A fifth more drivers caught committing road offences were allowed to take retraining courses to avoid prosecution last year.
Some 1.8 million motorists completed a course in 2022 as an alternative to fines and possible penalty points, according to figures from UK Road Offender Education seen by the PA news agency.
That is up from 1.5 million during the previous year and represents the highest annual total in records dating back to 2014.
Motoring research charity the RAC Foundation said it is “vital” the courses lower reoffending rates.
More than four out of five (83%) of last year’s attendees went on speed awareness courses, which aim to help people identify speed limits and recognise the potential consequences of driving too fast.
The courses – which can be taken at a venue or online – cost up to £95 and last two hours and 45 minutes.
Department for Transport figures show speed was a contributory factor in one in six fatal crashes on Britain’s roads in 2021.
The second most attended course in 2022 focuses on motorway driving, with a 49% increase in participants from 113,000 in 2021 to 169,000 last year.
RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: “The long-term rise in course attendees has coincided with an increase in the total number of speeding offences detected in England and Wales, up from 1.9 million in 2013 to nearly 2.9 million in 2021.
Research has suggested reoffending rates are lower amongst people who have attended a speed awareness course than those who have been prosecuted— Steve Gooding, RAC Foundation
“Research has suggested reoffending rates are lower amongst people who have attended a speed awareness course than those who have been prosecuted.
“It is vital the same holds true for the wide array of courses now being run for other offences.
“That is something those running the scheme should be monitoring.”
UK Road Offender Education is a private not-for-profit company which administers the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (Ndors) on behalf of police forces.
Courses are run by a combination of private companies, councils and police forces across the UK.
A driver who has committed what is deemed a minor offence may be given the opportunity to participate at the discretion of the local chief constable.
Reoffending drivers cannot complete the same course again within three years.
