According to the charity Brake, driving over the speed limit – or driving too fast for the conditions – is recorded by the police as a contributory factor in around a third of all fatal crashes and a quarter of those that end with a serious injury.
If you’re driving above the speed limit and get flashed by a camera, there will be a number of thoughts running through your head. First, you might be asking yourself why you decided to drive so fast and wondering if it was worth it.
Then you may move on to the potential speeding penalties and points you could receive on your licence…
What are the minimum penalties for speeding?
- £100 fine
- 3 penalty points
- Potential disqualification – if you build up more than 12 penalty points in a 3-year period (6 points in the first 2 years for new drivers)
You may also be given the opportunity to attend a National Speed Awareness Course.
What is a National Speed Awareness Course?
UK Road Offender Education (UKROEd) is the not-for-profit company responsible for the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (NDORS). UKROEd’s role is to support the police in offering high-quality courses that help make the roads in the UK safer for everyone.
The NDORS scheme is a UK-specific initiative that was developed as an alternative to penalty points and fines. NDORS allows motorists the opportunity to attend a course that focuses on education and improving a driver’s knowledge of speeding and safety on the road.
UKROEd also ensures all course leaders are up to a high standard and extremely knowledgeable about the subject they’re teaching.
The driving courses offered by UKROEd include:
- National Motorway Awareness Course (NMAC) – 3 hours – in person or online
- National Rider Risk Awareness Course (NRRAC) – 3 hours – in person or online
- National Speed Awareness Course (NSAC) – 2 hours 45 minutes – in person or online
- Safe & Considerate Cycling Course (SCC) – 30 minutes – workbook or online
- Safe & Considerate Driving Course (SCD) – 6 hours 55 minutes – in person and on the road
- What’s Driving Us? Course (WDU) – 3 hours – in person or online
- Your Belt Your Life Course (YBYL) – 30 minutes – workbook or online
What will you learn during a speed awareness course?
Those attending the course will learn about how different levels of speed can make a huge difference to the severity of injuries. The course instructor will explain (in a non-condescending manner) how sticking to speed limits helps keep everyone safe.
Some of the aspects of road safety the course covers include:
- UK speed limits on different roads
- Why people feel the need to speed
- The consequences of driving too fast
- Hazard perception and stopping distances
- How you can stick to the speed limit
Where do you take the course?
Speed awareness courses can take place in person at local venues or online. This gives drivers attending the course the flexibility to attend at a time and place that suits their needs and schedule.
Whether arranged through Drivetech, the police or a local council, there are a number of regional differences, including price and structure, between speeding course providers. Your course will be arranged by the company that looks after the area in which the offence took place.
You can find the list of speed awareness course providers on the UK Road Offender Education website.
When do you take the course?
Once you have confirmed you want to take a speed awareness course, you’ll receive a letter with a link to a website where you can book onto one. Once you visit this, you should have various options – including whether you want to book an online session or in person (subject to availability). As the course is a live and interactive workshop, the schedule of when you can attend may vary.
You are responsible for paying the full course fee before attending. If you pay and then choose to rearrange, you may have to pay a re-booking or administration fee. You can find out more on the UKROEd’s courses page.
Why should you take the course?
Nobody wants to have points on their driving licence and taking a speed awareness course is one way of avoiding this.There are other huge benefits to undertaking a course, including an improved understanding of road safety and dangers of speeding.
You’ll gain further understanding of speed limits and why we have them, develop your observational skills when it comes to spotting potential hazards and perhaps even find out about the inner workings of motorways and how variable speed limits actually work, depending on which course you attend.
Who conducts speed awareness courses?
Speed awareness course trainers must hold various qualifications and have passed a number of training course assessments. This ensures they are experienced in delivering training and know how to present relevant information in a group setting in an inclusive and effective way. You can find out more on the Person Specification for NDORS Trainers section of the UKROEd website.
How often can you do a speed awareness course?
You can only take one speed awareness course every three years. If you’re caught speeding again within this time period, you could get fined and receive points on your driving licence.
How long is a speed awareness course?
This varies on the type of course you are taking but they can vary from 30 minutes for a Safe and Considerate Cycling Course to 6 hours 55 minutes for a Safe and Considerate Driving Course. The most common courses tend to last between 2 hours 45 minutes and 3 hours.
How much is a speed awareness course?
Again, this will vary depending on the type of course you’re undertaking and who runs it but the average price, according to PassMeFast, is between £80 and £100.
Does a speed awareness course affect insurance?
Given the nature of driving penalties and how they can affect your premium, you might be wondering if you should declare that you’ve been on a speed awareness course to your insurance company.
Things are a little different with speed awareness courses. You only have to inform them if they ask you if you have been on one. It varies between insurers whether they ask this question. If they do ask you, answer honestly as an incorrect answer could invalidate your insurance policy.
It’s worth noting that these courses are not driving convictions. Since 2013, you’ve only had to give this information to your insurer when they ask for it. If you are asked and have attended a course, you could face an increase on your premium as you will be deemed more of a ‘risk’ to insure.
What happens if I don’t attend?
It may be tempting to see if you can get away with not attending a speed awareness course but unless you have a valid excuse, you’ll be receiving a court summons. If you are found guilty, you will get a fine and points on your licence. This also applies to online courses. It’s a case of ‘camera on’ at all times.
If you are running late and try to enter an in-person course after the registration process has begun, you will not be allowed in and will have to re-book your course. You can find out more about rebooking a speed awareness course at www.ukroed.org.uk.
What happens after completing the course?
The course trainer will inform the police you have attended the course once complete and this should ensure that you receive no penalty points on your licence.
Try and see the course as an opportunity to learn rather than simply avoiding penalties. The information you will receive will help you understand the dangers of speeding and ultimately become a safer driver.
What happens when you’re caught by a speed camera?
If you’re caught speeding by a camera, you’ll be sent a Notice of Intended Prosecution and Section 172 Notice. You’ll have to return the Section 172 Notice back within 14 days, confirming who was the driver. Once you’ve returned this, you’ll receive another letter either with a Fixed Penalty Notice or letter telling you to go to court.
The Fixed Penalty Notice may give you the option to attend a speed awareness course.
The National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme, which runs a host of courses including the National Speed Awareness Course and National Motorway Awareness Course, aims to inform and educate speeding offenders about the dangers of speeding to both themselves and others.
The courses do this by examining the dangers faced when it comes to driving above the UK speed limit and encouraging those attending to change their driving habits in the future. There is no test or exam to pass to complete the course, but there will be group discussions – whether online or in person – that you will be expected to contribute to.
Drivers should be aware that not all speeding offences will have the option of attending a speed awareness course. Eligibility for the course depends on how far over the speed limit you were driving. These are the minimum and maximum speeds:
| Speed limit | Minimum speed | Maximum speed |
| 20mph | 24mph | 31mph |
| 30mph | 35mph | 42mph |
| 40mph | 46mph | 53mph |
| 50mph | 57mph | 64mph |
| 60mph | 68mph | 75mph |
| 70mph | 79mph | 86mph |
If you’re caught driving above the maximum speed, you might not get the option of a speed awareness course but could still get a fine and penalty points.
You can find out more about speed limits on the UK government’s website.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have to answer questions on a speed awareness course?
Most speed awareness courses will have group discussions where everyone is expected to take part. These may involve some questions and answers but they will be in a relaxed and informal setting and you won’t fail if you get an answer wrong. The purpose of these courses is to inform and educate.
Is it better to do a speed awareness course or take the points?
This depends on the individual but if you want to avoid points on your licence (which could increase your premium) and learn more about why you’ve been caught speeding, the course may be a more suitable option. In 2022, 1.64 million drivers attended a speed awareness course in the UK.
Can I fail a speed awareness course?
A speed awareness course is not a test so you can’t fail. You do need to attend the full duration of the course and be involved in the discussions taking place. If you don’t complete the course, the instructor will contact the police and you may receive the points and penalties you were hoping to avoid.
Why was I not offered a speed awareness course?
You are not automatically offered a place on one of these courses. It is entirely down to the local police force whether you can or not. If you’ve already taken the same course in the past 3 years or were driving above the maximum speed eligibility, you are more likely to receive a fine and points.
Do you have to pay a speeding fine if you do a speed awareness course?
When you accept to attend a speed awareness course, you probably won’t have to pay your speeding fine but the cost of the course may be very similar to what you would have paid for the offence.
Do I need to bring anything to the speed awareness course?
You’ll need government-issued ID (driving licence or passport) to prove who you are and it’s also worth taking a pen and notepad to jot down all your learnings.
Sources
https://www.gov.uk/speeding-penalties
https://www.ukroed.org.uk/courses/
https://www.passmefast.co.uk/resources/rules-of-the-road/driving-law/speed-awareness-courses
