There has been a massive rise in drivers attending speed awareness courses to avoid prosceution, but some insurers are now penalizing them.
According to statistics from the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme, over 1.2 million drivers attended speed awareness courses in 2015.
That’s a 170% increase from 2010 when just over 447,700 motorists caught committing a minor speeding offence opted to attend a course rather than accept penalty points.
Wales-based Gocompare.com Car Insurance is advising drivers that while the police and most insurers do not consider attending a course to be the same as a driving conviction – some car insurers might. Therefore, drivers who have opted for a course should check their insurance policy to see if they are required to disclose their attendance.
Speed awareness courses aim to teach people to be safer drivers. Developed with the help of psychologists, the National Speed Awareness Scheme aims to reduce the speed at which people drive and cut re-offending by educating them on the potential consequences of excessive or inappropriate speed.
Most police forces offer the course as an alternative to penalty points and a fine to drivers for minor speeding offences. To be eligible, drivers must not have been convicted of any other speeding offences in the past three years and the speed at which they were driving must fall into certain criteria – typically over 10% of the limit plus 2mph, but below 10% plus 9mph.
For example, drivers would be offered the option of attending a course if they were caught driving between:
- 35mph and 42mph in a 30mph zone;
- 46mph and 53mph in a 40mph zone;
- 79mph and 86mph on a road where the speed limit is 70mph.
The courses are classroom-based, interactive workshops and take four hours to complete. The cost of courses varies across the country, but is around £100.
The minimum penalty for speeding is a £100 fine and three penalty points on your licence. An SP30 conviction can add an average of £32.34 to an annual insurance premium for a 30 year old driver and as much as £376.97 for a 20 year old.
Drivers asked on proposal forms, on-line or by call-centres must declare their attendance on a speed awareness course if specifically asked but don’t have to declare if asked only about prosecutions or convictions. Some insurers add a small amount to a premium if confirmation of a speed attendance course is given, but others do not.
