Speed awareness courses in Derby are becoming a popular alternative to forking out on fixed fines and getting your licence endorsed with penalty points.
DOING a good deed for poorly people did not stop Ken Smith from receiving a speeding ticket.
The 69-year-old had just been to donate his platelets to help cancer patients when he fell victim to a mobile camera.
"I was on my way home. I didn't think I was going too fast," said the retired garden centre owner. "But I was. It's as simple as that.
"I was notified in the post that I had committed a speeding offence and I was invited to book onto a speed awareness course.
"I was driving back from Nottingham and doing about 40 in a 30mph zone."
Ken is one of 25 people from across the county who is accessing Derbyshire Police's speed awareness course today.
He is booked on the 8am session and it lasts four hours.
I'm on it too. But I haven't committed a speeding offence – I'm here to see how well-attended these courses are and just how they run.
I want to find out what drivers are getting out of them and want to see how they might be helping in the battle to make motorists more aware of what speed they are doing.
This course is being run by the AA, on behalf of Derbyshire Police, and is being held at Derby Conference Centre There's a mixed bunch here.
Before I walked in, I would have guessed that the majority of the class would be young and male – but that wasn't the case.
There were 10 women, more than a handful of mature men and only a few newer drivers.
The youngest motorist on the course had been driving for just two years. The rest of us had much more experience on the road.
Ken, from Dale Abbey, near Ilkeston, is one of the oldest people in the room. He passed his driving test 52 years ago.
"It took me 10 lessons to learn to drive and then I took my test," he said. "And that was that. Since then, I've never had any other training.
"And today has been a real eye-opener. Quite a few things have really jumped out at me. I've learned that driving above any speed limit on any road can cause serious accidents."
Course trainers, Rob Clay and Peter Jackson, were chatty and friendly. They made everyone feel welcome and made it clear that there is no pass or fail – you just have to complete the session.
They tell us that some people do give up halfway through and leave the room - but today isn't going to be one of those days.
"Not everyone makes a positive contribution," said Rob. "We just ask that you stay for the whole session.
"There's a massive road safety problem out there and we are here to help you. Complete the course and stick it out.
"We will look at all kinds of things this morning, including attitudes surrounding misuse of speed and how to comply to speed limits.
"We will also give you extra knowledge and skills.
"In our experience, people who have taken a speed awareness course talk very positively about it.
"The courses help drivers recognise why they speed. It identifies the speed limits on different roads and helps you to understand how to drive at an appropriate speed.
"After this course, you will understand the potential consequences of driving too fast – either excessively or inappropriately – and develop an on-going personal strategy to make better-informed driving decisions."
Speeding offences enforced by the police using fixed, mobile or average speed cameras are generally dealt with using a fixed penalty notice system.
The minimum penalty for speeding is generally a £100 fine and three points on your licence but for minor speeding offences you might be given the opportunity to attend a speed awareness course.
More and more people are choosing to take part in one of these sessions.
It is your choice whether you pay to attend the course (£92.50) but one thing will happen if you do. You will avoid getting points on your licence. You will also avoid a potential hike in your motor insurance.
All the people I chatted to on the course said being there was going to save them money. One young driver said his motor insurance would go up by £110 in the first year if three points were added to his licence. He decided to enrol on the course.
Rob and Peter talked a lot about how to tell if a road has a limit of 30mph. Look for the street lights. In built-up areas, a road with street lights and no other signs, mean it has a 30mph limit.
Thanks to Lord Belisha's Road Traffic Act in 1934, the speed limit of 30mph was introduced for cars in built-up areas. This law still stands.
I can remember learning this when I was 17 when having driving lessons. It is something I had stored in the back of my mind but like many of those on the course, we'd pretty much forgotten.
It was also surprising to hear that most accidents happen on rural roads where speed limits are only 30mph.
So many aspects on the course made me sit up and take notice. I soaked up all the information and digested as much as I could.
I was also shocked to hear that in 2012 in Derbyshire, 3,548 people were injured on the roads. Of those, 389 were seriously injured and 25 killed.
These figures came as quite a surprise.
And when we were shown a short video clip of a couple talking about losing their daughter, following a car accident, one lady on the course brushed tears from her cheek.
It was desperately upsetting and utterly avoidable.
We also watched clips of vehicles braking at speeds of 30mph, 32mph and 35mph – and the consequences were huge in terms of pedestrian survivability.
Driving just a few miles per hour faster can mean the difference between stopping in time – or not.
Then we watched a slow motion reconstruction of a 51-vehicle pile up which happened on the M4 in 1991.
The multiple-vehicle collision occurred during foggy conditions. Ten people were killed. It was one of the deadliest crashes in the history of Britain's motorway network.
For a while, we watched in silence as the car, lorries and vans skidded into each other. It wasn't actual footage but the message was clear. Cars tumbled into each other and vehicles caught fire.
It was more than shocking and I wasn't alone in my thoughts.
Retired computer consultant Bill Leeney, of Brailsford, was also on the course. The 58-year-old was snapped by a speed camera in January.
He had been to collect his grandson and was driving home after taking him swimming. He passed his driving test when he was 17 – more than 40 years ago.
He said: "When I first got my notice of intended prosecution it said I had been doing 36 in a 30mph zone. I was a bit miffed and I thought my offence was marginal.
"After driving for more than 40 years without a point on my license, I thought I had been doing pretty well.
"But the course changed my view entirely. It shocked me to discover that five people still die every day on Britain's roads. Many of those deaths happen in 30mph urban areas and many of those deaths are speed related.
"So, in fact, my apparently marginal offence was very significant. You could say that five people die on Britain's roads every day because of people like me. That was a shock!
"I learned the massive significance of doing 32mph, compared with 30mph, in terms of survivability.
"I saw how devastating the loss of a loved one can be, particularly when such deaths are so easily preventable.
"I realised how devastating it would be to cause a death by doing something so stupid as speeding. So, overall, I felt this was four hours very well spent. I hope I never have to do it again."
I have to agree with Bill. I thought it was four hours well spent, too. I am certain that everyone on the course learned some important information.
A fact sheet might have been good to take away. And a coffee would have been nice halfway through.
But can I remember how fast I should be going in built-up areas festooned with street lamps – yes. I don't think I'll ever forget the 30mph rule.
Nor will I forget the distraught faces of the couple who lost their beloved daughter.
![Derbyshire police's speed awareness courses help drivers to avoid tragedy on the roads]( "Derbyshire police's speed awareness courses help drivers to avoid tragedy on the roads")
