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A History of Advanced Driving
In 2006, True Advanced Driving for Civilians will be 50 Years Old
In Britain, between the years 1935 and 1954, there was a dramatic reduction in accidents among the Metropolitan Police drivers, following the introduction of Approved Police Driving Schools in 1935.
Figures produced by the Home Office, for the UK Government, showed that the use of advanced driving techniques in the Metropolitan Police reduced accidents to one-sixth of their previous total.
A group of people from that Road Safety Congress subsequently decided to form what we now know as the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). Throughout 1955 they formed a Steering Committee with the result that the IAM was registered on March 10, 1956, with the stated aims of improving driving standards, promoting road safety, and establishing an advanced driving test for all drivers. No longer would the skills be confined to police officers.
In 1958, recognising that advanced drivers represent a 'selected risk', a number of Lloyds underwriters began offering a 20% discount to members.
In 1996, the IAM celebrated its 40th anniversary with many activities over the whole country, the launch of it's own website (based on a web server sitting on top of a fridge in a flat in Manchester -- how things have changed!) and looks to the future with a range of new initiatives, including a campaign to target younger drivers. In this year, the IAM also won the Prince Michael Road Safety Award.
In the year 2000, the IAM carried out it's 300,000 advanced driving test, and introduces a £10.00 Discount Voucher scheme to encourage the 'most at risk' generation (i.e. those under 26 years of age) to benefit from the life saving possibilities of taking and passing the IAM Advanced Test.
Read the full IAM history, split into two periods: 1956-1979, and 1980 to the present day.
Copyright © 2005: Eddie Wren
ADA's background in advanced driving, traffic safety education and actual advanced driver training is based on the extensive experience of our founder and president, Eddie Wren, which is summarized here.
Copyright © 2006: Advanced Drivers of America, Inc.