Category: IAM RoadSmart

1. IAM appoints new Chief Executive Sarah Sillars to champion driving and riding skills‏

   Posted on 10:00am Sunday 25th Jan 2015

   Sarah’s mission will be to improve driving and riding skills and to campaign for legislation to improve road safety.

   Sarah Sillars, OBE and Hon FIMI, joins London-based IAM next month. The IAM is one of the most regarded and well-established bodies in British motoring.
   Sarah takes up her role on 5 February having overseen the commercialisation of Semta, the sector skills council for engineering and advanced manufacturing.

   Sarah said: “I am delighted to be back playing a significant role in the automotive sector. The IAM has played a unique part in lowering the numbers of people killed and injured on UK roads. I am very proud to be appointed their Chief Executive.”

   “Many thousands of people have reason to be grateful to the IAM and its passionate volunteers for their advice, guidance and training over the decades.”

   She continued: “With more than 1,700 deaths and 21,000 serious injuries a year on our roads there is still much work to be done.

   “My intention is to ensure that we consolidate our experience and expertise, and then change up a gear – to further build on the excellent and vital research, training and lobbying activities that we carry out.

   “We will change opinions, driving habits and legislation.”

   The IAM, which was formed more than 50 years ago, has more than 90,000 members, all intent on improving their own motoring skills or driving through reform to improve road safety. It provides independently audited driver and rider training, including the advanced test.

   IAM Chairman Alistair Cheyne OBE said: “Sarah is the perfect person to drive the IAM into a new era. She has the skills, background and experience to help the IAM achieve its goal of becoming the best provider of post-licence driver and rider training in the UK.

   “The challenge ahead is a large one, but I am now confident that we will see growth for an IAM that attracts more of the UK’s drivers and riders.”

   Sarah has a long and illustrious career within the automotive sector, having been CEO and Executive Chair of the Institute of the Motoring Industry (IMI). They made her an Honorary Fellow and Vice President on her departure in 2012.

   Awarded Industry Personality of the Year 2004 and Outstanding Achievement Award 2006 by automotive magazines AM and Motor Trader respectively, Sarah was listed in the UK motor industry’s most influential top ten and the ‘most powerful’ female executive, according to the 2007 AM Power List.

   In September 2008 Sarah was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award by Bodyshop Magazine in recognition of IMI’s work with ATA in the body repair sector.

   She was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in June 2008 for services to skills training and the retail motor industry.

   Sarah has more than 25 years of experience within the motor and retail industries, having begun her career with Marks & Spencer, managing stores in England and later as Operations Director at automotive management consultancy Anne Gray Associates.

2. Riders in the storm‏

   Posted on 10:00am Monday 1st Dec 2014

   #wheelsinwinter

   As part of our wheels in winter campaign, I will be sharing with you weekly motoring advice throughout the season. This week, I am sharing some all-important riding tips with motorcyclists, guiding them through the cold, wet and windy weather.

   There may be rubble ahead

   When you’re riding in the rain look well ahead; make sure you have enough following distance to avoid large puddles or drain covers. And watch out for potholes that fill up with rain water because you never know how deep they are, and they are not always easy to spot. Changes in road surfaces can be very slippery and dangerous, so make sure you’re riding at a steady pace – giving yourself enough time to slow down if you need to.

   Sprays of water

   Large vehicles and lorries will throw up a wall of spray. To avoid the worst of it avoid overtaking or rushing passed large vehicle, especially when you’re on the motorway. Spray can also affect your ability to see clearly, misting up your helmet. Use an anti-mist spray or have a visor insert fitted into the inside of your helmet to keep out any water.

   Pools of water

   Heavy rain forces pools of water to form across carriageways – forcing motorcyclists to either brake sharply into the water or accelerate through it. While pools of water are unavoidable you should avoid braking or accelerating and simply ease off the throttle for a bit. Hold onto the handlebars firmly and steer ahead in a straight line to pass through the pool as smoothly as possible.

   Fallen trees and branches

   Be wary of narrow roads where large trees and branches fall, which will unsettle your bike. If you can, avoid travelling on roads that are affected by high winds, and take a route that is less likely to be affected – even if it means you’re on the road for a little longer.

   Gaps in buildings

   Watch out for any gaps between buildings and trees where large vehicles can force motorcycles to shudder. Remember, strong winds will affect other vehicles too – large and flat sided vehicles are usually more affected. See that you give them more room, and if you plan to overtake them make sure it is safe to do so when winds are less blustery.

3. Young drivers are the top road safety priority: IAM Manifesto‏

   Posted on 5:00pm Monday 10th Nov 2014

   The IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) has published its road safety manifesto for the upcoming general election, calling for urgent support from all political parties to promote driver and rider improvement on UK roads.

   One of the more radical ideas in the IAM manifesto, which is designed to cut the unacceptable number of road deaths and injuries every year, is a call for high speed rural roads to be part of the driving test as well as for road safety to be part of the national curriculum.

