IAM Drive and Survive Course

[Euro1300]

I have one booked (compulsory for anyone doing more than 10k business miles) at work.

What does it entail? - is it actually worth doing, or will I get some adenoidal 'Nigel' in a cardigan lecturing me on my driving?

[R0G]

Euro1300 said:

I have one booked (compulsory for anyone doing more than 10k business miles) at work.

What does it entail? - is it actually worth doing, or will I get some adenoidal 'Nigel' in a cardigan lecturing me on my driving?

It is basically a short driver awareness course and if the person in the passenger seat is any good they will ADVISE on possible alternatives/options which you perhaps have not considered

If they ever TELL you to do or not do something apart from directions then they are crap

It should concentrate on your way of thinking but not tell you what or how to think


One example might be if you negotiated a roundabout by hogging the left when it was totally clear with nobody else in sight - you might be asked why you did not straight line it

Another might be if you signal to exit the above - you might be asked why when there is nobody else there


If using a standard 5 speed box and doing 30 in 4th and braking a lot you might be asked why you are not using 3rd for flexibility so you can just ease off

Why keep going at same speed when the lights 500 yards ahead have just gone to red .... I think you get the idea

Those are a few examples but there are loads more

[7db]

How good a driver are you?

• * *

If you are doing it solely because you have to, then you will get out of the day having ticked the box. Super. Job done.

If you think you want to improve your driving, then you might find some things to think on, perhaps to copy, that might improve your driving.

If you don't know whether your driving needs improving (or if you think you drive well already, or you don't know what "improve" means when it comes to driving) then you might find a yardstick for measuring quality of a drive.

I guess you get out of it what you put in. It's a team effort with the co-driver. Even if you do get Nigel.

[Benbay001]

Euro1300 said:

What does it entail? - is it actually worth doing, or will I get some adenoidal 'Nigel' in a cardigan lecturing me on my driving?

As stupid as it sound, you will get out of it what you put in.
If you go expecting to kill a few hours then revert back to your normal style, then you wont learn much.

It may open your eyes up to a whole new way of thinking. Only you can decide.

[waremark]

Please report back.

I expect he will start by asking you about your own thoughts on your driving and if there are any aspects you are not happy with yourself.

I think he might talk about statistically where and why most accidents happen and ask you how you think you can keep yourself out of them.

[MC Bodge]

I did one of these (or something very similar) in ~2001.

1 full day. 2 of us in the car with one IAM observer.

I quite enjoyed it and got some useful things from it, although many of my colleagues didn't appear to have engaged with it.

[7mike]

R0G said:

If they ever TELL you to do or not do something apart from directions then they are crap

Oh goody, I'm not crap then

although I did recently TELL someone we were not going anywhere with their jack & other associated crap lying in the passenger well

TBH Why would I bother telling people what to do? As others have said, you get out of the day what you are prepared to put in. Either way, I get paid, it's just more rewarding working with motivated people. I leave the 'do it my way' attitude to the local IAM group (yes, not representative of all groups, but that is my experience).

[SVS]

Hi Euro1300, as long as your instructor's half-decent, then it'll certainly be worth doing.

[R0G]

SVS said:

Hi Euro1300, as long as your instructor's half-decent, then it'll certainly be worth doing.

Are they there as instructors?

[MC Bodge]

R0G said:

SVS said:

Hi Euro1300, as long as your instructor's half-decent, then it'll certainly be worth doing.

Are they there as instructors?

Please, let's not take it in this direction...

Why don't we be constructive rather than just being pedantic and living up to the Advanced Driving stereotype.

[jamesallport]

They're ADIs employed by the commercial arm of IAM. So it's lawful for them to instruct for money. Of course to be effective I'd argue that they should be coaching not instructing...

[watchnut]

drive as you normally drive, don't think your on a test, then when he starts to ask you WHY you did something, WHEN you did it, and HOW you could have done it differently, and WHERE you could have started the action you took, and WHAT the effect could have been on other road users/yourself you will find yourself driving better.

Most people lack decent forward planning and awarness, approaching situations/hazzards too fast without consideration to other road users. Like already said, if you approach it with the right "!attitude" you will learn something about yourself.

Your company are putting you on this course to help with your safety on the roads, and of course reducing the amount of accidents their fleet is suffering, the days lost on the road for the vehicle, the days work they loose for your days off recovering from accidents, and also improved fuel ecconomy......remember the harder you brake....the more fuel you have burnt

If anyone thinks they can't learn from any further instruction/advise then they are a fool