Very expert perhaps, but are you sure? You may have passed the government test first time - and with ease - but this is a very basic examination. Passing it is merely the beginning of your career on the road and marks the starting point in the acquisition of mature roadcraft. Many motorists realise this, and want to reassure themselves that their skills are developing on the right lines.
This is what the Institute of Advanced Motorists is all about. Founded in June 1956, it is a non-profit making organisation registered as a charity and founded to promote road safety. It provides a means by which motorists can measure the progress they have made since taking off their L-plates.
Statistics indicate your chance of having an accident is cut by two-thirds if you pass the Advanced Test. Because of this you may benefit from lower insurance and motoring costs, plus the many other advantages of membership. Advanced Motorists are experts who set an example to others, are courteous, and enjoy their motoring more. If every road user passed the IAM Test and practised its standards at all times, there would be a dramatic fall in the figure of over 200,000 road casualties each year in Great Britian.
By joining your local Group - the Borders Group - as an "Associate" Member, you will be entitled to free guidance to enable you to reach the Advanced Test standard, at the heart of which is our Advanced Motoring Course. In the weeks following the course you will be expected to meet regularly with your Observer, who will help you reach the Advanced Test standard in a series of observed drives. The ultimate goal is to sit and pass the Test!
Having passed the Test, and been elected a "Full" Member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, you might want to consider further training with a view to becoming an Observer yourself, helping to pass on the vital skills of safer motoring to others - and keeping your own motoring up to a very high standard!
If you would like a "flavour" of what advanced motoring is about before committing yourself to join, you can ask for a "demonstration" drive or "assessment" drive.
In a "demonstration" drive one of our experienced Observers will give you a run in his/her car, let you see what's involved, and give you an explanation of what Advanced Motoring is about. In an "assessment" drive, one of our Observers will accompany you in your car, offer practical advice on on your performance, and explain how going for the Advanced Test could help you.
Our Saturday car courses take place at a convenient central location, currently BSW Timber, East End, Earlston, by kind permission of Mr. Sandy Brownlie, Chairman of BSW Timber. The course consists of a series of multi-media presentations covering topics such as "Observation", the "Planned System of Driving", "Cornering", and "Overtaking", which link in with the manual you receive as part of the course. After the course you will be assigned to an experienced member of the Group who has been trained as an "Observer". The Observer will accompany you on a series of runs in your vehicle at mutually agreed times, during which you will receive advice and constructive comments based on the theory taught in the introductory course. You will have an opportunity to discuss any matters arising out of each drive, and receive a thorough debriefing. The aim of these observed runs is to bring your driving up to the standard required by the Advanced Driving Test.
The Test lasts roughly 90 minutes and usually covers about 35 miles. It is of a level such as any motorist of reasonable experience and skill should pass without difficulty, and is based on the principles given in the manual you receive as part of your Associate Membership. The Test covers all types of traffic conditions including busy urban areas, main roads, narrow country roads, residential streets, and motorways/dual carriageways where circumstances allow. The Examiner will either accompany you in your car, or follow you on a motorcycle, if you are sitting the motorcycle Test. Route instructions will be given by the Examiner, and there may be checks on your powers of observation, either during the drive, or after the ride. The Examiner likes to see candidates observe all speed limits and drive/ride with due regard to road, traffic, and weather conditions. But he/she also wants to see you making good progress, driving up to the legal speed limit when circumstances permit.
Whatever the outcome at the end of the Test, you will learn much from the comprehensive debrief given by the Examiner, who will hold the highest police qualification in driving or riding.
Our Skill for Life package costs £139, and includes the following:
Associate Membership of the Borders Group of Advanced Motorists
A copy of the manual Advanced Driving - the essential guide
A place on one of our courses
Preparation for the Test
The fee for the Test
An automatic upgrade of your Associate status to Full Membership of the Institute (if you pass the Test within 12 months of first joining).
To find out more and obtain a membership pack, please contact the Membership Secretary by email or phone on 01573-450216.
Alternatively, you can purchase a Skill for Life package online by clicking here.
DriveCheck is a short Driving Assessment aimed at everyone who is interested in safer driving but who doesn't feel they are (yet) ready to take the IAM Advanced Test.
DriveCheck applicants are put in touch with their local IAM Group (the Borders Group of Advanced Motorists if you live in the Scottish Borders), who will in turn arrange a mutually convenient time for the assessment to take place.
It takes about an hour comprising an initial introduction (document check etc.), followed by a 35-40-minute drive with the Group Observer, followed by a feedback session, at which the candidate will be presented with a written feedback form.
DriveCheck candidates then become an Associate member of your local IAM Group for a period of 12 months.
The current cost of DriveCheck is £25.00. To apply online click here.
For comments and feedback on the pages, please contact the Borders Group Webmaster
Page last updated on 29th July 2009