Speeding drivers in Thames Valley are being given greater opportunities to attend educational courses as an alternative to prosecution from today.

Thames Valley Police will be offering Speed Awareness Courses to motorists travelling at greater speeds and to classes of up to 24 drivers.

Motorists are now eligible to attend a course if they are caught travelling up to ten per cent above the speed limit, plus 9mph, for example, up to 42mph in a 30mph zone.

Under the old arrangements, only those travelling up to ten per cent plus 6mph were able to attend a Speed Awareness Course.

The courses, which are voluntary, are offered to drivers that are caught exceeding the speed limit by speed cameras or by police officers.

Police said the move meant that a larger proportion of drivers would undergo 'an invaluable educational experience rather than receive driving licence penalty points and a fine'.

The changes were made following a consultation with the UK’s leading road safety academics, who helped to develop the National Speed Awareness Course.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: "The initial results of an independent research project showed that Speed Awareness Courses were highly effective in improving long-term driver behaviour on the roads.

"There is no evidence to suggest that fines or penalty points offer any long-lasting effect."

Dr Fiona Fylan, of the National Driver Offender Referral Schemes Strategic Course Development Board, who is managing the research, said: “An evaluation is currently under way and the preliminary results indicate that the course is highly effective.

“After the course there are statistically significant increases in drivers’ beliefs about how easy it is to avoid speeding, how easy it is to know the speed limit, in their belief that it is wrong to speed, and their belief that it is appropriate to use safety cameras to enforce speed limits.”

She added: “There are statistically significant decreases in how much they would enjoy speeding, and drivers have significantly lower intentions to speed in the future.

“Those who attend courses indicate that they appreciate the opportunity to learn how to be safer drivers, and that they much prefer the option of attending a course to accepting points and a fine.”

Speed Awareness Courses have been offered in Thames Valley for more than ten years. Each year, about 50,000 drivers attend Speed Awareness Courses in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. The changes are expected to result in an additional 5,000 to 6,000 drivers attending each year.

The course, which will cost £95 to attend, is self-funding and receives no income from other sources. Drivers can only attend one Speed Awareness Course in a three-year period.

Supt Rob Povey, head of roads policing for Thames Valley Police, said: “Enforcement using fixed and mobile cameras as well as Roads Policing officers is essential to enable us to deliver education to drivers within Thames Valley.

"If enforcement and education is reduced then research has shown that we can expect to see an increase in the numbers of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.

"Our main aim is to make our roads safer and we have worked at a national level to help develop this scheme and welcome its extension.”

Speed Awareness Courses were previously offered to drivers travelling up to ten per cent plus 6mph above the speed limit: for example, up to 39mph in a 30mph zone.

Under the new arrangements, courses will be offered to drivers travelling up to ten per cent plus 9mph above the speed limit. For example, up 42mph in a 30mph zone.

The speeds up to which Speed Awareness Courses are now offered are shown below:

  • 20mph - N/A
  • 30mph - 42mph
  • 40mph - 53mph
  • 50mph - 64mph
  • 60mph - 75mph
  • 70mph - 86mph.