Riding school rated

A day on the IAM charity’s Roadsmart Taster Ride

EVERYONE HAS HEARD of the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). Formed in 1956, the IAM is a registered charity that has spent the past 65 years promoting road safety through rider and driver coaching and education with a nationally-recognised advanced test pass the badge of honour.

The issue the IAM has is the perception it is full of old men looking to preach road safety at you. So is this the reality and would an IAM Roadsmart Taster Ride change my mind?

“The roads nowadays are increasingly dangerous places and the IAM aims to reduce accidents,” explains Mark Anstey, my observer for the day. “Riders approach us with the thought of trying out advanced riding with no pressure through a Taster Ride. They may have an issue with bends, be returning to riding after a break and want to check their skills or are just curious to know how their riding is. Although the majority are 40-plus males, we are open to everyone; we are there to help people improve their riding and make them safer through a set curriculum.”

There are various ways into the IAM but the easiest with the least commitment is a Taster Ride. You get in touch with a local IAM affiliate and organise a free ride with an observer to see how you get on and if you want to take it further by joining the IAM properly – at which point you are called an ‘associate’ until you pass your IAM test, when you become a ‘member.’

The IAM has produced its own handbook as the police handbook Roadcraft has chapters that aren’t relevant for nonemergency-service riders. The observers carry a copy of the Advancer Rider Course handbook which is full of diagrams, pictures and pointers to help them explain various aspects of your riding and how it can be improved upon, which brings a national standardisation to their teaching.

Starting with a pre-ride check of my eyesight and that I am legal to ride a

THE COACH Mark Anstey, 56, is one of the many volunteers who run assessed rides for the IAM. He has been a member of the IAM since 2003 and is now an IAM National Observer. He is a member of Iam-affiliated Chelmsford & District Advanced Motorcyclists (CADAM) where he is the Chief Observer and also helps with CBT training in the local area. Naturally, he has passed the IAM test... THE LOCATION The IAM is a nationwide organisation with around 180 affiliated groups across the UK and over 82,000 members. Courses take place on local roads known to the group and often involve meeting up at a familiar location before heading out. As all the assessors are volunteers, most rides happen at weekends although there is a degree of flexibility and in summer, the occasional evening rideout happens

THE RIDER Now 44 years old, Jon has been riding since he was 16 and has spent the last 20 years professionally road testing for various motorcycle magazines. He has recently completed several advanced riding courses including the ERS, Bikesafe and Rapid Training. When he was 17 he had one assessed ride with the IAM on a Yamaha RD400 — it didn’t go well...

First feedback after 20 minutes of riding

Advanced Rider full Course handbook of useful diagrams