Motorists who break the speed limit in Mid and South Wales may now have the option of attending a speed awareness course instead of being automatically prosecuted.
The first speed awareness courses, which are already in place in many police forces across the UK including North Wales, have started in the Dyfed Powys, Gwent and South Wales police force areas in a bid to re-educate speeding motorists and cut the region’s road collision toll.
Motorists caught marginally exceeding the posted speed limits, will be given the option of paying £80 to attend the course, which aims to raise awareness about the consequences of speeding. This is an alternative to automatic prosecution (receiving a fine and points on their licence).
The speed awareness course is a four-hour, classroom-based workshop which will emphasise the importance of driving within speed limits and at speeds appropriate to road conditions. It will give motorists tips on how to avoid concentration lapses, hazard awareness and how to keep themselves and others safe on the road. Research shows that drivers who are retrained are less likely to re-offend than those who are prosecuted.
Run by the TTC Group, driver training specialists which educate thousands of motorists each year, the courses are supported by the three police forces and Wales Road Casualty Reduction Partnership.
The courses will only be offered if no previous course has been completed within the last three years in any part of the UK. If an offender is caught speeding in the three years after committing a previous offence that was dealt with by a speed awareness course, they will get a minimum of three points on their licence and a £60 fine.
Speed awareness courses are running at 14 locations across Mid and South Wales with drivers able to choose a venue and a Welsh language session. Feedback from people who have already attended courses in Mid and South Wales is positive.
Mr Bryan Stephens (76), a retired betting shop manager from Caerau, Cardiff, attended the first speed awareness course in Newport.
He was caught speeding in a 30mph zone near Merthyr Tydfil. He praised the speed awareness course as “extremely helpful”. A driver for more than 40 years, he said he had been unaware that street lights signified a 30mph limit.
“The course makes you more aware of what damage can be done if you exceed the speed limit. It is 30mph for a reason and if you hit a child at 40mph there is a much higher chance that they will not survive. I found the course extremely helpful,” he said. He also weighed up the options of not attending the course and said he opted for the course as three points may have affected his insurance costs.
The number of people killed or seriously injured on roads in Mid and South Wales has fallen at camera sites. Comparing data for the three year period prior to a camera being installed with statistics since the camera went live, there has been a 53.43 per cent reduction in killed or seriously injured collisions at fixed sites and a 64.41 per cent drop at mobile sites.
Jim Moore, manager of Wales Road Casualty Reduction Partnership, said that the new courses will help reduce casualties by getting people to think about the consequences of driving too fast. “Excessive speed is a contributory factor in a large number of road traffic collisions but, more often than not, people do not necessarily think of the consequences of speeding. By offering the speed awareness courses, we hope to re-educate offending motorists and change their driving behaviour for good. Our objective has always been to reduce casualties through education and engineering solutions with safety camera enforcement the last resort – we are more than happy to educate rather than prosecute people if we can bring down the number of deaths on our roads.”
National ACPO lead for Roads Policing and Chief Constable of Gwent Police, Mick Giannasi said:
“Emergency services often have to attend road traffic collisions where speed has played a contributing factor. The results can often be tragic and life-changing and it is disappointing that despite the numerous campaigns and operations run by police forces throughout the country people continue to put their own, and the lives of others, at risk by driving over the legal speed limit.
Offering this course isn’t about making money or punishing people, it is a community safety initiative offering certain drivers an alternative to prosecution on the understanding that they will change their driving behaviour and attitude towards speeding.
The message is quite simple, the faster you drive, the more likely you are to be involved in a collision and seriously injured – slow down and take care on the road.”
TTC director, Malcolm Jones, said: “Nobody enjoys getting caught speeding but most people who attend our speed awareness courses say they are glad to get the chance to reflect on what influences them to speed and the very real consequences of speed misuse. They gain an appreciation that choosing an appropriate speed can and does save lives. We will be working with Wales Road Casualty Reduction Partnership and the three police forces to help achieve this.”
The courses are being introduced as part of a national move to take a more consistent approach to speed enforcement and will shortly be available in most counties across England and Wales.
For more information about driver education visit www.ttc-uk.com or call 0845 270 4363.
