Is anyone a member of the above? Is it worthwhile to do the advanced test?
I am interested because I see on their website the package for test plus tuition is only £85. Is it worth it?
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enr1,
Depends on how interested you are - and why.
If you pay the £85-00, you then have unlimited free Observation by an Observer, who will bring you to the Test standard after, on average, six drives in your car.
You will then be Mock tested by a Senior Observer - if he agrees that you are ready, you will then be contacted by a serving or retired Class 1 Police driver wo will test you.
Worthwile?
Do you like driving? - would you like to improve and enjoy your driving? Maybe get a better insurance rate? Stay alive ?
I can send you an info pack if DD or Mark will put us in direct e mail contact - if you are in Essex and under 26, you can join us for £40-00.
Regards,
Matt.
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I can send you an info pack if DD or Mark will put us in direct e mail contact
If one of you wants to email me, I will in turn pass your details onto the other party.
Email:- mailto:dave_moderator@honestjohn.co.uk
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I am a member of the IAM having passed my Advanced Motorcycle Test for all the same reasons given. It has improved my riding and crucially forward observation.
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I passed my IAM Motorcycle test for all the reasons given by Matt. I can thouroughly recommend doing it. It has improved my riding and crucially observation and planning ahead so avoiding 'incidents'. The 15% reduction in my insurance is a welcome bonus!
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I'm a member; have been for a few years. It gave me a standard to drive to which I try to maintain.
Coincidentally a hour ago just opened their magazine, "Safe Driving" and was irritated to find a letter from some clown who thinks it's OK to ignore lane markings at roundabouts and go straight on in a lane marked for right turners only. Doubtless he thinks his badge allows him special privileges. The response from the editor was worse "are you sure you are upholding the tenets of the Institute by doing this?". Pathetic.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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enr1
You are to be commended in wanting to improve your standard of driving.
As a starter may I recommend that you purchase the book "Roadcraft - The Police Drivers Manual" (On sale at Amazon for just over 13 notes or under ten used). This will give you the grounding in "The System" that forms the backbone of AD.
Ah so Hawkeye - Motel Meetings with the Vicker (Tom)?
DVD
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DVD
Either I am not who you think I am or I am not as sharp as you think I am. Could I trouble you for a short explanatory e-mail?
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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enr1,
In case you are worried, nothing in our Group involves vicars or Motels.
Matt35.
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Better be open H and elucidate..
I.A.M. North Yorks hold their monthly meetings at Leeming Motel, nr Bedale, N Yorks. One of the main Officials is ex PC Tom VICKERS (Traffic).
Understood that H lived in the area and as a member may have attended.
Ah well back on the tablets.
DVD
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Thanks DVD, all is now clear. I am not part of the local group and have never attended a meeting at the Leeming Motel but I am seriously considering joining when I am a more experienced motor-cyclist with the objective of doing the IAM test. And you are quite correct, Leeming is 10 mins south of me on the A1. So no need to abuse the tablets.
I have no wish to hijack this thread but the last group meeting I attended was many years ago at Trinity & All Saints college in Horsforth, Leeds when a long-serving senior traffic cop gave us a talk about police driving techniques. When he mentioned that it was OK to join motorway lanes 2 or 3 directly from the slip providing that you had enough speed and didn't inconvenience anyone else, the meeting erupted with gasps of indignation. "Unsafe", "How dare he", "Outrageous". This from a guy who probably drove more miles in a month than most of us drove in a year and with outstanding qualifications. I didn't see what bothered the audience and have never felt the need to go back.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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I passed the IAM test years ago - it was worthwhile and the lessons learned stand me in good stead to this day. I let my membership lapse for similar reasons to Hawkeye. I wasn't interested in the social side - going to meetings etc, and the regular magazine drove me nuts. It was full of outraged letters from dogmatic individuals who weren't pragmatic enough to accept that holding up a queue of homeward-bound commuters at 30mph rather than going with the flow at 35 is not a great contribution to road safety - rather the reverse.
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(i'm not a 'member' or whatever of the IAM, I was for a while but their meetings/runs conflicted with other interests and I never got round to taking the test, but still apply everything I learnt)
Enr1 -
anything that gets you to think about your driving is 'worth it', for you and for me
Bear in mind the IAM is not a professional training organisation, but a group of drivers who mutually want to improve their driving standards.
If I remember, what happens is you turn up every sunday morning or whenever, and go on an 'observed run' with an 'observer', who has passed the advanced test. He will discuss with you how your driving compares with the system, as described in Roadcraft. It may well be a different observer every week (nothing wrong with that), and they will tell you when they think you are up to the standard of the advanced test
You are obviously already thinking about your driving standards, which is good. I don't think that spending £85 on getting to be a better driver, irrespective of whether you take or pass the test, can ever not be worth it, although it occurs to me that if you were a male of a certain age who tends to wear a baseball cap backwards and drive a Saxo VTS, whilst being in need of what the IAM has to offer, your may not be receptive to it.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, if money is a concern, I'd recommend you find your local IAM group and say 'I'm interested in signing up, can I give it a try for three weeks before I commit myself ?'
Bora - what Bora ?
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It is very worthwhile taking some lessons. The safety aspects are well worth it. The smoothness aspect is less worth while IMO. There are also a few contentious areas e.g. AFAIK only push pull steering is allowed which IMO is unsuitable when you need a lot of steering lock at low speed e.g. when parking. IAM is still useful though.
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Bora,
Thanks for your encouraging comments - but please note that we do not all run regular weekly courses - our Group are mainly one to one and have a waiting list of new members and usually not enough Observers to go round.
We can offer 'Assessment Drives'exceptionaly, but of course priority is given to the members who have committed themselves by joining the IAM.
Matt35.
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I just passed my Advanced Driving Test last week and highly recommend joining the IAM. Well worth it and only £85. How many BSM ordinary lessons would that buy these days? 3 or 4?
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Matt35 - I have received your email address and will reply directly. I would be very grateful for any info.
Borasport20 - I can assure you that I'm not a Saxo driver, unwilling to listen to advice. Rather the reverse. I am a little bored with driving at the moment so anything that adds interest (whilst improving safety) is welcome .
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enr1 - I didn't think you were, otherwise you wouldn't have asked the question in the first place, indeed, you probably wouldn't be posting in the backroom.
It just strikes me that whilst there are some 19/20 yr olds who do have the maturity to take on board what IAM or Rospa teach, most of the Max Power readers would be bored stupid and brassed off after a couple of observed runs and would give up, never to return.
talk to matt, go and do it. If you develop the skills necessary for a proper commentary, your observation and anticipation will be well above average and your chances of staying out of somebody elses accident are so much greater
have fun
Bora - what Bora ?
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