Passed IAM - now what?
Discussion
On Friday I passed my IAM test 
which went rather well. It was interesting to read MagicalTrevor's 2009 IAM diary - the organisation was different, in particular different observers each time, but there was that same lull in the middle where I wondered what the point of it all was. Fortunately my test experience was far better than the one described there, though I was lucky to have a drive that mirrors my own driving preferences (semi-rural A roads) and I'm really pleased with the outcome. This thread is me asking about where next, but I'm happy to discuss the experience too.
Anyway I'm conscious of the hazard that, like post-DSA, the hard work is done and laziness can now creep in. Because I'm re-enfranchised (?) by the experience and have bought back into the techniques, I'm not too concerned about this in the short term, but I still don't like the 'skill for life' single event nature of it, though I understand why it's done this way.
I wondered about something 'further' like RoSPA Gold but it's hard to gauge how active the Hampshire group is. My examiner also suggested that it might not actually bring me any more benefit.
Another possibility is becoming an IAM observer, which would be for different reasons but also feeds back into keeping the interest alive. I'm not sure how I feel about this; it's not my natural inclination to teach, really, but a factor is that I'm 28 and feel I could potentially make a difference between some prospective candidates taking it up or dismissing it as something for old men (in my local group's defence, the intake has a reasonable demographic mix). I haven't any practical info about it yet, but I will consider it.
Anything else of note that you might suggest?
which went rather well. It was interesting to read MagicalTrevor's 2009 IAM diary - the organisation was different, in particular different observers each time, but there was that same lull in the middle where I wondered what the point of it all was. Fortunately my test experience was far better than the one described there, though I was lucky to have a drive that mirrors my own driving preferences (semi-rural A roads) and I'm really pleased with the outcome. This thread is me asking about where next, but I'm happy to discuss the experience too.Anyway I'm conscious of the hazard that, like post-DSA, the hard work is done and laziness can now creep in. Because I'm re-enfranchised (?) by the experience and have bought back into the techniques, I'm not too concerned about this in the short term, but I still don't like the 'skill for life' single event nature of it, though I understand why it's done this way.
I wondered about something 'further' like RoSPA Gold but it's hard to gauge how active the Hampshire group is. My examiner also suggested that it might not actually bring me any more benefit.
Another possibility is becoming an IAM observer, which would be for different reasons but also feeds back into keeping the interest alive. I'm not sure how I feel about this; it's not my natural inclination to teach, really, but a factor is that I'm 28 and feel I could potentially make a difference between some prospective candidates taking it up or dismissing it as something for old men (in my local group's defence, the intake has a reasonable demographic mix). I haven't any practical info about it yet, but I will consider it.
Anything else of note that you might suggest?
Don said:
Hi Trashbat,
At 28 you'd be a young Observer. The IAM needs young people badly. But being an Observer is about putting something back into your Group - it's not about furthering your driving.
True - the former would be the reason for doing it, but I think it would also stop what I learnt with IAM turning into one of those certificates you file away under 'done'. A few people have made your first comment so I think it's something I'll pursue.At 28 you'd be a young Observer. The IAM needs young people badly. But being an Observer is about putting something back into your Group - it's not about furthering your driving.
Don said:
Rospa is interesting as they grade their test results. A Gold is definitely an achievement. As someone who has passed the IAM you are probably already at their Silver standard (if not Gold) and you might find the experience fun. I certainly learned a few more tips and tricks when I did the Rospa test. Also they re-test every three years - which keeps you on your toes. I've been determined to hold onto a Gold for the last ten years now. So far so good but will I slip?
The IAM have a f1rst attempt at a tiered system as well 
Incidentally the examiner commented mid-drive that most IAM passes they see would be equivalent to Bronze. Personally I think I was lucky in my test in that the nature of the drive was conducive to showing my strengths rather than testing my weaknesses, and thus going for Gold would require more honing of skill and thus add value, but it's difficult to self-assess. If anyone has any recent experience of RoADAR Hants then I'd love to hear about it.Don said:
Another (really fun) direction is to get some professional instruction in skid recovery and the like. This costs real money but is a hoot. (Sliding around in an old Beamer on an oiled skid pan. What a laugh...) Some track instruction can be revealing about car control too - knowing about limits can help you make sure you never reach them at the wrong time!
