MY name is Nicky and I drive a Renault Megane. I’m wearing a sticker with my name on it and I’m addressing around 20 people in a ground-floor classroom at the Streetwise Safety Centre in Bournemouth.

Each one of us is asked to give our first name and some basic details about what we drive and our annual mileage.

We’re a mixed group from all walks of life ranging in age from 17 to 70: there’s white van man, a Volvo driver and cabbie, a newly-qualified motorcyclist, a few genteel-looking ladies and even a car insurance salesman.

But as far as I know we’ve all got one thing in common. We broke the law and are now enrolled on a driver’s awareness course organised by Dorset Police.

Not every motorist who commits a traffic offence is eligible to attend the Driver’s Awareness Scheme (DAS) which has been running in Dorset since 2005 and educates around 10,000 drivers each year.

For example motorists caught driving in excess of 41mph in a 30mph speed limit would not be offered a place.

The course lasts three hours and costs £100, but it means I don’t get three points on my licence or have to pay the £60 fixed penalty.

I’m feeling a bit apprehensive though when I arrive just before 9am on a grey Monday morning as I’m not sure what to expect. Someone told me that you get torn to sheds.

But the two driving instructors who run the scheme are doggedly cheery and upbeat and there’s no finger wagging. Their aim is to make us safer drivers through an interactive classroom-based session.

During the morning we are reminded how to judge speed, how to spot potential hazards and given useful tips on how to avoid speeding in future.

We are also forced to confront the potentially fatal consequence of going too fast or not paying enough attention with some hard-hitting video clips.

A couple of times we’re asked to split up into smaller groups for discussion but we don’t have to undergo any written tests or practical tasks.

I drive back to the office at lunchtime feeling acutely aware of my responsibilities as a road-user.

Six weeks later it’s still just as fresh in my mind. And the latest research seems to show this type of driver’s awareness course does work.

A study by a university in Lancashire found that issuing a penalty notice had no impact on driving habits but attending the course resulted in a 5mph reduction in average speed.

It has been 28 years since I passed my driving test so going back to driving school for a morning is worth doing because it’s easy to slip into bad habits.

According to a new survey of 16,961 AA members, as many as 11 per cent reckon they would not pass their driving test if they had to re-take it.

AA president Edmund King said: “It is alarming to think more than three million drivers who have passed their test may not be safe on the roads due to a lack of confidence or competence to such a degree they don't think they would pass their driving test. Driving is a skill for life and, although it is easy to let bad habits form after your test, drivers should make sure their skills are kept polished.”

l The DAS course is also open to participants who haven’t received a fixed penalty notice. Details on 01305 227670. Courses are available in Poole, Bournemouth and Winfrith.