Advance driving course costs
Discussion
IAmTheWalrus said:
What is the typical advance driving course costs for someone to learn safer driving?
If your focus is safety then I can't see a better value option than IAM or RoSPA. Usually I'd say go with the one with the better reputation/ presence locally. Your username does rather suggest the IAM for you?
many years ago now, but I did mine via a high performance course ("HPC" was a 'thing' last century, but quick google says it's not now).
that worked for me as it focused on the fun & skills side not just the nasal factors. you have to think in order to drive fast which helps learning all round.
that worked for me as it focused on the fun & skills side not just the nasal factors. you have to think in order to drive fast which helps learning all round.
CABC said:
many years ago now, but I did mine via a high performance course ("HPC" was a 'thing' last century, but quick google says it's not now).
that worked for me as it focused on the fun & skills side not just the nasal factors. you have to think in order to drive fast which helps learning all round.
Still around, but it'll be more expensive than IAM (but that of course doesn't mean it isn't better value. That'll depend on what you want from your course & your own starting point).that worked for me as it focused on the fun & skills side not just the nasal factors. you have to think in order to drive fast which helps learning all round.
http://www.high-performance-course.com
vonhosen said:
Still around, but it'll be more expensive than IAM (but that of course doesn't mean it isn't better value. That'll depend on what you want from your course & your own starting point).
http://www.high-performance-course.com
This is a question mark I have given I've driven 16 years no problem. Do they teach how to get out of sticky situations a tad better than steer into the unwanted lost control curve to get out of it? http://www.high-performance-course.com
IAmTheWalrus said:
This is a question mark I have given I've driven 16 years no problem. Do they teach how to get out of sticky situations a tad better than steer into the unwanted lost control curve to get out of it?
Any of the three options will give you the skills to identify early, and to avoid the sticky situations while driving safely, smoothly and progressively. There's no point learning how to get out of a sticky situation when they're far better avoided entirely.IAmTheWalrus said:
vonhosen said:
Still around, but it'll be more expensive than IAM (but that of course doesn't mean it isn't better value. That'll depend on what you want from your course & your own starting point).
http://www.high-performance-course.com
This is a question mark I have given I've driven 16 years no problem. Do they teach how to get out of sticky situations a tad better than steer into the unwanted lost control curve to get out of it? http://www.high-performance-course.com
Speaking from a RoSPA (RoADAR) point of view, we're a bit cheaper up front than IAM but the normal IAM test is 'for life' and you pay once. RoSPA, conversely, expect annual subs and the three yearly retest to keep you sharp so it balances out after that.
My local group, where I'm a tutor, charge £60 for your joining and membership (including the Roadcraft book, cheaper if you already have it). You then pay RoSPA HQ for the initial test (£50-ish) after you've concluded your training with the local group. After that, it's yearly subs (£20 in my case) to the local group and separate membership to RoSPA HQ (£33) but that includes your "free" three-yearly retest.
Either will serve you well, just see which is close to you and, if you have both in reach send a couple of emails. You'll likely be able to swing a taster (group depending obviously) and decide from there. I prefer RoSPA (obviously) and they work directly from Roadcraft, the emergency services' driving handbook. IAM have their own handbook and their own views but really it's much of a muchness in most ways that matter. I think (and I'm not sure) with IAM you generally get 'a' tutor who trains you up, whereas at our RoSPA group you cycle through every tutor we have to give you a broader experience and more views and, hopefully, help.
Either way, you'll learn a lot and it can only do you good. Enjoy it!
My local group, where I'm a tutor, charge £60 for your joining and membership (including the Roadcraft book, cheaper if you already have it). You then pay RoSPA HQ for the initial test (£50-ish) after you've concluded your training with the local group. After that, it's yearly subs (£20 in my case) to the local group and separate membership to RoSPA HQ (£33) but that includes your "free" three-yearly retest.
Either will serve you well, just see which is close to you and, if you have both in reach send a couple of emails. You'll likely be able to swing a taster (group depending obviously) and decide from there. I prefer RoSPA (obviously) and they work directly from Roadcraft, the emergency services' driving handbook. IAM have their own handbook and their own views but really it's much of a muchness in most ways that matter. I think (and I'm not sure) with IAM you generally get 'a' tutor who trains you up, whereas at our RoSPA group you cycle through every tutor we have to give you a broader experience and more views and, hopefully, help.
Either way, you'll learn a lot and it can only do you good. Enjoy it!
I'm in the midst of the HPC course. I've done two half days to get up to speed, plus a limit handling day, and I have at least two further days of instruction and assessment next year. I'm not treating it as a fixed price course and I'm not particularly focussed on passing as much as learning. The instruction I've received is enlightening as well as enjoyable, and I expect it to cost me a minimum of £1250 before any ongoing training. Money well spent in my opinion.
LunarOne said:
I'm in the midst of the HPC course. I've done two half days to get up to speed, plus a limit handling day, and I have at least two further days of instruction and assessment next year. I'm not treating it as a fixed price course and I'm not particularly focussed on passing as much as learning. The instruction I've received is enlightening as well as enjoyable, and I expect it to cost me a minimum of £1250 before any ongoing training. Money well spent in my opinion.
HPC is next on my list. 
For the OP, though, I would imagine a grounding in IAM/RoADAR would give them a taste for it (or not) and some grounding first. At less than £200 it's not a bad foundation imo.rix said:
Just looked at the HPC website and recognise one of their instructors, Carole, who I have also had the pleasure of her tutorship. Very much recommended
Yes, Carole is my course manager and she's a very capable driver and instructor. I hope to have got my head round braking and then changing gear, rather than changing to a lower gear and then braking, which is what I've been doing for the last 30 years! And for the last 10, I've been perfecting heel and toe gearchanges and for the last 4 making use of my Boxster's rev-matching feature, both of which count as BGOL which I am to avoid. Now that it's winter, I'm doing the majority of my driving in my automatic car and that's not helping me break my bad habit!Since 1974, and converted to 2021 values, I have spent around 230 GBP per year on post driving test additional instruction. Probably high level stamp collecting costs more! And I'm a bit OT on this so a normal person could budget for 50GBP per year and will still reduce risk dramatically.
I regard the cost as an integral, important cost of driving and vehicle ownership.
Almost all 'advanced' training in Australia is of the 'avoid-and-recover' type with no practical training of how to avoid incidents and reduce risk. 'instructors' on these courses set out exercises simulating (poorly) emergency stop situations, and rarely have less than 5 students at a time. Skills learnt are either put into practice too often because of the "I've been on a course...." attitude and every other driver is THE idiot (until the over confidence gets them), or the skills are forgotten very shortly after the course.
I regard the cost as an integral, important cost of driving and vehicle ownership.
Almost all 'advanced' training in Australia is of the 'avoid-and-recover' type with no practical training of how to avoid incidents and reduce risk. 'instructors' on these courses set out exercises simulating (poorly) emergency stop situations, and rarely have less than 5 students at a time. Skills learnt are either put into practice too often because of the "I've been on a course...." attitude and every other driver is THE idiot (until the over confidence gets them), or the skills are forgotten very shortly after the course.
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