I've been driving for some time now and have picked up quite a few bad habits over the years.

Two years ago I was involved in a high speed crash while overtaking a line of traffic and was reported for Careless Driving. To avoid a trip to court and points I opted for a Driver Improvement Program which was a kind of "advanced driving for beginners". It got me thinking about advanced driving proper.

A lot has happened since then, but it's still on my mind. I'm now in a position where I can afford to do it properly and will very shortly have a new car to look after too.

So, are there any advanced drivers on here? What have you gained most from it?

If I were to commit to taking a test should I use the IAM or RoADA? Are there any other bodies doing similar courses?

Gavin.

what was the exact name of the course you took?

I had to take a 'driving awareness' course when I was done for driving without due care just over two years ago. It wasn't like advanced driving at all.

Can't remember exactly what it was called now - was two years ago. The guy running it was a senior observer from the IAM and the instructors were all from the police driver training school. So, whilst it wasn't officially an Advanced Driving course, it was all "Roadcraft" based.

Ah right.

Mine was run by council bods, and a few driving instructors.

Wasn't particularly taxing, and a get out of jail free card (almost literally)

I did the IAM course following a voluntary driver improvement course run by the local po-leece for younger drivers, which I enjoyed. Unfortunately it turns out I didn't have the temprament for it - sticking to the motorway speed limit (I like to do 71 sometimes :devil, not swearing when someone tries to kill me and trying to be invisible all the time are not in my nature So I took the bits I enjoyed and was good at - the hazard perception, driving to conditions and cornering for example and disregarded the rest

I'd say it's worth doing and even if you don't pass, you'll learn a lot. If you're 25 or under, you get it cheaper as well

I did the IAM many centuries ago - basically because my instructor was ex-police so taught me to that level. Having the certificate (& a badge on the front of my car) gave me a huge discount on car insurance - handy to have when your young & buy a new car.
I have a feeling I was supposed to retake the exam or do updates (or something or other) but never got around to it, and they never sent me anything.
Taking the course was hugely beneficial as it gave me a huge awareness of driving & helped me with my PSV & HGV, I learned loads of handy hints and tips which I feel I have carried with me.

puntokris said:

Ah right.

Mine was run by council bods, and a few driving instructors.

Wasn't particularly taxing, and a get out of jail free card (almost literally)

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Mine was fairly similar, council run and not terribly taxing. They just used police instructors and a bloke from the IAM to run it

Helz said:

I did the IAM course following a voluntary driver improvement course run by the local po-leece for younger drivers, which I enjoyed. Unfortunately it turns out I didn't have the temprament for it - sticking to the motorway speed limit (I like to do 71 sometimes ), not swearing when someone tries to kill me and trying to be invisible all the time are not in my nature So I took the bits I enjoyed and was good at - the hazard perception, driving to conditions and cornering for example and disregarded the rest

I'd say it's worth doing and even if you don't pass, you'll learn a lot. If you're 25 or under, you get it cheaper as well

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I can't imagine it would be easy to be "invisible at all times" in the car in your avatar Helz! Were the bits you got from it worth the cost?

I haven't been under 25 for quite a while so it will be full price for me. Insurance may come down though

sludgeguts said:

I did the IAM many centuries ago - basically because my instructor was ex-police so taught me to that level. Having the certificate (& a badge on the front of my car) gave me a huge discount on car insurance - handy to have when your young & buy a new car.
I have a feeling I was supposed to retake the exam or do updates (or something or other) but never got around to it, and they never sent me anything.

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I think the IAM is for life (from what I can see), it's the RoSPA/RoADA course which has to be re-taken every 3 years. If you don't mind me asking what sort of %age did you get off your insurance? Is it still giving you a discount now?

Currently trying to weigh up whether the financial outlay is worth the driving benefit...

Any more advanced drivers on here? Or IAM/RoADA instructors?

If memory serves, I got 50% with the co-op rising to 67% within a very short time (2 years?) but was still paying about £600 fully comp on a new car.
I think I mentioned it when I changed companies a few years back & was told I'd need to update. As I was already on full NCB, I could only expect an extra 5% & seem to remember thinking it wasn't worth it.

I'm I.A.M. and a driving instructor for 21 years. I was also an instructor on the National Driver Improvement Scheme which some people may have been on. The N.D.I.S. is not really meant to be too taxing. The skill level is set at something that is appropriate to the people attending it. Every body on the scheme is there because they have committed a very simple, basic error. If the bar is set too high, no-one will benefit as their driving skills will not be high enough to improve. In other words the gap between actual driving ability and the level the course aspires to will be too great.
If you wish to improve further, join the I.A.M. If that's not enough, try R.O.S.P.A. You could also try reading any book by Paul Ripley which will give you a tremendous amount of information about driving (on the roads) to an advanced standard. Beyond that, look for anything written by Sir John Whitmore for high performance driving. Most of Whitmore's books were written
30-40 years ago, but are still very relevant.

Thanks for the info sludgenuts, I'll check with my insurance.

Very comprehensive post, The Beard, thank you! Browsing around the forums at http://www.advanced-driving.co.uk/ there seems to be a huge debate between IAM and RoSPA/RoADAR, and these only appear to be the start!

The decision is all made more complicated as I have both groups on my doorstep. In fact they actually meet at the same place, albeit on different days.

lets be honest, every bloke thinks he is a great driver and doesnt need advanded driving training becaue he already knows it all. testosterone is great stuff.

jug said:

lets be honest, every bloke thinks he is a great driver and doesnt need advanded driving training becaue he already knows it all. testosterone is great stuff.

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Really? I've been in enough situations to know that my driving is far from perfect. I guess having had the opportunity to be taken on a commented drive by a holder of a police class 1 opened my eyes somewhat!

After some research I'm thinking IAM now and possibly go further with RoADA later. Just need to get a car now (build date Monday).

jug said:

lets be honest, every bloke thinks he is a great driver and doesnt need advanded driving training becaue he already knows it all. testosterone is great stuff.

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Sadly, every kid who has just passed his test (and even some who have only had one lesson) thinks they are the world's greatest.
What many of them fail to realise is that it is only down to the experience of other road users that they are still driving their pimpmobiles.
I've had many an experience where I've felt there could be a problem & driven accordingly to be met with a near miss. Had I not reduced my speed or changed position in a lane, things could have turned out for the worse.
And the sad thing is, some young drivers aren't insured because it's too expensive.