Both of these are of interest - I've kind of considered them (esp. track) to be the preserve of those with performance cars, but I guess it's not necessarily the case, and certainly skid pan and the like is of value to anyone.Don said:
AND CONGRATULATIONS!
Ta!Rob
Synchromesh said:
High Performance relates to the driver and not the car, thus there are no requirements in terms of what you drive. In fact, one of the best HPC members I've driven with has a 207 diesel.
I was hoping this might be the case. Good to know, and one I'll consider for the medium term then. Thanks for the advice.S. Gonzales Esq. said:
I'd be keen to see a thread about the test. It was my impression that routes were planned to include all types of roads, so I'm interested in the idea that your test played to your strengths.
It did involve all types of road, from village centre to motorway, but it was predominantly ones where progress was enabled (even got in an overtake). It did not involve any manoeuvres. This is in contrast to my IAM sessions which have, partly due to starting location and time constraints, been far more urban - which changes things a little. I suspect that individuals also have a preference for the type of driving they like to observe/examine/do themselves.In this case we started off somewhere more remote. Taking what I said about strengths, it feels to me that 90 degree turns highlight IPSGA and in particular brake/gear separation more than a series of roundabouts, although of course a good observer would spot correct technique in either.
Does that make sense?
S. Gonzales Esq. said:
That sounds more like the test was what I'd expect, but you perhaps didn't get enough open-road stuff during the course. Having said that, it would be fairly standard practice to introduce The System on simple left turns and slow speed junctions, rather than throwing an associate at a fast bend and hoping they sort things out in time.
I reckon the more enjoyable aspects of Advanced Driving tend to be found out of town, and often think it's a shame that the IAM preparation isn't more biased towards this. Once the examiner has satisfied themselves you're not a total liability, they'll be looking for how you actually drive the car rather than how you park it.
Our group is based in centre of Southampton, and does the majority if not all of its drives on a one hour, once a month Sunday session. It takes a reasonable amount of time to get anywhere more interesting (A272 etc) so it is a kind of self limiting arrangement. This is not necessarily true of all groups - some may make individual arrangements with longer run times.I reckon the more enjoyable aspects of Advanced Driving tend to be found out of town, and often think it's a shame that the IAM preparation isn't more biased towards this. Once the examiner has satisfied themselves you're not a total liability, they'll be looking for how you actually drive the car rather than how you park it.
It's that kind of driving that was the motivation to join the IAM, and although I didn't get to do any observed sessions really focused on that, I did learn a lot that I applied to it in my own time.
The feedback I gave on the overall course:
You receive some written feedback, for example
:
me said:
The approach of different observers for each run is an interesting one that I'm sure comes up a lot. On one hand it offers variety and different areas of focus - I found that each observer typically places most value on a particular aspect. This is valuable, especially towards the end when polishing.
On the other hand I think there is a lack of a continuous narrative that you get with most forms of training, especially with regard to candidate progress, and if you take something like brake/gear separation then it is a slow transition that needs evaluation and refinement, rather than being binary ready-or-not. I got a couple of hints that some observers discuss progress with each other, and the run sheets also help to a degree, but perhaps there could be more. I don't know quite what.
I have talked to a few people that took various advanced driving courses and they all say that there's a slump in the middle. A web poster here describes it well, under 'Saturday 6th March':
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I agree with that - there is a point in one's progress where brake/gear separation in particular does not come easily and yet (at that point) it's hard to see what the real benefit is going to be in the long term, even if you can understand the theory of why you're doing it. It's easy to forget this in retrospect once the system is ingrained. I don't know what candidate attrition is like but if it's an issue then this may be a reason. Perhaps setting the learning expectations or some kind of mentor contact would help, I'm not sure - back again to the narrative issue.
