SPEEDING MOTORISTS PRAISE SPEED AWARENESS COURSE
Motorist Keith Blower re-visits the camera which caught him speeding and thanks Chief Inspector Ian Bint for introducing the TTC run speed awareness courses.
Motorists caught speeding have praised a speed awareness course run by the police appointed TTC Group which has helped them change their driving habits.
Sticking to speed limits, paying more attention on the road and being aware about the consequences of driving too fast, were benefits of the course run by the driver training specialists in South Yorkshire, they said.
“Accepting sometimes that you are going to be late and that speeding is just not worth it is something I have taken away from this course. I thought it was a fantastic course,” said former nurse Clare Allen (43), who was caught on camera driving through Sheffield at 37 mph in a 30 mph limit.
“I do a 150 mile round trip to work and I got complacent about my driving. The consequences of losing my licence are terrible. I live in the countryside where it is two miles to my nearest shop and there is a bus every two hours.”
Clare, who works in NHS education, said she now concentrates on driving when she gets into her car.
“I had got blasé about it. I just thought it was about getting from A to B. Now the course has made such a change to the way I drive. My boyfriend said he noticed the difference straight away,” said Clare, of Oakerthorpe, Alfreton, Derbyshire, who attended a course in Sheffield.
Sarah Thorpe, a secretary from Barnsley, said she was surprised that most people on her course were aged in their 50’s and 60’s and thought that younger drivers could benefit from it too.
“Everyone on the course found it beneficial. It has helped me to be more aware especially of what limit you are in,” said Sarah, of Meltham, Holmfirth, who was caught on camera at 52 mph on a 40 mph dual carriageway on the A34 in Cheshire.
Sarah says she now sticks to the speed limits and is much more aware of her driving and other traffic.
“It makes you realise just how many people are driving too fast. People push you from behind to go faster. I find that the majority of drivers are over the speed limit.”
The speed awareness courses were launched in South Yorkshire last October to re-educate motorists and cut the region’s road crash toll. Courses are held in Barnsley, Sheffield and Doncaster.
A total of 555 people were seriously injured, 835 pedestrians hurt and there were a total of 6,246 crashes on South Yorkshire roads in 2006. Speeding was a contributory factor in at least a quarter of the 71 deaths that year, latest figures reveal.
Drivers who stray over the limit will now not automatically get points on their licence. They will be given the option of attending the three hour seminar to give them the skills to stick to speed limits and avoid concentration lapses. Studies show that the course is successful in re-educating drivers.
Motorists learn about hazard awareness, speeding consequences and tips on how to keep themselves and others safe. They hear about a typical speed survey of motorists driving between 3pm and 4pm past a primary school during term time - where over half were travelling too fast.
Keith Blower (52), a Barnsley window maker, was on the first course after being detected by a camera doing 38 mph on his way home after watching Sheffield Wednesday lose on a Saturday afternoon.
“I was thinking about the game and the road went from a 40 mph to a 30 mph and I wasn’t concentrating. The speed awareness course though was very good. We all enjoyed it. It was fantastic and it really opened my eyes. I’ve been checking my speed ever since.”
Chief Inspector Ian Bint, of South Yorkshire Police, said: “Our objective is to reduce casualties. We will use all methods to do this including driver education and prosecution. If we can achieve our objectives by educating people instead of prosecuting them then that is what we will do. It is common sense.”
Graham Wynn, joint director of the TTC Group, who received the OBE for services to road safety last year, said there was a “growing realisation” by both local authorities and police that they must take action to combat 40,000 serious road crashes in the UK each year.
“In a recent survey most drivers said they believed speeding is a problem but only 10 per cent admitted they do it. By alerting motorists about the dangers on our increasingly busy roads we can help to ensure that they are a safer place for both pedestrians and drivers,” he said.
The TTC Group, which is the UKs leading provider of education for convicted drink drivers, is due to take over the running of the National Driver Improvement Scheme in South Yorkshire later this year which aims to address the lapse in concentration which leads to them being stopped for driving without due care.
For more information about driver education visit www.ttc-uk.com or call 0845 270 4363.
END
For more information contact Chief Inspector Bint on 0114 220 2020 or TTC Group publicity co-ordinator Elaine Adams on 01952 505026 07970 019184 or the TTC Group on 0845 270 4363.
Note to news editors: On the speed awareness course, motorists are educated how to identify hazards, recognise speed limits and consider the consequences of speeding. They hear that 80 per cent of pedestrians die when hit by a car at 40 mph while 80 per cent survive a 30 mph collision.
Three quarters of crashes are in urban areas, 23 per cent on country roads and just two per cent on motorways. Driver error contributes to 95 per cent of crashes and students on the course are reminded to take extra time on their journey, given advanced driving skills enabling them to recognise earlier potential road hazards such as roundabouts on the horizon or church spires in the distance indicating they are entering a town and a 30mph speed limit awaits them. The main “unknown” fact among drivers is that recurring lamp posts mean it is 30 mph unless there is a sign to show otherwise.
Many are on the course because they mistook a 30 mph limit for 40 mph. They are made aware how to “read the road” and recognise clues to help them identify speed related hazards.
South Yorkshire Safety Camera Partnership statistics:
• There were 6,247 casualties in collisions on roads in South Yorkshire in 2006. A total of 71 people were killed and 555 were seriously injured.
• Eight children lost their lives on South Yorkshire’s roads in 2006.
• There were 835 pedestrian casualties in South Yorkshire during 2006.
• 32 per cent of fatalities on South Yorkshire’s roads in 2006 were pedestrians.
• There were 286 pedal cyclist casualties in South Yorkshire during 2006.
• Speeding is a contributory factor in at least 26 per cent of collisions that result in fatalities. National research has shown that speeding is common with 50 per cent of all drivers admitting to exceeding the 30mph limit in urban areas.
• 80 per cent of pedestrians hit at 30mph will live, while 80 per cent of pedestrians hit at 40mph will die.
• An average family car travelling at 35mph will need an extra 21 feet (6.4 metres) to stop than one travelling at 30mph
