How an Advanced Driver course could help protect your precious cargo

When you take IAM RoadSmart’s Advanced Driver course, you can drive your little ones around with more confidence – and potentially save money on your car insurance

Children’s safety is always at the top of a parent’s priority list. Whether you’re a soon-to-be parent or already have precious cargo in the back seat, you’ll want to make sure you’re the safest you can be when driving – and an Advanced Driver course with IAM RoadSmart can help you achieve just that.

Already, thousands of parents have taken the course, including new mum Carli, who credits it with giving her the extra confidence she needed when taking her first-born home from the hospital. “We all know how important it is to be a safe driver and rider, but now I’m a mum, I feel it’s even more important,” she says. “Having the skills I learnt through the courses makes me feel a lot more confident, knowing I’m doing everything I can, which in turn, gives me one less thing to worry about.”

And it’s not just in the car Carli feels safer, as she also credits the course with helping her to be a better pedestrian too. “Trust me, you do a lot of walking with a pram, when your baby likes to nap in there! You anticipate other people’s mistakes and use the safety bubble around the pram as you would the car or motorcycle. I’ve lost count of the number of times I haven’t stepped out on a zebra crossing as I’ve looked at the driver and seen that they’re not even looking up.”

With this expert course, which is quality assured by the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), you’ll get the chance to learn additional on-road knowledge that goes above and beyond what is taught when you first learn to drive. The course fee covers the cost of the test, drives with an IAM RoadSmart Observer, a course manual and a year’s membership – all for just £175.

What is an Advanced Driver course and how does it work?

Advanced Driving is based on the system of car control that was initially developed to keep police drivers safe and is still used today in training emergency service drivers. The course teaches you advanced-level driving techniques, including utilising the ‘limit point’ for bends and how to continually apply the IPSGA (Information, Position, Speed, Gear, Acceleration) framework to all on-road situations. One of IAM RoadSmart’s Observers will show you how to apply the IPSGA framework on every type of journey, so you’ll be able to plan for hazards and deal with them safely and confidently.

Once you’ve purchased your course, you’ll receive a welcome pack in the post and one of IAM RoadSmart’s local groups will be in touch to arrange your first drive. You’ll then develop your Advanced skills over a series of observed drives and, once you’re ready, you’ll take your Advanced Test with one of the friendly examiners. When you pass, you’ll gain ‘Advanced Driver’ and ‘IAM RoadSmart Full Member’ status.

Why IAM RoadSmart?

As the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart has spent more than 60 years making roads safer by improving driver and rider skills through coaching and education.

Over the years, it’s built up a network of more than 180 local IAM RoadSmart car and bike groups that, upon becoming a member, you can join and meet like-minded individuals to discuss and share your newfound knowledge.

And it could even save you money on your car insurance. In August 2022, the market rate average for annual car insurance was £325.74, however 52% of new policies sold by Cornmarket (IAM RoadSmart’s insurance partner) to IAM RoadSmart members were just £275 or less*