Safe and Considerate Driving (SCD)

To attend this course you must have received a letter from the police.

Drivers that attend this course significantly reduce their chances of being involved in a crash and of being caught for the same offence in the next 2 to 3 years. This course is offered as an alternative to prosecution for some road traffic incidents.

The Safe and Considerate Driving Course is in 2 parts.

The first is a 3 hour theory course (with a 10 minute break) to be aware and understand the:

causes and consequences of risky and inconsiderate driving
importance of concentration, observation, anticipation and allowing adequate space and time
implications as to why their own driving may be unsafe or inconsiderate.

Attendees receive practical and personalised on road coaching and are encouraged to create an action plan to address personal issues.

We will continue to deliver a majority of these courses online using the digital platform Zoom. However, if you do not have any access to the internet, and you are able to attend a course after September 2021 (the date will be shown on your police offer letter) we may be able to offer you a physical course at a venue. These courses will be very limited and will be solely based on client demand.

The second part is a practical course which will be arranged for you (when it is safe to be in a vehicle with a trainer).

Please register via the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme website. If there are no spaces showing or you are unable to book in this way, email KDE@kent.gov.uk or call us on 03000 41 15 54 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm) and provide the following:

your full name
contact number
course type (NSAC, NMAC,WDU,SCD)
the date you MUST complete your course by.

We will contact you directly to discuss if we are able to book you onto a course at either Maidstone or Ashford.

Course trainers

The course trainers have professional driver training backgrounds and follow national guidelines. The police do not participate in the course.

Course restrictions

You can attend only one Safe and Considerate Driving course in 3 years. Any further offending will be dealt with by prosecution.

You can take the course in other areas in the UK, just search the police DORS website to attend a course outside of Kent.

Before booking your course

Before booking your course you must

authorise NDORS to share your data with us
agree to the terms and conditions (PDF, 187.8 KB)

For information about how we use and share your personal information for the purpose of booking a driver education course, read our privacy statement.

Before attending the Safe and Considerate Driving course you must read the medical fitness advice from GOV.UK. Make sure the DVLA are kept up to date.

Cost of the course

The total cost of the course is £194 and is non refundable.

When booking make sure that you have the means to pay. You may book online and pay by debit or credit card.

Book or change your course

To book your course in Kent, you will need to register on the NDORS website and choose Kent County Council as your course provider.

Once registered, you will be taken through the rest of the booking process. To do this you will need your:

offer letter from the police – which includes the reference number and PIN
driver's licence number
credit/ debit card to pay for your course.

Change your booking

If you'd like to change an existing course booking, you must have your:

driver's licence number
booking reference number starting KDE
credit/ debit card where payment is required.

If you do not know your licence number, you can check it through GOV.UK's licence detail viewing service.

14 or more days before your course

If you require subtitles to be added to the course presentation, request this by emailing KDE@kent.gov.uk.

7 or more days before your course

If you booked online and need to change your booking, you can do so up to 7 days before the date of the original course free of charge (based on the availability of course spaces).

3 to 6 days before your course

If you need to rebook your course between 3 and 6 days prior to your course date, you will incur a lost course place fee.

2 days before your course

If we assisted you with your booking or you need to change your course up to 2 days before your course, you will need to call us on 03000 41 15 54. You will incur a charge of £145.

Only in exceptional circumstances will this fee be waived, and we must receive documentary evidence as shown in the terms and conditions (PDF, 187.8 KB) that you agreed to when booking the course.

Before attending

Before attending the online course you must:

make sure that you are able to use Zoom
review the video sent to you in your documentation
test out the platform with another person to familiarise yourself
prepare yourself for the course and resolve any technical issues prior to attending.

Failure to follow this process may result in not being able to attend the course on the day and may also require a rebooking fee.

Please refer to the terms and conditions (PDF, 187.8 KB) that you agreed to when booking the course.

Watch our getting ready for online road safety course video for further advice and guidance.

Attending your theory course

Before attending the course, you will be sent the meeting ID, passcode and link for the course. This email will be sent to you 48 hours in advance of your course.

You can access the Zoom meeting details no earlier than 48 hours before the start of your course time and date by logging back into your account via the DORS website where you originally registered to attend a course.

If you have not received your email please check your spam/ junk folders. If you still cannot find the email you must contact us on the last working day prior to your course. You can email KDE@kent.gov.uk or call 03000 41 15 54.

When attending the online course you must:

make sure that you are in a quiet room, where you will not be interrupted
not be in a moving vehicle, you will not be permitted to participate if you are
have a fully charged electronic device with an inbuilt camera and speakers or a device with a webcam and speakers.
have a stable internet connection for the course duration. If you require any assistance to set up your course, they must leave when the course starts
have paper and pen ready to make notes during the course.

If you fail to log on in time, or are late back from your break this will result in no admittance to the course.

ID requirements for courses

It is a condition of the course that you have photo identification on arrival at your course (whether physical classroom or virtual/online).

Photographic evidence accepted includes:

valid photocard driving licence (an expired photocard does not invalidate the licence)
valid passport.

Any identification produced that does not contain photo identity of the client or interpreter (for example utility bills, birth or marriage certificates) will not be accepted and the client will be referred back to the Kent Driver Education Team.

Photocopies or photos on mobile phones or devices are not acceptable forms of ID – an original document must be available to be inspected at the course registration. Further details and other forms of acceptable photo ID visit the UKROEd website.

On-Road /Driving element of the Safe and Considerate Driving Course (SCD)

A photocard driving licence will be necessary or a paper licence with a form of photo ID (further details and other forms of acceptable photo ID visit the UKROEd website) where the client is expected to undertake an on road/driving element to a course.

Where the NDORS Licenced Trainer has any doubts or concerns about the validity of the licence, they shall reserve the right to refuse to allow the person to continue with the course and must be referred back to the Kent Driver Education Team.

Corrective eyewear for the practical course

The below is applicable when the driving element of the course is available in 2021.

Your course includes an on-road driver training element delivered by qualified ADIs. The vehicle type (i.e. manual or automatic) will be the one you selected when you booked online or via the telephone with the Kent Driver Education Team and should be the one that you normally drive. Disqualified drivers will not be able to participate.

Please also bring with you any corrective eyewear you require to drive in order to participate. An eyesight test will be conducted before the course. You will need to be able to read a vehicle registration plate from an unobstructed distance of 20 meters. If you fail the eyesight test you will not be able to complete the course.

If you have a specially adapted vehicle to enable you to drive, you will need to contact the Kent Driver Education team on 03000 41 15 54, who may be able to arrange for you to use your own vehicle. Please note this must be agreed prior to booking your course.

Please make sure you arrive on time.

If you are late you will not be allowed to participate. This could lead to a rebooking fee if we can offer a new course date, or your case being returned to the police.