Ridiculous AA Speed Awareness Course

[lendahand]

NO, not that AA, I’m talking about those friendly break-down chaps that used to salute us from their motor-cycle side cars, that's if you displayed their badge on your chrome bumper. They also gave us a cheery advanced warning of speed traps. (I know, around about the same time you still had to have someone walking in front with a red flag).

Yep, those same guys (or AA Tech to be exact), now run a contract in Cambridgeshire for the Cops to train us how to keep under the speed limit. Just done my speed awareness course, sat in a room full of guys and Gals just like me that were given the choice to pay the £60 fine and take the points or cough up the near £90 and have 4 hours in the classroom with nil points. A no brainer, who needs an extra 3 points and all the hassle with it. That’s the trouble, it would help if you have no brain, four hours of watching and listening to 20 others, all eager beavers the lot of them all making the commitment and agreeing to mend their ways and never do it again. We are all told at the start that anyone not participating would be slung out and still get the points!!! Teacher let the cat out of the bag by sharing with us that he gets a new car every 6 months. “Is this why you need the £90 quid each” I enquire. Whoops now there's a big elephant in the room, different atmosphere now. Quick calculation of 3 sessions a day 20 guys times £90. Ahem!

 

Any one else on Arb Talk done it yet? Were you one of the eager beaver groupie set, kowtowing down at the front, who kept asking daft questions, or like me at the back realising it for what it is: a nice little earner.

 

Oh, yeah my crime 36 in a 30 and will I speed again………………….

[roseyweb]

I did the course I thought it weren't to bad, there was tea and biscuits, and the guy running it was friendly and knowledgeable. I would't choose to do it but its better than points

[Dave.G.]

Yes its a nice little earner for them but I would still do it again rather than have the points. The alternative is to drive within in the speed limit.

[skyhuck]

I did a longer nearly two day course, which also involved going out driving with an advanced driving instructor.

 

It cost £145 (8 or 9 years ago) but it was that or being done for "Driving without due care", so a bargain really.

 

The scariest think was the appalling driving of one of the other attendees.

[Mobile-sawman.]

Ive done the course.....TWICE! Your only supposed to be able to do it once, but after i did one in North Wales I then got "scamerad" by the plods in Lancs. Seems some forces dont share info with each other so when the form came and asked if ive been on a course before I just said no! I then had the pleasure of sitting in said room and listening (honest) to a pair of patronising tw@s and supporting their "buy me a new car" campaign! The next day I went out and bought miself a snooper radar detector, never had a problem since! And no I dont have a lead foot, I was doing 33MPH!!!!

[Mesterh]

Sounds like you know what to do next time then, take the points.

 

I did it awhile ago, thought it was ok and better than getting 3 points, so what if it cost a few quid I shouldnt have been speeding in the first place.

 

I bet you had a right monk on all day.

 

[treebloke]

Did it just before Xmas in Telford, tea and biscuits were ok and I thought it had some good content like the way to work out any speed limit.

[APC]

Ive done the course.....TWICE! Your only supposed to be able to do it once, but after i did one in North Wales I then got "scamerad" by the plods in Lancs. Seems some forces dont share info with each other so when the form came and asked if ive been on a course before I just said no! I then had the pleasure of sitting in said room and listening (honest) to a pair of patronising tw@s and supporting their "buy me a new car" campaign! The next day I went out and bought miself a snooper radar detector, never had a problem since! And no I dont have a lead foot, I was doing 33MPH!!!!

 

As long as you don't get caught twice in the same county then you can do it more than once.

 

I got caught at 36 in a 30. Went on the course, at the biscuits, drank the tea, kept quiet and left. It was a thoroughly dull afternoon. Then again, if I wasn't driving too fast I wouldn't have been there. The only thing that annoyed me was that I didn't get caught speeding when I was younger, but instead when I actually calmed it down loads to the point that I don't speed as a rule, and I flick over 30mph for about 100 yards and get caught by a mobile van camera.

[Johny Walker]

you want try being married to driving instructor thats been doing it for 20 odd yrs

 

soon as i get in the car , seat belt ,blah,blah

watch speed blah,blah

& the rest of it

Edited January 21, 2011 by Johny Walker

[ad15]

 

Oh, yeah my crime 36 in a 30 and will I speed again………………….

:thumbdown:

 

 

 

 

you sir.... are a muppet,,, not least for putting that in writing...

 

i firmly believe that the 30mph limit is there for a reason,, now the motorway speed limit,, that's another story all together,,

 

but 30mph is there so that kids etc dont get flattened,,