If you’re caught speeding and lose your driving licence, it can not only result in a huge loss of freedom, but serious business and personal consequences too.
Did you know? *The RAC Foundation has identified that almost 1 in 5 jobs in the UK now require workers to be able to drive.
So, whether you’re a business owner with staff members driving work vehicles or a general driver using your own vehicle for social, domestic or pleasure reasons, the open conversation around speed awareness has never been needed more. Here’s 4 top things you need to know…
It’s important that you recognise and understand the pressures that can affect driver behaviour behind the wheel – from time pressure when you’re running late for a meeting, to angry road rage towards other drivers and over-confidence whilst on the roads, how we’re feeling can affect the way that we drive and can, in some cases, tempt us to speed.
Speeding is one of the main contributors to road accidents, so driver education and awareness around speeding is absolutely key to help reduce the number of accidents. What’s known as ‘Hit Third Party In Rear’ or ‘Rear End Shunt’ is especially common – (this is when a vehicle crashes with the one in front of it) Vehicle damage aside, what’s more important of course, is the damage caused to peoples’ lives.
*Figures from The Department for Transport show 1,752 reported road deaths in 2019 – that’s around 150 people killed per month. As well as over 150,000 injuries.
*Studies show that drivers are encouraged to drive at safer speeds when they understand that excessive and inappropriate speed greatly increases the risk of being involved in a serious or fatal accident. For example, pedestrians who are struck by the front of cars travelling at 30 miles per hour or above, are much more likely to sustain serious injuries or be killed.
If you’re a motorist, it’s a well-known fact that when caught speeding, you will receive a Fixed Penalty Notice of £100 and three points on your driving licence. However, if you are offered to opt for a speed awareness course instead, it may be possible to avoid points all together. It will depend on which police force is handling the offence as to if you get offered a speed awareness course.
*The number of drivers taking a speed awareness course after being caught exceeding the speed limit has trebled in the last 10 years. Figures from the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (NDORS) show that 1.28 million people took a speeding course in 2019 (up from 1.19 million in 2018.)
There are several resources out there that are available to drivers and business managers to help improve safety, including these below suggested by Insurers QBE:
If you would like to talk to us about Motor Insurance policy options, please get in touch by contacting us on 01403 785775 or by email at info@omnidavis.co.uk. We would be more than happy to help.
