Monitoring Speed awareness Courses

The objectives of this study were:

• To devise a methodology suitable for the collection of control group data that will also be suitable for the later evaluation of the road safety impact of the scheme.

• To propose and recruit suitable control group(s) and collect comprehensive data related to them.

• To discuss strengths and weaknesses of various methodological approaches and take into account any confounding factors that could and couldn’t reliably be measured at this stage and during the subsequent evaluation study.

In some parts of the country speed awareness courses are being offered at the discretion of the police as an educational alternative to fixed penalty fines and penalty points for drivers caught driving marginally over the posted speed limit.

Recently completed research has just been developed into guidance on the form and content of courses that will have road safety benefits. Now that the guidance has been issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), it is envisaged that over the next year these courses will roll out across the country and ultimately be available nationally.

In due course, the road safety impact of the nationally-available courses will need to be assessed. Suitable control groups for such an evaluation are likely to significantly decrease and then disappear as course provision becomes national. The current project aims to collect data from a suitable control group.