IAM Reviews

In principal it was a well organised & satisfactory day & I'm glad I went.
The 'classroom' sessions were severely compromised for me because there was much I couldn't hear. I tried sitting closer & that didn't help. When the track was in use & other groups were passing it was impossible. I have some hearing loss as a result of industrial injury so I'm not the 'norm' but the value of these sessions was significantly reduced. A PA system would have helped, as would slower & clearer speech.

Professional, well-organised, expertly run motorcycle skills day at Thruxton Circuit on 8 September 2020. Thank you to the instructors and support staff on hand during the day and to the IAM for making this a great learning experience

Been on a few skills days with the IAM as usual very well run seems to be a little slicker with the classroom sessions kept to a minimum all in all a great day

This day was organised like a Swiss watch but never felt rushed.
Everybody was very professional.
This was my second skills day and even more fun at the same time as being a great learning experience.
I will definitely be going again.

Superbly organised. Massively educational. Far too much fun.

Hats off to you, my first skills day and certainly wont be the last. I learned so much and had a blast doing it. The 20 mins theory, 20 mins track and 20 mins cool down worked perfectly.
Dale took us lot round. Bless you sir for saying "you're riding to the edge of your ability" rather than "Holy **** that was terrible". You opened my eyes and i'll be a better rider for it forever. Fully appreciate the input.
Just a great day.

Fantastic day, learnt so much about my bike and my abilities. Unrivalled experience many thanks to all for a well organised day and special to Barry who ushered me around the track all day.

At long last the day came! I booked way back in the Autumn of 2019, but the first available course was May 2020, and we all know what happened then! The idea of 40 minutes non track time in every hour seemed a bit disappointing, but it worked perfectly, and any more would have risked losing concentration. Lilian took our group, and dealt patiently with all the quibbles From her charges. An absolute privilege to be on track and all so carefully planned and guided. Well done!

I am so pleased with the team at IAM Roadsmart. I was originally booked in with a course with another organisation for the beginning of this month, unfortunately it got cancelled due to covid which is understandable. The provider of the other organisation didn't have anymore dates to offer me within the time frame I needed my course completed by but they recommended me to IAM RaodSmart.
I called IAMRS right away and was served by Alex who was extremely helpful and found me a course right away. However he advised I need my previous organisation to refer me. I did this, called IAM RS back and was put though to Kier who confirmed all had been received and worked as quickly as he could to get me booked on. They found the course and popped me through to their Manager Maddy who was also a pleasure to speak with. Maddy managed to book me on there and then, send me a confirmation and this is all within a short deadline I have. I am really really pleased with the service - I would recommend them to anyone.

Really disappointed in this service, purchased in feb but couldn't start till march because the instructor was on holiday at which point lockdown started. Fair enough but due to personal reasons I can no longer do this course and they refuse to give me a refund. How disgusting when they are not providing a service knowing people have lost jobs and unable to pay the mortgage.

I have just renewed my membership after letting it lapse for a few years. The renewal was carried out by Jeanette, who could not be more helpful and professional. A great customer experience, thanks you!

Just passed IAM motorcycle course. Excellent training from Tom and Michael who took me for a pre test. Thanks to Paul for the test. Massive improvement in my riding. Well worth the time and money.

The tutors who are volunteers are professionals! They have changed the way I drive and I have greatly benefitted from their tutoring!
However, I am underwhelmed by their membership structure. IAM has a national and local membership. 2 separate membership fees need to be paid if you want all the benefits. I suggested that customer should just pay one fee to the IAM and it should be their responsibility to allocate funds to the local members’ group. This would streamline the membership process, and customers do not then need to make two separate payments to different IAM organisations.
The current set up is not considered to be customer friendly, as it is just creating more paper work for the customer!! I am not impressed!

I took my Iam simply so that I could ride for blood bikes.
I had already undergone advanced training elsewhere but needed the certificate to ride for my local hospital.
I had two observers during my training but one said one thing and the other said something else. Anyway after passing I was persuaded to take the so called Iam masters.
On the day of the masters test my examiner said, & I quote, "speed limits are sacrosanct".
At the end of the test the examiner said that I had failed to make due progress vis a vis overtaking opportunities. When I pointed out that I was sticking to the prevailing speed limit he said that his comment regarding speed limits being sacrosanct did not apply to overtaking. Somewhat miffed I retook my masters a few days later with the same examiner.
I decided that, whilst I may fail once again, it would not be for not making due progress.
So 90 mph in 60 limits, whilst passing lines of traffic, was the order of the ride. Such fun! Following the ride the examiner passed me with a distinction, strange but true.
I believe that all new riders should undergo some extra training & if you have just passed your basic motorcycle test Iam is worth doing. However, in my opinion, advanced is a misnomer and masters is pretentious.
If you are already a half decent rider and have a genuine desire to hone your skills then there are far better sources of training. If you want to join a clique and get a mutley medal then try Iam.

