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Your First Observed Drive

As an Associate member, your primary link with SLAM, at least to start with will be through an observed drive. Although any phrase containing the word "observed" probably conjures up thoughts of school, tests & exams, nothing could be further from the truth. These drives are very much a partnership between you, the Associate member and the group, where we aim, through our Observers, to help improve your standard of driving leading to the taking & passing of the Advanced Driving Test.

So what can you expect to happen on these drives ? Well, let's see how one of our Associates got on ...
  

1. Book your drive & early preparation Firstly you'll book your drive. This might be a free assessment which can be booked by phone or a follow up booking made at the end of your last drive. As a current Associate member, I booked on-line through the web site, though I could also have used the phone. Before your first drive, there are also some additional things you can do. The IAM handbook contains all the essential advice covered by the course and is well worth reading beforehand. 2. On the day

On the day itself, I drove to the centre a little earlier than the appointment time. SLAM have two centres, one in New Malden, the other at Banstead. I parked up - parking is available at both centres, and walked nervously through the door, wondering what to expect.

Actually, what you find is a group of chatty people, the smell of coffee (ideal on a Sunday!), information on Advanced driving and some seats. The lady behind the desk was very welcoming as I think she could see I hadn't been there before. If it's your first visit, take any paperwork you have, both for you and your car. I was asked for my driving licence, insurance and, if required MOT - for the car, not me! Having read up about the drive on the web site, I knew roughly what would happen but I could ask anything as I went along. Next I was offered a coffee and introduced to my observer, John. He was very reassuring and asked me what my own aims were in terms of taking the Advanced Driving Test. We were to drive from the centre down towards the motorway, take a short cut round some more country lanes and back through the town. I could ask anything at any time and we would discuss my current driving style and how it could be improved as we went along. He didn't assume that there was anything wrong with my driving ... but to be honest I knew there would be!

3. The Drive

"OK, here we go", I thought as we got in the car and prepared to leave. John then continued to explain exactly what the Advanced Driving Test was all about and how the assessment runs would help steer me towards my ultimate goal. He briefly explained "the System", something we would come back to later, then we set off, out of the car park and down towards to the motorway.

As we continued, the conversation continued, though it didn't disguise the notes that were also being written. "Oh don't worry about those", he said, "there's always something to say ... and they're all minor". I wasn't so sure, but played along anyway! As we continued, I began to relax and we started to discuss advanced driving techniques - things that actually seemed quite obvious, but I wasn;t actually doing. The best use of power, gear changes, braking in a straight line, when to change down and when to brake, it was certainly very informative! Strangely as we headed back, I found myself feeling more relaxed and thinking about all the things I'd already learnt in the space of just 30 minutes. But we weren't finished yet. "We'll just turn down the next road on the left", said John as he took a new sheet of paper and started drawing a diagram.

"This is that corner", he said, pointing at the sheet, then at the side road ahead. "All we have to do is reverse round it". My mind went back a few years to my driving lessons as all the possible manoeuvres were outlined. "It's all about being able to control the car and proving how accurately to can drive it. But don't worry, we'll cover them all over the coming weeks ... it'll soon come back to you!". I hoped so.

We didn't dwell on them for too long, but just enough to give me the idea of what I should be aiming for. Whereas I'd been trying just to get round, the aim was to reverse slowly, accurately and allowing for all other road users. Something it turned out I couldn't do whilst looking solely in my left hand mirror. 

See a short video of a typical IAM assessment drive from the IAM's web site.

4. The Debrief

We arrived back, about 50 minutes after we set off. I reversed into the parking space and let out a sigh of relief! "OK, how do you feel now it's all over ?" said John. I laughed, but he was serious - "How do you think you did ? Go on, give yourself a mark out of 10!" I quickly thought of all those notes he'd written and all that we'd discussed ... but stopped when I realised I'd soon run out of points!

In fact, I'd done much better than I thought as we went back over some of the points we'd talked about already. I could see why they'd come up and was beginning to see the advantages of advanced driving. Most importantly, I could also see how I could improve, just by putting into practice what had been said. John completed my assessment form. "It's a bit like a school report, but don't let that put you off". He explained which areas I should work on first and what my aims should be for the next run. As I could throughout the drive, I could ask any questions or we could recap over anything I didn't understand. Finally, we walked back to the reception.

5. Booking your next drive

Another group of people were waiting as we walked back to the reception centre, though I felt much more at ease going in this time. "How did you get on ?" said the lady behind the desk and we all had a quick chat. I asked about the different books I should read, the IAM handbook and the Highway Code being the most essential. I knew about these but for some additional information, I was also introduced to "Roadcraft" (the Police drivers handbook) which I was less familar with.

The group recommend going to both assessment centres if possible. I could book there and then for the coming weeks, book on-line myself nearer the time, or phone up. I booked for the next two sessions there and then, keen to see if I could continue to build on my first drive. After all, it had been far more successful than I had ever expected.

Conclusion

As you can see, my day turned from being rather (very) apprehensive to being almost chuffed with myself! Best of all, it made sense, and I could see how some relatively minor changes to the way I drove could make me safer on the road. Everyone had been so friendly and welcoming - they'd all been in the same position before and were keen to help me, their newest recruit.

I'm now looking forward to my next drive in 2 weeks time. Why not come along and see for yourself!