Re: In case anyone is interested.
Originally Posted by
longfellow
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There is nothing to worry about its quite simply a class of around 24 and you just go over loads of pointers. You do not have to take any tests.
I was dreading a questionnaire of some kind and having to answer so many right to pass.
In the end it was nothing like that at all..
Your expectations were simply naļve.
What you have to realise is that Speed Awareness Courses (SACs) are simply a multi-million pound business nothing more nothing less.
A business would clearly not thrive if its customers came away feeling intimidated patronised or punished in any way.
Hence the entire experience is VERY DELIBERATELY made to be friendly and easy and no stress at all.
Unfortunately none of that gets us away from the fact that it is simply a multi-million pound scam business.
Private firms are literally raking £millions in from British motorists. They are deploying speed trap vans on a daily basis to ensure their SACs are fully booked at all times which is why you will have found that you could only book a course about 1-2 weeks in advance.
It's extremely easy to get soaked into the niceties of the course and the fun factor (that's their entire aim) but the reality is most of it is just utter BS.
Much of what they trot out is hugely dubious twaddle and misleading information.
The refreshers on the Highway code and visual slides to test if you can spot hazards and the like are useful but you would never had elected to pay £90 for a Highway code update course would you?!!
The truth is you've been ripped off royally to the tune of £90 and all simply for doing 8mph over the limit.
I would warrant that you were nevertheless driving perfectly safely, putting no-one at risk, in full control of your vehicle.
This is simply a money making scam and people need to see it for what it is. Run by private firms with the backing of government. A legalised scam to rake in £millions.
The police force get about 30% of the monies raised.
If you elected to just accept a speeding fine the money would go into the Treasury and thus be used for public services. Electing to go on a SAC puts the money in private pockets and 30% to the police.
This whole scam has a limited lifespan because the truth is you only opt to go on a SAC so you don't have to tell your insurance company that you got a ticket.
However last year the Admiral group of insurance companies started asking people during quotes and renewals if they had attended SACs (as well as asking if they had any accidents or convictions).
You can't lie to your insurance company so in that situation, there is no advantage to going on a SAC. Your insurance company will penalise you just the same as if you had a speeding ticket.
Earlier this year the Admiral Group reversed that decision (according to my SAC tutors)
However the principle had clearly been established in the insurance world so it stands to reason that sooner or later they WILL all start asking the question during renewals and new quotes.
When it happens, it is literally Game Over for these private firms running the scams. No-one will bother electing to go on SACs at that point (except those drivers with 9 pts on their license already who need to avoid a ticket that would take them to 12 pts and a ban).
All in all the moral of the story is you are just another victim of a legalised scam and have been ripped off to the tune of £90.
The SAC tutors really couldn't give a flying fig about how you drive. They simply have a job to do, to run through a load of set course content and to keep you all happy and naļve.
There were 24 people on my course too. At £90 a pop that's a tidy £2160 they are raking in every course for 4hrs of misleading drivel.
That's £540 per hour !!!!!
Nice work if you can get it !
An appalling scam and an appalling situation, but the country and world is run by crooks so it's not going to change any time soon.