OT Driver awareness courses

[jake]

Latest "privatization invention" is the companies running "Driver awareness" courses for the droves of people who have slightly exceeded the speed limit.

It's really a form of legallized bribery. You exceed the limit = guilty = fine or points. But no! You can avoid being guilty altogether by paying to go on a meaningless BigBro "re-education" course and

**pay some Private Company instead**! I wonder who has their fingers in this nice little earner.

Yes another nice little earner for Big Bro. Oh my, just look how quickly the fatcats get fatter!

And No, I haven't been done for speeding.

[Adrian C]

Applies the 'K' key on this one ...

[Peter Johnson]

According to the notice on my desk as I read this, at least some of the 'courses' are run by the local authority. (What surprised me is that the 'course' is £10 cheaper than the penalty. I expected it to be revenue neutral from the authority's perspective.)

[whisky-dave]

They'll probbaly find it much more expensive as they need to employ staff t o monitor the course and teach it and along with ther extra couple of dozen adminsitrators they'll need it'll cost a fortune and they'll scrap it, onc e a few have made a good living from it.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Last time I said 'thanks but no thanks, i'll take the fine'

That was the last I heard of te matter.

[dennis]

If you are stupid enough to go on the course and get caught again they need to double the fine and points.

[Brian Gaff]

I think the latest really privatisation thing is the new charges the police are charging for what they term extra duties. This is watching out when roads are closed due to, say a scout troop marching by, or a street party, or other event where people are likely to be together in the streets, like carnivals. It starts at 1000 quid I understand. Needless to say private security firms are in there like a rat up a drainpipe. Brian

[Tim Watts]

Probably the sam ecompanies that used to run all the "Restart" type JobCentre courses in the 90's when I worked for them.

One or two were apparently useful (from feedback I had) but the real objective was to get people off the register for a week or two (on gov training course != unemployed => lower unemployment figures.)

[larkim]

Well, I learned stuff on mine. And so, by the reaction of the others that attended it, did others on the course.

Whether we all put it into practice, I don't know.

[whisky-dave]

How many got a real job from it and compare that to how much it costs. A friend was sent to the A4e and that's a total scam.

[Jabba]

jake wrote

Did you go to a government owned driving school when you learned to drive?

[Jabba]

Dennis@home wrote

They're likely to have to sit an extended driving test before being allowed to drive again.

[Jabba]

Brian Gaff wrote

Not so new, they've been charging to police events for some years. Most of the time, for carnivals and the like, they use Hobby Bobbies who work for nothing.

[Clive George]

Not sure where "latest" has come from here. They've been around for a good few years now.

[The Medway Handyman]

I went on one a while ago. 23 people @ £85 a head = £1955.

It was in a rented room in a rugby club, two 'instructors', tea & bickies provided. We each got a copy of the HC, a pen & a leaflet.

Total cost? Well under £500 I should think. A nice little earner as you say.

[Nightjar]

Watching three extra-long lorries carrying bridge beams, escorted by two Police cars, two Police motorcycle outriders, who zoom ahead to hold up all the traffic at roundabouts, and a 'wide load' escort vehicle, I wondered how much it was costing the contractors. Especially as that is the second such convoy I have seen recently and, according to the warning signs, more are due through into November.

[Tim Watts]

I prefer having a proper police escort for funny loads.

The ones I have passed recently have just had a single van in front with a flashing amber light and a bloke hanging out of the window waving at people about 2 seconds before a lorry with a fuckoff wide load hanging 2 ft over my lane lumbers past on a narrow stretch of A road nearly giving me a heart attack. Bloody dangerous IMO.

[Andrew Mawson]

Yes I echo Tim's comment. (Same road I suspect) There is usually a 'mobile' home of stupid proportions on the back and the escort is far too close to be an use.

Andrew

[Tim Watts]

Yes, probably - A21. And it was a mentally wide mobile home... Several times...

A couple of months ago I saw a Sussex Police warning about a very large load being moved on the A21 in the early hours of the morning. Any idea what that was?

[Graham.]

I did one a few years ago at Preston. At that time it was the morning in the classroom and the afternoon driving the instructors cars, as in a driving lesson. We also were required to do a "read the number plate" eyesight test.