Driver Improvement Scheme

The National Driver Improvement Scheme (NDIS) finds its origins within the North Report (the Road Traffic Law Review 1988) whose author, Dr Peter North, pointed out that: “It must be in the public interest to rectify a fault rather than punish the transgressor,” adding: “Re-training of traffic offenders may lead to an improvement in their driving, particularly if their training is angled towards their failings.”

Dr North went on to recommend a pilot of one day’s re-training in basic driving skills for offenders.

This scheme has been adopted by all police forces in the United Kingdom and courses are available in many locations throughout England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

ANDISP has developed the current course provision and all courses are run to the ANDISP corporate model. The courses themselves are run by local authority road safety departments and by private companies, who are contracted or appointed as service providers for their respective police authorities.

When a motorist is involved in a road traffic incident and there is sufficient evidence which indicates that they have been “Driving Without Due Care and Attention, or Driving Without Reasonable Consideration for Other Road Users” contrary to Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, or other like offences, they may be given an option to attend a National Driver Improvement Course. This is offered as an alternative to having the incident referred to the Crown Prosecution Service which usually results in a Summons to attend court where they may receive a fine and penalty points on their driving licence.

When an offer of a course is made by the police, information about the scheme is sent to the person/s involved together with information on how to book a course through the DORS website or by telephone to a service provider.

The service provider for the motorist’s chosen area will liaise with the them to arrange a suitable date for the course. The courses are 1.5 days long, the majority of courses run all day on a Friday and a Saturday morning.

The fee payable for a course varies between service providers. The fee is payable prior to attending the course. Some service providers are able to accept electronic payments, some are able to offer payment by instalments and some will accept payment by cash on the day.

Depending on the service provider, the course is delivered by DfT approved driving instructors and road safety officers. All ‘in-car’ training is done by DfT approved driving instructors.

The course involves a mixture of driving theory, utilising the latest researched thinking on ‘low-risk’ driving techniques, combined with modern training methods in practical on-road driving.

After successfully completing the course the police report on the motorist’s file will be closed and no further action will be taken with regard to the incident. The date of course completion is recorded. If the motorist is involved an another road traffic incident of a similar type within three years of the date of the offence, then the matter will automatically be considered for prosecution as another offer will not be made.