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[jereboam]

Anybody here got any thoughts about or experience of Advanced Driving and the IAM?

[cockneyboy100]

go for it mate, may get cheaper insurance

[Elite Pete]

Auto Addict is the man to ask

[waspy]

My Grandad (rest his soul) was an instructer with the IAM & a member of ROSPA. His driving was   & i hope over the last ten years from his departure of this world they've banned people like him.
I'm not joking either

But if you feel the need, then go for it bod, but as for what iv'e seen it doesn't make ALL a better driver.

[Auto Addict]

Anybody here got any thoughts about or experience of Advanced Driving and the IAM?

The RoSPA test is better, as I understand it, the Advanced Driving test is equivanlent to bronze in RoSPA.

You only take the Advanced Driving test once, for life.

The RoSPA test has to be re-taken every 3 years, the levels are:-

Diploma, Gold, Silver, Bronze.

Log on to the RoSPA web site, follow the links, and you will find your local group.

Well worth taking.

[Vamps]

go for it mate, may get cheaper insurance

Not these days, in my experience, sadly.
May get a discount but only with expensive companies, have not tried IAM insurance for a number of years.

[jereboam]

I actually raised this topic because of my experience with the IAM - I want to know whether I was just unlucky.

I decided to have a go at the advanced driving test because a couple of health problems may at some stage make it a bit more difficult for me to get insurance - I wanted to prove that I was a competent driver.  So I joined up, paid my fee and was ignored for 6 months due to shambolic local organisation.  They sent me a big red book, which I read through in detail, and it got me worried, because I didn't agree with some of the things in it.  The book is allegedly based on the police "Roadcraft" manual, and I subsequently bought a copy of that, and had no problems with it - great book.

Eventually, I was taken out for a number of "observed drives", and instructed how to hammer along through the back lanes of Suffolk at speeds I didn't feel at all happy about.  The Omega auto is not ideally suited to that kind of driving, and the garage found a broken spring next time it was serviced, but never mind that.  After a few months, I was told I was ready for the test - I didn't feel at all confident about it.  For some strange reason, instead of getting a test with the Suffolk examiner, I got assigned to the Colchester examiner.  He didn't seem to agree with anything I had learned.  

I failed the test because I drove very, very badly.  The main reason for this was that I had had a winter flu jab two days before, and I was feeling absolutely lousy - I should have cancelled the test, but my judgement was so poor I thought I could do it.  Never mind - water under the bridge.

The thing I'm interested in is the "advanced driving" itself.  I was totally unimpressed with what I was shown ("taught" isn't the right word), and I'm inclined to think that I was a better and safer driver before I started.

Anybody got any opinions on this?

[waspy]

I actually raised this topic because of my experience with the IAM - I want to know whether I was just unlucky.

I decided to have a go at the advanced driving test because a couple of health problems may at some stage make it a bit more difficult for me to get insurance - I wanted to prove that I was a competent driver.  So I joined up, paid my fee and was ignored for 6 months due to shambolic local organisation.  They sent me a big red book, which I read through in detail, and it got me worried, because I didn't agree with some of the things in it.  The book is allegedly based on the police "Roadcraft" manual, and I subsequently bought a copy of that, and had no problems with it - great book.

Eventually, I was taken out for a number of "observed drives", and instructed how to hammer along through the back lanes of Suffolk at speeds I didn't feel at all happy about.  The Omega auto is not ideally suited to that kind of driving, and the garage found a broken spring next time it was serviced, but never mind that.  After a few months, I was told I was ready for the test - I didn't feel at all confident about it.  For some strange reason, instead of getting a test with the Suffolk examiner, I got assigned to the Colchester examiner.  He didn't seem to agree with anything I had learned.  

I failed the test because I drove very, very badly.  The main reason for this was that I had had a winter flu jab two days before, and I was feeling absolutely lousy - I should have cancelled the test, but my judgement was so poor I thought I could do it.  Never mind - water under the bridge.

The thing I'm interested in is the "advanced driving" itself.  I was totally unimpressed with what I was shown ("taught" isn't the right word), and I'm inclined to think that I was a better and safer driver before I started.

Anybody got any opinions on this?

As my previous post  

[Vamps]

My experiences were very different, I was taught by Met Police Drivers, amoung others, and examined by a Met Police instructor. Started my test at Hertford Police Headquaters, welyn Garden City iirc, back in 1990
Whilst I seem to remember not agreeing with everything it helped me to become a better driver. One area on looking ahead and thinking ahead was not new, I hold a PSV and HGV, or whatever they are called no, so thinking and looking ahead were natural and necessary.

I have never benefited from cheap insurance, did try but not now, though I keep my membership up I am not involved in any local groups.