IAM - how to attract younger drivers?

[MrKipling43]

What with all this talk of crap drivers (I take speeding driver to mean rubbish drivers in the news now) - shouldn't the IAM be doing more to encourage young drivers to to take the Advanced driving course?

They seem to have the dullest website on the internet and I couldn't find anything on Nigel Mansell on that site ANYWHERE! Isn't he meant to be their main ambassador now?

So, I have a couple of questions:

Isn't it time they dropped the 'safety' monicker and went more along the line of 'greater car control and improved driving'?

And,

Can you get a discount on car insurance if you have an IAM qualification and, if you do, roughly how much?

Cheers guys.

[MrKipling43]

Don said:

MrKipling43 said:

Isn't it time they dropped the 'safety' monicker and went more along the line of 'greater car control and improved driving'?

No. Safety has been a key aspect of the Institute for 50 years. The idea is to improve safety by 'greater car control and improved driving' etc etc. But you can't seperate the two IMO.

Sorry, didn't make myself clear... for 'Da yoof' promote the idea the that safety stems from 'greater car control and improved driving' - but pull them in with the greater car control part instead of safety, rather than seperate the two issues.

One of the ideas I had was to to 'IAM camps' based out of race circuits for a weekend. They can drive on the circuit and be taught on the surrounding roads by specially trained race drivers. Much 'cooler' than joining a local IAM club full of Saab drivers

Thanks for the info.

Edited by MrKipling43 on Wednesday 15th November 12:50

[MrKipling43]

Wow! There are some great ideas here.

As for what can be taught to kids on a track... I think RZD summed it up perfectly - it's all about teaching what do do when they (inevitably) experiment with their car's limits. Accept that fact that many of them may drive a bit too quickly and take a pragmatic approach to teaching them how to deal with it. I particularly like the idea of the water-soaked corner.

There's nothing worse for a late teen than being PROVED wrong... if you said to them, "right, drive round this corner as quickly as you can", they will think they're Jenson Button. Until, that is, you send a racing driver round who carries another 10mph with them in the car - watch their face drop and their attention level soar!

'Teenagers: know your limits!"

Anyway, all race circuits are near real roads... you could take them out onto roads as well as on the track.

As for the insurance thing: I've been driving for seven years and Admiral knocked £100 off my quote for being an advanced driver... yes, that £100 NOT £10. Whichever way you cut it, that's a fair chunk of money for me - imagine the savings for an 18 year old!

[MrKipling43]

Being taught on the roads has no relevance to Advanced driver training? That's weird. How do you do it then?

[MrKipling43]

I'm sure he did, but that wasn't what i was suggesting.

[MrKipling43]

Well you use the opportunity to drive on a circuit to attract younger kids and show them how cars react to certain situations, and the surrounding roads to teach them advanced driving.

[MrKipling43]

True - although I'm not really thinking along the lines of circuit tuition as in 'this is the racing line' - just the opportunity to have a safe environment in which to experiment with the kids, teach car control techniques and what will happen if you do breach a car's limits.

It will also mean you can control the conditions of driving and demonstrate the differences between a wet and a dry road.

I also think you need to get the parents... I wonder how many 18 year olds actually pay for their own cars and insurance.

Edited by MrKipling43 on Thursday 16th November 16:33

[MrKipling43]

The other great thing about 'wheel-shuffling' is that you don't end up with a perfect reversed inprint of your watch bezel in your forehead when the airbag goes off during an 'in-corner' head on collision.