A speed awareness course is offered by the police, not requested by the driver. National guidance from the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) sets speed bands: for a 30 mph limit the course band runs from 35 to 42 mph, a fixed penalty is also possible from 35 mph, and a summons follows from 50 mph. You must also not have attended the course in the previous 3 years, and the enforcing force keeps discretion over every case. This guide sets out the bands, the other conditions police, councils and UK Road Offender Education (UKROEd) publish, and what the course costs, as read on 16 October 2026. The guidance says in its own words that it "does not amount to legal advice".
Who decides
The NPCC guidance, version 2.0 of 2025, lists five ways the police can deal with a speeding driver: no further action or words of advice, a traffic offence report, the National Speed Awareness Course (NSAC) "subject to suitability criteria", a Fixed Penalty Notice leading to a fine and 3 penalty points, or a summons to court. It calls the course "a diversion from prosecution" offered "at the discretion of the enforcing police force", and says an offender "has no automatic right to NSAC irrespective of how low the offending speed was".
GOV.UK describes the same arrangement from the driver's side: you may be given the option if the police decide it is appropriate for your offence and you have not been on a course in the past 3 years. If not, the speed camera fine is £100 and 3 points as a minimum.
The speed bands
Section 5 of the guidance gives a table for each common limit. The course applies where its eligibility criteria are met; the fixed penalty starts at the same speed, for cases where they are not met or a fixed penalty is judged more appropriate.
| Speed limit | Course band | Fixed penalty from | Summons from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 mph | 24 to 31 mph | 24 mph | 35 mph |
| 30 mph | 35 to 42 mph | 35 mph | 50 mph |
| 40 mph | 46 to 53 mph | 46 mph | 66 mph |
| 50 mph | 57 to 64 mph | 57 mph | 76 mph |
| 60 mph | 68 to 75 mph | 68 mph | 86 mph |
| 70 mph | 79 to 86 mph | 79 mph | 96 mph |
The same table has a "device tolerance" column, 32 mph for a 30 limit and 73 mph for a 70 limit, for example. Section 5.4 explains it: type approved devices must give a positive error no larger than 2 mph, or 3% above 66 mph, and "it is therefore possible to enforce against these tolerances". The deductions other countries make are compared in speed camera tolerance. The guidance also warns that publishing thresholds "has also resulted in the creation of a pseudo speed limit", and says nothing in it restricts forces from prosecuting for speeds below the thresholds, case by case. The table is how forces are guided to choose a disposal, not a margin on the limit.
The other conditions
The 3-year rule is in the NPCC text: an offender is not eligible if they attended an NSAC in the previous 3 years. UKROEd, which runs the scheme for the police, says the 3 years count from the date of the original offence. Beyond that, forces differ. Ask the Police, an answer from the Police National Legal Database, says the criteria "differs slightly" between forces and prints the guidelines operated by one police force:
- You admitted being the driver and returned the documents within the 28 days counted from the date the notice was sent.
- No more than 12 weeks have passed since the alleged offence.
- No further offences were committed at the time of the alleged offence.
- It is more than 3 years since you attended the same course.
- Your speed falls in the table's course band.
The answer is undated and describes one force, so your own force's letter is the authority. Staffordshire County Council adds that you must have exceeded the limit on a road that is not a smart motorway, received a police letter offering the course, and cannot refer yourself. The online form of the course is called iNSAC in the NPCC guidance. The guidance speaks for UK policing; the council pages read are English, and none of the pages read says how forces in Scotland or Northern Ireland apply it. How cameras enforce motorway limits is in average speed and gantry cameras on motorways.
What the course involves and costs
Hartlepool Borough Council describes the course as 3 hours, in person or virtual, delivered by Department for Transport-approved instructors, with a fee of £82 in County Durham and Cleveland and a note that fees may vary in other areas. Staffordshire County Council lists £93 for its course, run online or in a classroom, and says it is theory only, with no driving test. The NPCC guidance says an offender can choose any provider, that the content is the same everywhere because UKROEd approves it, and that section 89 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 gives the charging of course fees a statutory footing.
Taking the course, or not
UKROEd says that if you attend and complete the course, you do not pay the fine and no penalty points are added to your licence, and that attending is not a conviction. You cannot have the course once you have paid the penalty and surrendered your licence. Staffordshire puts the same point practically: if you choose the course, do not pay the Fixed Penalty Notice, because paying cancels your course place and adds points.
Hartlepool says that if you accept the course but do not attend or complete it, the case is referred back to the police for further action. It also says completion is recorded on a national database, and that if you commit another speeding offence within 3 years you will not be offered another course.
The NPCC guidance says the course must only be used as a disposal option if there is enough evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction should the allegation be challenged.
What BlitzBuddy does
BlitzBuddy does not decide who is offered a course and does not issue fines. Its speed camera warnings work in the five countries where it warns and switch on by themselves when you arrive; in the UK, Ireland and every other country you get none, while your speed, your trips and reports from other drivers still work. For how a UK camera records you, read what a speed camera records and sends and new speed cameras and the advice letters some forces send first. BlitzBuddy is free, with no ads and no subscription. It is available for iPhone; the Android version is coming soon.
Sources
- Guidance on the Enforcement and Disposal of Speeding Offences (2025), NPCC Roads Policing, version 2.0 (pdf; review date 1 August 2027)
- Q584: Can I go on a speed awareness course instead of having points on my licence?, Ask the Police
- Speeding penalties, GOV.UK
- If I take the course do I still have to pay a fine and have points on my licence?, UKROEd
- When does the date start for the 3 year rule?, UKROEd
- National speed awareness course, Staffordshire County Council
- NDORS: National Speed Awareness Course, Hartlepool Borough Council
Sources read on 16 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What speed gets you a speed awareness course?
The 2025 NPCC guidance puts the course band at 35 to 42 mph in a 30 mph limit and 79 to 86 mph in a 70 limit. It is guidance: forces apply their own criteria, and the offer is at the discretion of the enforcing police force.
Can you choose a speed awareness course instead of points?
No. The NPCC guidance says you have no automatic right to the course however low the speed, and Ask the Police says you cannot suggest it: if you are eligible, the police notify you.
How often can you do a speed awareness course?
Not more than once in 3 years. The NPCC guidance says you are not eligible if you attended the course in the previous 3 years, and UKROEd counts the 3 years from the date of the original offence.
Do you get points if you complete the course?
No. UKROEd says that if you attend and complete the course you do not pay the fine and no penalty points are added, and that attending is not a conviction. If you accept but do not attend, Hartlepool Borough Council says the case goes back to the police.
