This is an old article, and I have edited it to my more recent style. I have not changed it, though.
IAM (the Institute of Advanced Motorists) is at it again. In poll it has commissioned, it reveals that “only 60% of drivers concentrate when they are behind the wheel”. The IAM chief executive comments:
Signs of not concentrating such as missed turnings or uncancelled (sic) indicator lights are commonplace. Simply not concentrating is a key cause of crashes yet it is not borne out in statistics because drivers rarely admit to it in police reports or on insurance forms.
What he’s saying is that out of a poll of 1,500 people – who are at liberty to lie as much as they want and will if it makes them look good – is more accurate than factual data. And the facts do not tally with the inane poll.
Everyone loses concentration occasionally, and if 60% of drivers claim they don’t then they are either liars, or they didn’t understand the question. IAM is muddying the waters with nonsense like this.
Then, another story refers to two brothers who have recently got IAM certificates. The article quotes their mother:
Knowing my two boys are that much safer on today’s dangerous roads is a huge reassurance. Lots of young people pass the DOT’s (sic) standard test by the skin of their teeth and go around thinking they’re fantastic drivers, so the fact James and Ben have the IAM certificate makes me feel 100 per cent better.
An IAM certificate does not make you a good driver. And it is suicidal to go around thinking that you are a good driver, especially if you lack experience.
It’s great that these two lads have a positive attitude about driving. But it is precisely that – their positive attitude – which their lack of experience could end up exploiting. An IAM certificate for these two lads is as worthless as the “DOT” one the mother deriding. Experience is the key, with caution while you are gaining it. Experience does not fall down like manna from heaven just by taking an IAM test. It is acquired over many years. This is indirectly confirmed by IAM:
[IAM] Group secretary Denara Holmes says it’s unusual for people younger than this to take the IAM test.
Yes, because it is pointless for them. It’s just a badge they can wear. Without experience, advanced assessments are a waste of time.
Advanced driving courses and certificates are not a panacea by a long mile. It becomes irritating that those who take them almost invariably end up decrying the normal driving test and, by implication, people like me who work bloody hard to teach people to drive.
In spite of what “Ben” (one of the boys involved) says, driving lessons do not “just teach you to pass the test”. They put you in a position to go out and safely gain experience, and that has always been the purpose of the driving test. It’s the first step on a lifelong learning curve – and you are not at the end of that curve merely because you did an IAM test!
Taking an IAM test and getting the official customised Zimmer frame as a reward may well be part of that learning curve for many, but the normal driving test is right at the front of it. You can’t do the IAM test before it and doing it just after is absolutely pointless – except to gain some sort of badge. Indeed, a lot of information is missing from this story, and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least to discover that a Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme was involved somewhere.