Advanced Driving Hub

I wonder whether anyone else has ever seen/owned one of these? I did the course in 1970 as a stepping stone to the IAM test. The course was jointly run by the AA and the British School of Motoring who apparently have now forgotten that they ever did it! There again, they had forgotten they'd ever owned HPC until I told them about that.
The test was indeed a stepping stone, being significantly easier than the IAM test but it served a purpose. I went on quickly from there to do the League of Safe Drivers (now RoSPA) which I passed with a gold (then confusingly called 'Class 1' and signified by a gold central badge button) and then in the December the IAM, of which I've been a member ever since.

Nice. I love memorabilia like that

Interesting history ... I'd just started Secondary Modern!

Do you know that the new AA Advanced Driving Diploma is currently being relaunched ?

ratty wrote:Do you know that the new AA Advanced Driving Diploma is currently being relaunched ?

Interesting - I wonder at what level they're pitching it? They already have a course that they say is designed to get people to RoSPA gold. How will their diploma differ from current IAM and RoSPA offerings?
The one I took all those years ago was definitely a stepping stone toward LSD (as it then was, now RoSPA) and IAM, and quite useful in that way.

It is the AA's version of a Roadcraft based test.

Instead of Gold, Silver and Bronze there are 5 star, 4 star etc.

It is very difficult to say that 5 star is similar to Gold etc, but that's the idea. At the moment the test is only being used commercially as opposed to being offered to private individuals, but that may well change in the future.

Commercially, in my experience, there is VERY little recognition of the IAM test (even the IAM don't really push their own test!) and everything is compared to the RoSPA test. This is, in effect, the AA's version of the RoSPA test. No doubt that the AA will suggest that their 5 Star might be above Gold, but they would wouldn't they!

ratty wrote:It is the AA's version of a Roadcraft based test.

Instead of Gold, Silver and Bronze there are 5 star, 4 star etc.

It is very difficult to say that 5 star is similar to Gold etc, but that's the idea. At the moment the test is only being used commercially as opposed to being offered to private individuals, but that may well change in the future.

Commercially, in my experience, there is VERY little recognition of the IAM test (even the IAM don't really push their own test!) and everything is compared to the RoSPA test. This is, in effect, the AA's version of the RoSPA test. No doubt that the AA will suggest that their 5 Star might be above Gold, but they would wouldn't they!

Any insight into who the examiners will be and what qualifications they require?

The examiners have differing backgrounds.

I am one of the examiners and my background is Fleet ADI grade 6 with some years of experience doing 'fleet' work in cars, HGVs and PSVs. I am also a RoSPA examiner and ex-IAM examiner. The majority of the other examiners do not have an emergency services background, but they are all 'fleet' ADIs with high check test grades and lots of experience of preparing people for their RoSPA tests amongst other things.

All examiners also had to actually regularly take the test and pass with a 5 star grade.

The test standard and format have been agreed by the DVSA.