chauffeurs who take speed understanding courses instead of being given penalty points as well as a fine are less likely to reoffend, according to a new report.
The Government-backed study, carried out by Ipsos Mori, found speed understanding course participants are 23 per cent less likely to be caught speeding once again in the six months after sitting a speed understanding course than those who opt to take penalty points instead.
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• Speed understanding courses: everything you need to know
The researchers analysed the records of 2.2 million motorists in purchase to obtain their results. Of these, 1.4 million took a speed understanding course, 192,000 chose to take penalty points as well as a fine, while 428,000 were speeding above thresholds for understanding course eligibility.
The difference in reoffending rates between those taking speed understanding courses as well as those not doing so diminished over time, but even after three years, chauffeurs who sat an understanding course were still nine per cent less likely to reoffend.
In total, 21 per cent of speed understanding attendees reoffended within three years, compared to 23 per cent who took points instead of sitting a course.
• Half of chauffeurs say speeding is acceptable
The researchers concluded that “participation in the national speed understanding course decreased reoffending in comparison with the sanction of penalty points as well as fine associated with a fixed penalty Notice, as well as that this effect – while decreasing with time – persisted over 36 months.”
Some 1.4 million chauffeurs took part in a speed understanding course last year, raising an estimated £54 million for the police in the process. course fees vary across the country, but chauffeurs usually pay between £75 as well as £99 to sit one, with police forces receiving £45 for each candidate.
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