   IAM chairman Alistair Cheyne, speaking at the IAM’s annual lunch on Thursday 6 November, said: “In the last five years, more than five-and-a-half-thousand young people have been killed on our roads or had life-changing injuries. Every one of those crashes was avoidable.”

   “We need legislation, we need campaigns to nudge people towards better driving behaviour and we need more training interventions – yes from people like us – but also from parents and the community. All of society has a duty to safeguard our young people.”

   The IAM also asked the government to play its part by making sure that companies applying for public sector contracts have road-risk policies in place. IAM research shows that only 30 per cent of commercial drivers have ever been offered driver training yet commercial drivers account for a third of all crashes.

   The IAM manifesto also covers:

   • Protecting vulnerable roads users, including cyclists • greater priority for motorcyclists in transport policy • a call for a national road safety forum • targeted retraining for offenders • continuous learning for motorists; and • an informed debate on keeping older drivers mobile.

   The full IAM manifesto can be found online

4. English and Welsh want Scottish drink-drive laws‏

   Posted on 9:51am Sunday 2nd Nov 2014

   A recent survey by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has found more than two-thirds (68 per cent) of those who completed the survey would like the Scottish drink-drive limit introduced across England and Wales.

   A total of 2,632 people took part in the survey throughout October 2014.

   Under the new proposal, the Scottish government will lower the legal drink-drive limit to 50mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood before Christmas – to reduce the number of drink-related accidents and deaths on Scotland’s roads.

   Over 83 per cent of IAM’s survey respondents confirmed that they drink alcohol, and over 47 per cent have agreed lowering the limit from 80mg to 50mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood will reduce the number of accidents taking place across UK roads.

   IAM’s director of policy and research, Neil Greig said: “England and Wales are now totally out of step with drink-drive limits across the rest of Europe.  Existing research has shown that between 63 and 116 lives can be saved every year by a lower limit1.  Different limits are also a recipe for confusion and the IAM would urge the Westminster government to review its approach as a matter of urgency.”

   The poll further revealed that over 53 per cent would prefer more thorough police checks to target drink-drivers, while only five per cent would support an increase in alcohol prices to tackle the problem.

5. Davies duo link up with top road safety organisations to encourage safer biking this autumn‏

   Posted on 1:19pm Saturday 20th Sep 2014

   Davies duo link up with top road safety organisations to encourage safer biking this autumn

   World Superbike racer Chaz Davies has teamed up with comedian Alan Davies to launch a new THINK! road safety campaign to encourage motorcyclists to take further training to improve their riding expertise and safety on the road. The campaign is being delivered with the assistance of the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and RoSPA who have helped THINK! develop the content and recruit the instructors who feature and train the riders in the campaign.

   Despite huge success on two wheels, which includes becoming 2011 World Supersport Championship world champion, fifth overall in the 2013 World Superbike Championship for BMW Motorrad with three wins, and landing a seat this year at Team Ducati; Chaz has only this year passed his road bike test.

   And wanting to improve his road biking skills while delivering a message to other motorcyclists that you can never have too much experience, Chaz allowed a team of assessors to judge his riding and be filmed for a series of short videos to be released on the internet over the course of the next few weeks.

   Chaz, Alan and the other riders took part in a bespoke training course delivered by a number of instructors including Crispin d’Albertanson and Andy McManus. Crispin is an IAM Skills Day instructor, IAM National Observer and Nürburgring coach, while Andy is a Masters Mentor, IAM Examiner and retired Senior Collision Investigator.

   The instructors assessed the group’s riding ability, equipping them with improved handling skills and introducing them to the principles and benefits of advanced riding.

   Chaz urged other riders to undertaking further training, such as that offered by the IAM to improve their skills and safety on the road and ultimately reduce the number of motorcyclist casualties on our roads.

   So how did Chaz, Alan and the other bikers do? The filming will be broadcast in a regular series of clips and promoted through the THINK BIKER Facebook page and a partnership with MCN over the next few couple of weeks. These will be shared on the IAM facebook page, at https://www.facebook.com/InstituteofAdvancedMotorists

   A preview of the campaign is already available on the THINK BIKER Facebook page which has been shared on the IAM’s facebook page, but the first of the main series of videos goes live this evening (19 September).

   Chaz said: “You really are never too good to be a better rider - it’s as simple as that. I’ve been working for 15 years to try and be better on the track and that applies on the road as well. There are so many more variables on the road and I think people can get a little bit over confident, but you are never too good. You never know what’s around the corner.”

   Added Peter Rodger, IAM Chief Examiner: “The fact a rider the calibre of Chaz Davies is happy to have his road riding assessed should show that no matter what your experience level is, every rider can benefit from extra tuition. We hope people will watch the films and be inspired to take their riding to the next level. Like Chaz, we can all be champions of the road.”

   “We’d also like to thank Crispin and Andy for giving up their time to take part in this valuable exercise,” he added.