but i actually learnt something on the course - things my blackburn based instructor hadn't taught me. i do think my driving is better than before the course.
i think everyone should do it.

driver awareness - were you my failed driving instructor?

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Lovelancs says...
10:07am Fri 19 Mar 10

Education is the way forward.....speed awareness courses, do work for most.

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jaffa90 says...
10:32am Fri 19 Mar 10

Lovelancs,i agree but what about drivers doing 40mph in a 30mph as my first post says.No education for them.

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happycyclist says...
11:32am Fri 19 Mar 10

If you think a few miles an hour OVER the speed limit is nothing, try driving the same mph UNDER the speed limit and then tell me that it's neither here nor there.
It matters A LOT if you happen to be the pedestrian who is hit.

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happycyclist says...
11:36am Fri 19 Mar 10

This is idiotic. Speed limits aren't just a sign on a post that a few roadworkers put up depending on which ones were in the back of the lorry at the time.
Different stretches of road have been risk-assessed by professionals and those limits are the ones that are appropriate for the road and conditions. To then give a 10% margin of error is completely irresponsible and makes a mockery of road safety.
It would be much better idea if car manufacturers could be persuaded to under-calibrate car speed indicators by a couple of mph.

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Parly says...
5:08pm Fri 19 Mar 10

What about boy racer motorists that are banned for doing something daft like 100mph in a 40? Do they have to retake their driving test AND the speed awareness course before driving again?

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Lovelancs says...
8:40am Tue 23 Mar 10

Driver Awareness wrote:
It's not just education that matters. It's the quality of the education. Read the book, 'Mind How You Go' and you will read for yourself what a disaster these so called Lancashire County Council educators (councillors, engineers) really are. Put it this way: When people seek to become a self employed A.D.I. (Approved Driving Instructor) their original intention is to open up their own driving school and make lots of money - hours to suit. Wonderful! But then some of them are no good at their job, they have a bad reputation, and they travel down the road to going bust! Where do they end up? May I suggest, in a safe and secure publically funded council - otherwise known as a road safety partnership. £90.00 they will charge you (as a bribe or a blackmail) to keep 'failures' in a job and make lots of dosh! What do you think? Education is the only way in which to improve road safety but who are the educators?
Driver awareness, Dear oh dear, it`s called PROGRESS , we develop our skills into a much higher level, having class teaching and R.O.S.P.A., I.A.M. Midas etc. Lancs only choose the CREAM of the crop...so who`s a failure...

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