Advanced Driving Anniversary -- RoADA Celebrates 50 Years

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Advanced Drivers' Association (a name mercifully shortened to RoADA) is celebrating its half-century this year. Transport Minister Dr Stephen Ladyman will be speaking at a Golden Jubilee reception in the House of Lords on Tuesday 19 July, and representatives from RoADA groups around the country will be among those present.

The Association started out in 1955 as the League of Safe Drivers. RoSPA took it over in 1980, and two years later the members decided to refer to themselves official as advanced drivers rather than safe ones.

These days, RoADA has more than 7000 voluntary members who prepare associate members for the RoSPA Advanced Driving Test, which they may pass at gold, silver or bronze level.

"Advanced driving has had a major influence on many of the changes we have seen to improve the driving test, including the recently-introduced hazard perception tests," says RoSPA's Chief Driving Examiner Bob Smalley. "Research has shown that advanced drivers have significantly fewer accidents than other drivers, and if they have accidents they are likely to be less serious.

"We are always looking to recruit new members and are particularly keen to welcome vulnerable road users, such as young drivers and motorcyclists. There has been a big increase in motorcycle membership in recent times, but all drivers and riders could benefit from brushing up on their skills and ironing out bad habits."

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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 UK Home Office 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 alsowon 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.