Drivers could attend speed awareness course instead of getting fine and points on licence THE GREAT SPEEDING PENALTY SHAKE-UP
SPEEDING motorists are set to be spared fines and points on their licences under plans to introduce awareness courses.
Prosecutors are examining proposals for drivers to avoid a conviction by taking part in the educational programmes. Police Scotland has submitted a plan for the scheme to Lord Advocate James Wolffe, QC, who is ‘carefully’ considering the move.
The courses have become popular in England and Wales as an alternative to prosecution – and can allow drivers to avoid costly hikes in their insurance premiums.
Last night, Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘Despite the lengthy wait, the introduction of speed awareness courses for lowerlevel speeders in Scotland is very welcome. These courses would give speeding drivers the option of improving their road safety, which is of great benefit to the public.
‘The SNP Government should take forward this constructive proposal and ensure that drivers who exceed the speed limit are given the opportunity to correct their habits.’
The option of attending a speed awareness course as an alternative to prosecution was first introduced in 2004 to a number of areas south
of the Border. By 2010, 41 of the 43 forces in England and Wales had introduced the scheme.
Crown Office officials said last night that the proposals were ‘in the process of being considered carefully by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service before a final decision is made’.
A UK Government-backed study last year found that motorists who take a speed awareness course are less likely to reoffend.
Carried out by Ipsos Mori, it concluded that drivers are 23 per cent less likely to be caught speeding again in the six months after a course than those who opt to take penalty points instead.
Researchers analysed the records of more than two million motorists in the UK.
Of these, 1.4million took a speed awareness course, 192,000 chose to take penalty points and a fine, while 428,000 had been caught speeding above thresholds for awareness course eligibility.
The difference in reoffending rates diminished over time, but even after three years, drivers who sat an awareness course were less likely to reoffend.
In total, 21 per cent of speed awareness attendees reoffended within three years, compared with 23 per cent who took points instead.
Researchers concluded that ‘participation in the national speed awareness course reduced reoffending in comparison with the sanction of penalty points and fine associated with a fixed penalty notice, and that this effect – while reducing with time – persisted over 36 months’.
Some 1.4million drivers took part in a speed awareness course south of the Border in 2017, raising an estimated £54million for the police in the process.
Course fees vary across the country, but drivers typically pay between £75 and £99, with police forces receiving £45 for each candidate.
Last night, RAC road safety spokesman Pete Williams said the organisation was ‘strongly supportive’ of the scheme.
He added: ‘While spending the best part of a working day understanding speed limits may not appeal to everyone offered a course, evidence suggests this sort of focused activity can change drivers’ behaviour – indeed, data from the most recent RAC Report on Motoring shows that nine in ten motorists who attended such courses claim to have reduced their speed.’
A Police Scotland spokesman said: ‘We have submitted our proposals to the Lord Advocate and it is up to him now to make a decision.’
A Crown Office spokesman said: ‘The Lord Advocate granted permission to Police Scotland to commence scoping work on the possible introduction of speed awareness courses as an alternative to prosecution for speeding. Police Scotland’s scoping exercise was delayed pending the findings of the Department for Transport’s evaluation into the impact of the national speed awareness course in England and Wales, which was published in May 2018.
‘Police Scotland thereafter concluded their scoping work and submitted proposals to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in September 2018.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The decision on whether speed awareness courses should be introduced in Scotland is a matter for the Lord Advocate.’
‘Changing drivers’ behaviour’