Is Driver Awareness Scheme Course still the best option, DAS course costs more than FPN Options

[Daytrip]

I have been offered a DAS course in Dorset but it is now £120. At £20 more than a £100 FPN, is it still the recommended option? I have 0 points at the moment. Is the DAS course still worth the £20 extra + time, even if insurance premiums do not go up by much.

[Advertisement]

[The Rookie]

Only you can decide the answer to that.

You keep a lifeline but if you don’t get caught often that’s not really worth anything.

You avoid slightly elevated insurance premiums for a few years.

Attending the course won’t be free with travel costs and probably parking costs.....

[Kickaha]

Depends.

If you rarely speed and this was an aberration then taking the points can be the easiest and cheapest option.

If your driving puts you at risk of being caught again then take the course.

[NewJudge]

Dorset is unique it does not participate in the National Driver Offender Rehabilitation Scheme. Being offered a course by Dorset has an added advantage. If you are accused of another speeding offence (up to Limit +10% + 9mph) outside that county you will be eligible for another course within three years.

[jfollows]

You also get something for your £120 course versus nothing for your £100 FPN. Whether you think it's worth the money is your call, of course, but the one I went on I felt was a good use of my time and I learned some things which were useful to me in improving my driving and avoiding further speeding offences. Like you, I had 0 points then and I still do.

This post has been edited by jfollows: Wed, 4 Dec 2019 - 12:17

[baroudeur]

Dorset is unique it does not participate in the National Driver Offender Rehabilitation Scheme. Being offered a course by Dorset has an added advantage. If you are accused of another speeding offence (up to Limit +10% + 9mph) outside that county you will be eligible for another course within three years.

Dorset are in the NDORS course providers list. Are you saying that despite that listing they do not provide statistics to the NDORS scheme for other forces to access and that Dorset are the only force not to do so?

Edit: List of 44 forces on NDORS scheme here but I believe there are 47 police forces.

This post has been edited by baroudeur: Wed, 4 Dec 2019 - 12:43

[Fredd]

Edit: List of 44 forces on NDORS scheme here but I believe there are 47 police forces.

There are 49 UK police forces. The ones missing from your list are (on the assumption that "London" in the NDORS list refers to both the Metropolitan Police Service and City of London Police, which I believe both offer NDORS courses):

British Transport Police
Civil Nuclear Constabulary
Ministry of Defence Police
National Police Air Service

[NewJudge]

As far as I am aware Dorset is the only county where taking a course that they have offered will not prevent you from being offered another (of the same type) by any of the other forces in E&W within three years. Similarly, if you take a course offered by any of the other forces that will not prevent you being offered one by Dorset.

[Daytrip]

Similarly, if you take a course offered by any of the other forces that will not prevent you being offered one by Dorset.

There appears to me a contradiction from them on this. The Terms and conditions on the back of the offer letter say "... have not taken part on another occasion within the last three years in Dorset ..." (their bold highlight) but it seems otherwise on this page of their Dorset Road Safe Org, at paragraph 4, 2nd sentence:
https://www.dorsetroadsafe.org.uk/informati...d-safety-costs/

[NewJudge]

That certainly is a contradiction and the passage on their website is at odds with the experience of a relative of mine. He has done a SAC of the same type in Dorset and in Surrey within 18 months. That said, I cannot remember which was round it was (i.e. whether it was Surrey or Dorset who made the decision to offer the second one).

This post has been edited by NewJudge: Wed, 4 Dec 2019 - 17:05

[Daytrip]

Thanks for all the replies. It all helps in decision making. I was surprised they had started charging more than the FPN, adding administration charges. I see it has been £110 for a while but has gone up to £120 only in the latter half of this year. It has made decision making a lot less clear cut for me. I wonder how far they can push these charges before the FPN trade-offs become more desirable for most people with 0 points.

I think in the end I will succumb to the course as I think it will be too niggling waiting 4 years for the points to come off.
I would hope to get the £20 back through lower premiums over 4 years.
Travel and parking I do not think will be an issue, as they are local venues to me and parking is free at them.
My work is quite flexible at the moment so I should not need to take time off, and they do offer Saturday as a possibility.

The main against is having to pay the £120 fee directly to Dorset Police's road schemes, as I would rather pay it to the central government fund of the FPN.
It has been 10 years since I last had a notice so unlikely I would slip-up again soon and hopefully never again.
I did the course back then, which now seems a bargain at £60. They are pleasant and interesting enough but not sure I would learn anything new apart from reminders. I am still already driving strict since that course, and have already learnt my lesson on this latest slip up.
I now know it really is disadvantageous to enter the empty overtaking lane of a 50mph dual carriageway (with average speed cameras) before it soon turns to 70 when the traffic in the left lane is approaching or at 50 anyway.

[NewJudge]

You makes your choice and pays your money.

[blackcross]

I now know it really is disadvantageous to enter the empty overtaking lane of a 50mph dual carriageway (with average speed cameras) before it soon turns to 70 when the traffic in the left lane is approaching or at 50 anyway.

Is it not rather more likely that you were “done” for going above the limit in force, rather than for your lane discipline?