SPEED awareness courses for motorists work, according to an independent report.

The study by Professor Robin Martin, of Aston University Business School, has revealed education courses for speeding drivers have a “long term impact” on driving behaviour A total of 1,311 motorists caught speeding from five police regions, including West Mercia, were interviewed and a comprehensive review of how people behaved before and after the course was carried out.

Some 80 per cent said they would attend the course again because they knew they would learn something, while older women had a more positive attitude not to speed than younger men after attending the course.

Attendance improved motorists’ views of the need for safer road initiatives but people who had already amassed penalty points on their driving licence had a lower attitude to the course benefits.

Speed awareness courses were introduced by the Government across the UK to reeducate drivers and reduce road casualties as a more constructive alternative to fines or prosecution.