I found that different observers varied between dogmatic ('we always do it this way') and pragmatic ('you judge what's appropriate in this context'), especially in earlier sessions where I was looking for total guidance and answers to questions, rather than refining my approach. This can appear to produce contradictory advice, even if it isn't necessarily. The same dogma can also make its way into the focus of a whole run; in one later session push-pull technique was concentrated on as an answer to better manoeuvres and an underlying problem of not really knowing the bounds of the car.
It's more of a wish and difficult to accommodate given time and location constraints, but I personally would have liked to see a bit more route tailoring. The type of driving I enjoy most is typically something like a progress-oriented run of about two hours on the A272, and this is naturally not very well represented. Equally I commute out of Southampton to the countryside north of Romsey, and being able to do observed sessions relating to a regular journey like this would in my view create far stronger mental links about what to improve on - 'ah, this is that bend where I need to improve my positioning' etc. The underlying message is making sure it's relevant to the individual's typical driving environments, because it's in unsupervised driving that the real improvements are made.
So, at exam time... The assessment sheet includes scores on:On the other hand I think there is a lack of a continuous narrative that you get with most forms of training, especially with regard to candidate progress, and if you take something like brake/gear separation then it is a slow transition that needs evaluation and refinement, rather than being binary ready-or-not. I got a couple of hints that some observers discuss progress with each other, and the run sheets also help to a degree, but perhaps there could be more. I don't know quite what.
I have talked to a few people that took various advanced driving courses and they all say that there's a slump in the middle. A web poster here describes it well, under 'Saturday 6th March':
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I agree with that - there is a point in one's progress where brake/gear separation in particular does not come easily and yet (at that point) it's hard to see what the real benefit is going to be in the long term, even if you can understand the theory of why you're doing it. It's easy to forget this in retrospect once the system is ingrained. I don't know what candidate attrition is like but if it's an issue then this may be a reason. Perhaps setting the learning expectations or some kind of mentor contact would help, I'm not sure - back again to the narrative issue.
I found that different observers varied between dogmatic ('we always do it this way') and pragmatic ('you judge what's appropriate in this context'), especially in earlier sessions where I was looking for total guidance and answers to questions, rather than refining my approach. This can appear to produce contradictory advice, even if it isn't necessarily. The same dogma can also make its way into the focus of a whole run; in one later session push-pull technique was concentrated on as an answer to better manoeuvres and an underlying problem of not really knowing the bounds of the car.
It's more of a wish and difficult to accommodate given time and location constraints, but I personally would have liked to see a bit more route tailoring. The type of driving I enjoy most is typically something like a progress-oriented run of about two hours on the A272, and this is naturally not very well represented. Equally I commute out of Southampton to the countryside north of Romsey, and being able to do observed sessions relating to a regular journey like this would in my view create far stronger mental links about what to improve on - 'ah, this is that bend where I need to improve my positioning' etc. The underlying message is making sure it's relevant to the individual's typical driving environments, because it's in unsupervised driving that the real improvements are made.
- Safety
- System
- Observation
- Positioning
- Hazard Management
- Planning
- Anticipation
- Eco-Driving
- Vehicle Sympathy
- Gear Changing
- Use of Gearbox
- Acceleration / Sense
- Braking
- Steering
- Mirrors / Rear observation
- Signals
- Cornering
- Overtaking
- Restraint
- Progress
- Smoothness
- Concentration
- Courtesy
- Legality
- Slow manoeuvring
- Knowledge
- Commentary
You receive some written feedback, for example
:remarks said:
Excellent drive, progressive/spirited when appropriate, speed limits complied with. Good understanding of the System. Observation levels & hazard perception also presented well in the drive. Good positioning & safety distances.
You are then recommended/not recommended. All credit to my examiner - he made it a very pleasant experience with good conversation that let the driving come naturally, rather unlike the silent DSA test where I was bricking it.Gassing Station | Advanced Driving | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff