I've not been on one but here, the first time you get caught speeding, you have the option of attending a course where they teach you all about the dangers of speeding. I believe taking this option negates the points(3 points) that would normally be endorsed on your driving license? Having points on your license can increase insurance premiums. Normally, being caught doing 30mph OVER the speed limit leads to prosecution and a hefty points addition (6-9 points) . In theory you can have your license suspended once you get 12 points but there was a recent story in our local paper that claimed there were dozens of drivers with 20+ points and still legally driving. You can claim mitigating circumstances here - like the NEED to drive for your job - and you get treated differently.
SAC's were introduced in the UK in the early 2000's. I have been delivering them since 2006. Currently in order to get 'invited' you need to be exceeding the posted speed limit within a range of; speed limit +10% of the limit + up to an additional 9mph. Above that threshold its prosecution time.
So you break the limit, the registered keeper gets a letter and they are required to declare who was driving the vehicle when the offence was recorded. That person is then usually given a choice.
1. Speed Awareness Course (subject to the entry requirements above + £90 course fee.
2. £100 + 3 points on the drivers licence or
3. Summons to court.
It's the drivers choice what they do. Option 1 is the cheapest!!
Driver books the course at a local venue (Pre Covid-19).
Driver books an on-line course.
Undertake the course and most importantly COMPLETE the course and no further action is taken by the police.
Course fee paid which is cheaper than the fine and you didn't get points on your licence. As someone has already commented there is rarely any increased insurance costs either.
The drivers Driver Number is entered onto a National Police Database. So should you get caught speeding in the three years from the date of the original offence the driver cannot return to do another course. 3 years later the driver number is automatically removed from the database. So if they get caught the next day, the database is checked and if they meet the current entry requirements at the time they will get to do another one.
I'm not going to say anything about the course content other than it is very thought provoking for the attendees and huge fun to deliver. You don't get told off or anything like that. You are just given information. What you decide to do with that information post course is down to the driver. I have seen drivers return and they are warmly welcomed.
I hope that gives you a bit of an insight. There are other courses available too, not just speeding. Motorway Awareness, What's Driving Us, Safe and Considerate Driving and RIDE for motorcyclists.
When we started doing these courses we honestly thought that the courses would have a life of about 3-5 years but 15 years later we are still doing them and there seems to be so signs of it coming to an end. The best bit is that the driver chooses whether to get an invitation or not. No one makes drivers offend in the first place.
