Review of the Rehabilitation Course

Convicted Driver Insurance
Has this course got anymore interesting less boring since I did it in 2007 ?. Reason I ask I have to do it again sometime before November 2013 ! Not sure weather to bother with it again as I was bored stiff last time and can go back to court in October 2013 as 2 years is up.
 
I have to say I found mine a very positive experience, done in the midlands though so was provided by TTC2000. It did drag a little though and I agree that it could have been condensed into 2 or even 1 day, however...the information I gained from it regarding alcohol units, health implications and driving afterwards was very valuable. The trainer was very good too, a previous police officer who clearly knew what she was talking about and if she didnt know the answer to a question it was provided the next time we met. The bunch of lads on the course was good too, a bit of banter never hurts and the ice break questions about your levels of breath etc, although nerve racking, levelled the playing field when we all realised we had done more or less the same thing and started to talk about it!

There was the usual 1 bloke who loved to hear himself talk though but isnt there always and thats not the courses fault! I paid £120 I think and to bring the ban back under the 1 year barrier to 9 months has saved me roughly £400 on insurance premiums even if I dont mention the course, so for those with a 12 month ban definately do it!
 
I attended the TTC2000 course in December 2013. My main aim was just to get 3 months off my ban.

I found it interesting and whilst I knew some of the information covered I have to say there were bits I had forgotten or didn't know in the first place. I don't consider it to have been a waste of time or money. There was a bit of a sombre atmosphere throughout but that was nothing to do with the course content or the tutor, it was because the very fact that we were on the course was just another reminder of our misdemeanours.
Would I pay for and attend the course if I wasn't getting a reduction on my ban? No, I wouldn't and I think that's probably true for 99% of attendees but if you want a reduction on your ban and if you can attend the course with an open mind then you definitely will learn something that you didn't know before.

I would recommend the course to anyone who has the option to attend.
 
Chris,
I am glad that you found the course worthwhile.
Our aim is to always deliver information in a "non judgemental" way.
I had an insight a couple of years ago as to how nerve wracking it is for people attending these courses. At our first coffee break, a man came up to me and said: "can I ask you something..... why are you being so nice to us?" I asked him what he meant, and he said: "well, you know what it feels like to be in court...... Oh, I suppose you don't..... But imagine that buttock clenching moment when you are stood up in front of the magistrates... I thought it was going to be like that, a 3 day bollo**ng."
The courses are nothing like that, but the perception that there is going to be a repeat of the course experience does account for people either choosing to not do the course, or sometimes turning up with a negative attitude. That is why I try to go to extra lengths to put course attendees at their ease.
 
John
The lady who took our course was fantastic. Very pleasant, totally non-judgmental and put everyone at ease. She encouraged a bit of banter but knew exactly when to stop it too. It's a boring subject for someone to talk about for two and a half days in the same way that it's hard to listen to for the same time. But she was excellent.
 
This is a fantastic thread - thank you to all who shared their experiences. I am still experiencing the shame and horror of what I have done, whilst trying to be 'pragmatic' about it. It's draining.

I have booked my course and start on 21st November, day 1 is a half day and days 2 and 3 are full days. I am very anxious about attending, as I have only told my parents about my DD conviction. However, I recently found out that I was in the local paper too as the mechanic that does my family's car told my dad.
From reading posts here, the course was generally well recommended in itself as people said they learnt a lot but, I confess, my aim is to get back my license earlier.

What really makes me anxious is having to 'tell my story' or sharing. I am not open or chatty by nature. Questions are running mad in my mind like 'how many people will be there?', 'what if my conviction becomes a source of gossip?', 'what will the other people be like?' etc.

In a way, I am kind of dreading it (not a positive attitude I know), but it feels like I am going have to re-live the trauma of it again.

I will post again after the first day, as I found this thread very helpful
 
I would say there is no need to be concerned. Remember you will be in a room with people in the same boat, with a trainer who has done this hundreds of times.

@price1367 will be better at elaborating but sharing what happened is perhaps the most crucial part of the course because you will see everyone, even those who don't even realise it, will justify why they chose to drink and drive (argument/last minute change of plans/phone out if charge etc) and also say that they thought it would be less harmful than other drink drivers (short distance/felt fine/quiet roads etc).

When you move onto the harm caused by drink driving it is valuable to remember that all of those people also thought they had a special case before they turned the key. The simple fact is that the only defence to knowingly DD is immediate threat of death or serious injury, because no matter what individual judgement people make you can never safely DD.

Indeed that is the bread and butter of all driving courses, if you go on the speed awareness one you'll see people justifying their speeds there as well.
 
This is a fantastic thread - thank you to all who shared their experiences. I am still experiencing the shame and horror of what I have done, whilst trying to be 'pragmatic' about it. It's draining.

I have booked my course and start on 21st November, day 1 is a half day and days 2 and 3 are full days. I am very anxious about attending, as I have only told my parents about my DD conviction. However, I recently found out that I was in the local paper too as the mechanic that does my family's car told my dad.
From reading posts here, the course was generally well recommended in itself as people said they learnt a lot but, I confess, my aim is to get back my license earlier.

What really makes me anxious is having to 'tell my story' or sharing. I am not open or chatty by nature. Questions are running mad in my mind like 'how many people will be there?', 'what if my conviction becomes a source of gossip?', 'what will the other people be like?' etc.

In a way, I am kind of dreading it (not a positive attitude I know), but it feels like I am going have to re-live the trauma of it again.

I will post again after the first day, as I found this thread very helpful
Let me know how it goes! I will be on mine in feb xx
 
Sorry to be a bit late replying to this, daughters wedding and getting ready to move house have got in the way a bit......
The course will have a maximum of 15 participants, but this can be 20 if there are 2 trainers (TTC only operate with one trainer.
You are all asked to say about what you did, but there is no “blame game”, it is foryou all to learn from each other.
Remember that you feel ashamed when talking to friends and family about drink driving, but this is likely to be the only time that you will share a room with up to 14 other people who have all done a similar thing! That is a part of the ‘therapy’ of the course and the trainer will certainly not judge you.
Confidentiality is stressed from the outset. You can talk about what you have learned, but nothing that will identify other course participants. I ran a course 3 months ago where 2 people from a small village had chosen to do a course 20 miles away and neither had told anyone in the village about their conviction. They were surprised to say the least when they turned up and saw each other but there was an agreement that what they each said in the training room, stayed in the training room!
Everyone has an idea of what a drink driver is like, but you will be surprised to find that most of your fellow course participants are surprisingly normal, and feel as anxious as you.
 
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