Speed awareness courses should be offered to habitual offenders and motorists caught doing high speeds as well as first time and low level offenders, according to the RAC Foundation.

Following the Secretary of State’s launch of the consultation on variable speed penalties yesterday - including proposals for speed courses - the Foundation is urging the Government to consider more widespread application in the interests of road safety.

Edmund King, executive director of the RAC Foundation says: "It has been clearly demonstrated that these courses have a favourable effect in changing the driving behaviour and perception of speed.

"Those offenders who have attended speed education courses in areas like Lancashire show real improvements in their driving afterwards. But surely those most in need of education are drivers who don’t just slip over the speed limit but consistently flout the law or drive way above the limit?"

The RAC Foundation argues that while an early opportunity to change attitudes towards speed and prevent re-offending among first timers and those who have inadvertently strayed above the speed limit is also valuable, given limited resources to fund the courses and lack of spaces on them, places should initially be offered to those whose attendance would produce the biggest gain in accident reduction.