Riding school
A government-supported advanced riding course that is designed to appeal to riders of all abilities and experience
DVSA approved ERS
THE AIM OF the Enhanced Rider Scheme (ERS) is to provide a stepping-stone into advanced riding,” explains instructor Si Hayes. “There has always been a void between when people pass their test and their later years, when they decide advanced riding courses with charities such as the IAM or ROSPA are a good idea. The issue is that when you have just gained your licence, or even if you are already experienced, the thought of advanced riding with these charities can be intimidating, as it is perceived as an ‘elite’ course. ERS was set up in 2009 by the government’s Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to encourage new, or experienced, riders to attend a more relaxed advanced riding course aimed at improving their safety on the road.”
The ERS consists of lots of separate modules that cover techniques such as filtering, riding in the wet, motorways, carrying a passenger, riding in groups and even riding abroad. However, today I’m taking the core module, a general assessment of your riding and a look at setting the foundations for advancedriding techniques. “It’s about suggestions for improvement, not forcing change,” says Si reassuringly. “We focus on safety, not fixed rules for you to follow rigidly.”
Kicking off in the classroom, I’m introduced to the acronym ‘IPSGA’, which stands for; Information, Position, Speed, Gear and Acceleration. It is the thought process that the police use for their riding. Without going too deeply into it, it basically breaks down into thinking more about the hazards on the road; your positioning to get the maximum view through bends; selecting the right gear; and generally analysing the situation that is unfolding on the road ahead so that when you arrive
at it you have made the best possible decision to keep you safe. A lot of it is common sense but when you talk through things like analysing the road’s surface for maximum grip, using engine braking to balance a bike when entering a corner, vanishing points, road positioning and so on, you start to think more deeply about your riding, something I haven’t done before. But would this translate to the road?
With Si following behind, I tried to ride as normally as possible on the damp roads around Redditch to see what his genuine assessment of riding would be. Our previous conversation in the classroom about IPSGA had certainly paid off and I was being far more analytical of the road ahead and reacting accordingly. For the first time in ages I found myself actually thinking about my riding, rather than slipping onto autopilot.
“When you come into bends, you tend to carry a bit too much pace and need to brake where if you had reacted earlier and rolled off the throttle, you would be smoother,” is Si’s assessment. “You have obviously taken the situation into account, and are a confident rider, but maybe you haven’t reacted quite quickly enough and the braking and subsequent acceleration makes the bike seesaw on its suspension, which can be avoided.
“There were a few situations when a car looked like it may have pulled out of a junction and you responded by moving in your lane. However, you could have actually gone to the other side of the road, which is even safer as you are further away from the danger, reducing the risk factor.”
Another ride and this time Si points out I could be smoother changing direction. “There is no rush to position yourself; flow smoothly and try to be less aggressive — aim for a linear motion, not jerks,” he says.
After a day with Si completing the ERS course, the thing that hit home for me was the fact I was now thinking far more about my riding and how I was interacting with other road users and the road itself. I left Redditch not feeling like I had been trained as such, more encouraged to explore what I was doing with my riding and why I was reacting as I was, which I personally quite like as I’m not one who likes being told what to do and how to ride!
“We just want you to think about your riding and make you safer, not necessarily force you to follow a set routine or set of instructions or even be part of a club,” Si says. “That’s what ERS is all about — training riders to be safer on the road and enjoy their bikes.”