Advanced Driving Hub

“Did you know that travelling 1 mph over the speed limit increases the risk of a crash by 5%” asserted IAM Roadsmart on Facebook.

Unsurprisingly, several people replied to say they were sick of the IAM’s speed kills messaging. This oversimplification of advanced driving meant they were cancelling their membership. Other replies included “Have you merged with the Institute of Advanced Morons?” and “Surly no one is stupid enough to take you seriously.”

It’s another social media car crash, yet IAM HQ fails to learn from previous PR mistakes. Previously, IAM Roadsmart argued that doing 80 mph on the motorway is as bad as driving drunk or under the influence of drugs. (See the Watch Your Speed press release and accompanying social media – another PR car crash.)

Are there any Examiners or Committee Members on here who could raise the problem with IAM HQ?

My comment over there is proving popular.

There's an ad currently playing on commercial radio, inferring the peril of inadvertently creeping over the "safe" speed as a bend approaches. It ends with "and do you know what happened next?" I want to answer "absolutely nothing, he safely continued his journey".

It's nearly as annoying as "what's the red X above a motorway lane for"

If only they'd do a campaign about dropping little Johnny off on the yellow zig zags outside schools......

If “Speed Kills” than the emergency services would be responsible for most of the deaths on the roads. The fact that this is not true is because they are trained to drive fast before being allowed to do so without supervision. Therefore the message should be “operating a piece of machinery without being trained to use all of its capabilities could result in death or serious injury.”

I do not know of any workplace that would permit untrained personnel to operate machinery without training them properly first. The IAM, as a training organisation, should stick to its knitting and go back to advocating for more and better training for drivers.

Does anyone know who originates and who signs off these releases? Richard Gladman Head of Driving Standards is a very sensible chap and I would be surprised if he supports them.

waremark wrote:Does anyone know who originates and who signs off these releases?

Isn't it the parent organisation that approves them? Brake?

Strangely Brown wrote:

waremark wrote:Does anyone know who originates and who signs off these releases?

Isn't it the parent organisation that approves them? Brake?

You would think so with the comments coming out from them. Very disillusioned with the direction the IAM is going these days.

I realised the direction the IAM was heading in a long while ago and have previously posted such. It's now an organisation only interested in its own survival and, therefore, will align itself with what it sees as the current politically correct stance.
Afterall, autonomous vehicles will render IAM and all training perhaps, redundant.
Unless, like aircraft, there might need to be a trained human ready to take control when the computers cry, "I can't cope".

In the future all cars will come with a mandatory dog in the passenger seat. The Driver will only be there to feed the dog. The dog is there to bite the driver should they attempt to touch the controls.

[stolen from old cockpit joke]

jcochrane wrote:Very disillusioned with the direction the IAM is going these days.

That's why I decided not to renew my membership last year... Mainly prompted by the survey at the time about how to reduce accidents/fatalities on rural roads (I think it was) where there was no option for additional training and the majority of respondents thought a mandatory 50mph limit would do the trick.

Not only did it show a lack of understanding and focus on core values by the IAM, but also showed the thinking of the majority of the current membership - both vastly different from mine...

The IAM's days must be numbered..!