Tower Bridge speeders offered lessons in safety

11th January 2008

City of London Police is set to be the first force in the country to offer a speed awareness workshop to drivers caught exceeding a 20mph limit.

The first workshop for those who have exceeded the 20mph limit over Tower Bridge is planned for later this month (January).

Currently, nationwide there are several speed awareness schemes on offer for drivers exceeding other speed limits - from 30mph up to 70mph - which they can attend and escape having three penalty points put on their licence.

The Force has commissioned DriveTech (UK) plc, a company that operates a number of driver education schemes for several UK police forces, to deliver a workshop that explains why it is important to keep within the speed limits in general and across Tower Bridge in particular.

The workshop lasts about two and a half hours, and takes drivers on a journey through various facts and figures around speeding. It busts myths about a range of factors that lead people to speed - from not knowing what the speed limit is in a particular area for a specific vehicle, to not appreciating the consequences an extra few miles per hour can make.

The workshop also explains why the 20mph limit is in place at Tower Bridge, and the damage that vibrations caused by faster vehicles cause to this national landmark. It also highlights the potential risks of speeding where pedestrians are commonplace, i.e. a typical urban environment or tourist attraction.

Speeders on Tower Bridge are captured by the Specs Speed system. It’s a real-time average speed measurement device, which in essence operates by tracking vehicle progress through a defined zone by recording the entry and exit time of each vehicle.

The owners of vehicles caught speeding are sent a Notice of Intended Prosecution form within 14 days to obtain the driver’s details. If the driver’s speed was within the threshold limit that has been chosen for a speed-awareness workshop, they will receive an offer of a place on the course.

Drivers then have 14 days in which to reply and accept the offer of paying to attend the workshop. Their other option is a fixed penalty of three points on their driving licence and a £60 fine.

For further information from the City of London Police, please contact Rebecca Sandles, Media Liaison Officer, City of London Police, tel: 020 7601 2220.

Editor's Notes

DriveTech (UK) plc is one of the UK’s leading providers of road risk management, driver assessment and education. We work both with organisations whose employees ‘drive for work’ and with members of the public, who are offered education as an alternative to prosecution by the police.

DriveTech’s vision is ‘working together to eliminate road death and serious injuries’ by providing the most effective and innovative solutions, using education and technology, to minimise risk for all road users.

DriveTech (UK) has won the Institute of Transport Management’s (ITM) ‘Fleet Award for Driver Training’ in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 and the ‘European Driver Safety Specialist’ award in 2005. In September 2007, it was named the ITM’s ‘UK Driver Training Solutions Specialist’ for making ‘the most significant impact upon the Driver Training and Safety sector over the past decade’

In 2007, DriveTech (UK) won the South England and South Wales regional award of the Bank of Scotland Corporate ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ of up to £5m, interest-free funding and was runner-up in the national Grand Finale. In addition, the company was named runner-up in the 2007 Thames Valley ‘Business of the Year’ award.

For further information from DriveTech, members of the media should contact Steve Johnson on direct line +44 (0)1789 414700, mobile +44 (0) 7894 621134 or on steve.johnson@drivetech.co.uk