IAM Membership
Discussion
My renewal has just arrived, and £47... 
Kept it going for the past few years for the discount at Bike Stop, but genuinely I'm starting to wonder if I bother renewing. The magazine never seems to hold any interest, at times the noises coming out of the organisation I find it difficult to agree with and selfishly I'm struggling to see any return on spending nigh on fifty quid with them. It would be a shame to depart after 19 years, but it's not pocket change.
Be interested to hear other people's thoughts and experiences, and indeed if someone can convince me to renew!
Kept it going for the past few years for the discount at Bike Stop, but genuinely I'm starting to wonder if I bother renewing. The magazine never seems to hold any interest, at times the noises coming out of the organisation I find it difficult to agree with and selfishly I'm struggling to see any return on spending nigh on fifty quid with them. It would be a shame to depart after 19 years, but it's not pocket change.
Be interested to hear other people's thoughts and experiences, and indeed if someone can convince me to renew!
I see it as a guilt free way to show chuggers the door. My line to them is I already sponsor a charity. I keep an additional membership with my old local IAM group too, even though I moved away a long time ago.
Agree with you about the lack of benefits from being a member. Most of the ‘benefits’ are just marketing.
Agree with you about the lack of benefits from being a member. Most of the ‘benefits’ are just marketing.
itcaptainslow said:
My renewal has just arrived, and £47...
Kept it going for the past few years for the discount at Bike Stop, but genuinely I'm starting to wonder if I bother renewing. The magazine never seems to hold any interest, at times the noises coming out of the organisation I find it difficult to agree with and selfishly I'm struggling to see any return on spending nigh on fifty quid with them. It would be a shame to depart after 19 years, but it's not pocket change.
Be interested to hear other people's thoughts and experiences, and indeed if someone can convince me to renew!
Earlier this year I gave notice that I don't want to renew next year for pretty much all the same reasons as you set out. I skim the magazine but find little that interests me. I always thought the word 'Institute' needed updating but 'I Am Smart'? If that doesn't sound arrogant and condescending, I don't know what does!Kept it going for the past few years for the discount at Bike Stop, but genuinely I'm starting to wonder if I bother renewing. The magazine never seems to hold any interest, at times the noises coming out of the organisation I find it difficult to agree with and selfishly I'm struggling to see any return on spending nigh on fifty quid with them. It would be a shame to depart after 19 years, but it's not pocket change.
Be interested to hear other people's thoughts and experiences, and indeed if someone can convince me to renew!
I have to agree and I passed my car test in 1988.
I very nearly gave them the push when they appear to have failed to respond to the rash of speed limit reductions GB wide (brought in by the last b’stard labour administration – continued by the tossers) and the dumbing down of driving and, failed to appear to respond to the mantra of ‘speed kills’ that still infects us today.
I would have thought they would have been campaigning hard to promote that better skilled drivers are the key to safer roads not the one size fits all of speed limit reductions.
That (at the time) appeared to have been left to the ABD and another group of people/ campaigners, whose name escapes. Not sure what success they had, but I never read about objection made by IAM who I thought were a campaigning group and sat at the “Top Table” of road safety and had influence not just there for the tea and biscuits and to agree with every other hand wringing, the speed limit should be 40mph, red flag waving t
ts.
The mag, when I joined had interesting articles every few months and I actually looked forward to receiving it. Now it just gets a flick through and recycled – not interested in electric, self-driving, cycling or cheap cruising with herty gerty and I do wonder if the letters/queries are written by real people or just office staff as I find some of them are hard to believe. Do members/people actually write that st?
The problem with the fee increase is that I never noticed until it arrived yesterday thought it was still in the £30s.
I actually read the leaflet and joked about the strap line – “membership card identifies you as one of the UK’s most skilled road users”, then i realised it was £47.
Mmm really, I drive like everyone else ‘cause it’s so congested and the speed limit is so fking low it does not need any skill to drive anymore so “advanced” driving is just about obsolete.
(of course, I might be wrong and they may have campaigned hard but failed against the tide of brake and civil servants etc, if they did, it was not obvious)
I very nearly gave them the push when they appear to have failed to respond to the rash of speed limit reductions GB wide (brought in by the last b’stard labour administration – continued by the tossers) and the dumbing down of driving and, failed to appear to respond to the mantra of ‘speed kills’ that still infects us today.
I would have thought they would have been campaigning hard to promote that better skilled drivers are the key to safer roads not the one size fits all of speed limit reductions.
That (at the time) appeared to have been left to the ABD and another group of people/ campaigners, whose name escapes. Not sure what success they had, but I never read about objection made by IAM who I thought were a campaigning group and sat at the “Top Table” of road safety and had influence not just there for the tea and biscuits and to agree with every other hand wringing, the speed limit should be 40mph, red flag waving t
ts.The mag, when I joined had interesting articles every few months and I actually looked forward to receiving it. Now it just gets a flick through and recycled – not interested in electric, self-driving, cycling or cheap cruising with herty gerty and I do wonder if the letters/queries are written by real people or just office staff as I find some of them are hard to believe. Do members/people actually write that s
t?The problem with the fee increase is that I never noticed until it arrived yesterday thought it was still in the £30s.
I actually read the leaflet and joked about the strap line – “membership card identifies you as one of the UK’s most skilled road users”, then i realised it was £47.
Mmm really, I drive like everyone else ‘cause it’s so congested and the speed limit is so f
king low it does not need any skill to drive anymore so “advanced” driving is just about obsolete. (of course, I might be wrong and they may have campaigned hard but failed against the tide of brake and civil servants etc, if they did, it was not obvious)
Interesting to see my sentiment is shared.
I'd be interested in taking the Masters - it's 19 years since I passed the car test, and around six since doing the bike version. It's always good to check there isn't any skill fade...!
Are there any alternatives to the Masters with another organisation?
I'd be interested in taking the Masters - it's 19 years since I passed the car test, and around six since doing the bike version. It's always good to check there isn't any skill fade...!
Are there any alternatives to the Masters with another organisation?
Motorcycles are still alive and thriving with IAM groups - car groups struggling by comparison.
I'm a bike examiner for IAM Roadsmart and there are lots of very active riders keeping IAM bike training on the boil.
Bike Masters is a decent challenge and well worth the money if you're looking for continuous improvement.
I'm a bike examiner for IAM Roadsmart and there are lots of very active riders keeping IAM bike training on the boil.
Bike Masters is a decent challenge and well worth the money if you're looking for continuous improvement.
itcaptainslow said:
Interesting to see my sentiment is shared.
I'd be interested in taking the Masters - it's 19 years since I passed the car test, and around six since doing the bike version. It's always good to check there isn't any skill fade...!
Are there any alternatives to the Masters with another organisation?
ROADAR/RoSPA has 3 year retesting. I guess the Masters & Fellowship were the IAM responses to this.I'd be interested in taking the Masters - it's 19 years since I passed the car test, and around six since doing the bike version. It's always good to check there isn't any skill fade...!
Are there any alternatives to the Masters with another organisation?
I did the Masters earlier in the year and enjoyed it, but I did feel that my time would have been better spent doing more with the HPC but I'm considering becoming an Observer to help share the benefit of the knowledge I've gained over the years. It's more about trying to improve driving standards one driver at a time.
My local IAM car group is struggling, as are many others. The bike groups seem to thrive though. No doubt a biker might be able to describe why - higher risk on today's roads therefore more benefit?
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