Great experience from the admin staff through to the observers. I have just passed my advanced motorcycle test and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the training. The subject knowledge and enthusiasm shown by my observer was second to none and it has certainly made me a better/safer rider.

Several upset and disenchanted reviewers giving one star and two stars, largely down to IAM head office poor performance. There are some wide ranging concerns about the direction IAM Roadsmart has taken in recent years and the relationship it has with its core members. Unfortunately, the situation is unlikly to change any time soon.

BUT, and this is very important, the work local groups are doing is generally excellent with very good tutoring and support to improve driving of those engaging with the advanced driving concept. I urge anyone interested in improving their driving to contact a local group FIRST and then, after you have been welcomed and got a feel for things, sign up with IAM. In my experience, the level of support is generally very good.

If you really don't want to give IAM another chance, contact the local RoSPA (ROADAR) Advanced Driving group who operate under the Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents umbrella. Costs much less than IAM and in some respects, considered superior to IAM.
Advanced Driving qualification really will make a difference to your personal road safety and confidence whatever vehicle/motorcycle you drive. Happy safe motoring!

I originally passed my motorcycle test back in the seventies and thought it time to maybe assess and improve my riding skills. I have recently passed the advanced assessment with a first (smiley face) and only now do i realise how much i needed to learn despite my 40 years on the road. The whole process from beginning to end was an incredible experience and raised the standard of my riding to a different and safer level. The administration, standard of instruction and course content was excellent and i would thoroughly recommend the process. I was so impressed i paid for my son to join as an associate and i hate parting with money!

I decided to pursue an Advanced Druving Course to confirm and improve the safety of my driving. This has been fully achieved and, though my aim was not to pass an advanced test, I have done so successfully. Communications were generally quick and clear. I was allocated to an observer, and then reallocated before observed rides started. The change involved a new location, which suited me better. Once we got started, drives were regular, well planned debriefed and recorded - and very useful to me. I also attended a couple of the monthly Group meetings - which I would recommend in order to feel part of this organisation.

A good overall experience.

Well organised day with hour blocks of 20 minute skills briefing , 20 minute track time with instructor, 20minute debrief and break. The day went smoothly and quickly , learnt lots and improved my skills on the track hugely . For someone who had never been on a race track before I would highly recommend it . Clear concise instruction , professional team who encourage and support .
Thoroughly enjoyable day I will definitely be back for another one ..

An Awesome Day...
I'm pretty sure we had the best instructor of the day (Andy) who was very friendly with a 'one of us' attitude giving excellent advice, inspirational praise and gentle constructive criticism when needed.
All round the day was an excellent experience (my first time on any track).
The briefing sections were very informative and structured in a way to get the best out of your machine in a safe and responsible manner.
I've never heard my motorcycle sound so magnificent at full chat nor realised its full braking potential before, the sound was Biblical and the braking was confidence inspiring yet I felt completely safe the whole time.

As a member of the IAM for 6 years I am used to being responsible on the road but learnt also to be responsible on track as did everybody else there.

Well done to all at the IAM and Mallory Park.

I had a great day at Mallory Park with IAM. Everyone was very helpful, always checking to ensure you were OK.

Personally I learnt a lot, grew my confidence and had a very enjoyable day.

I will be back next year for some more.

IAM track based Skills Days are great. It is not about seeing how fast you can go but about developing your skills and taking those skills to the road while having fun. The day was so much fun and I feel I have taken another step in being a better rider. On the track and off it.

Brilliant day at Malory Park, if you want to improve your skill and confidence this is a must.

Fantastic morning - I'm an IAM newbie and found the instruction to be clear and very informative. My instructor John was experienced and calm, encouraging me to really drive the course smoothly and with pace. Great opportunity to safely experience some of your vehicle's limits which you could not do on the public highway.

Thoroughly recommended.

Sept 03. Thruxton. 2nd time
Not sure we should be telling people how good it is - should just comment @nothing to see move along”
Why, because it’s so good I want to be able to keep spaces available.
Reality it is so dam good. Done track day and learnt little and felt out of my depth. This set up is really reassuring and focusing on one thing at a time means you hardly notice the your skill leave and speed increasing. I have passed my advanced test and still learnt loads. And unlike a track day you can take the experience on the road ( less speed Obv). Newbies or experienced you will not be disappointed so join in the booming fish this November. Good luck!

I did the Thruxton Skills day on 03 September and found this to be an excellent day. The combination of theory sessions followed by on track sessions to put the theory into practice worked very well for me. My confidence in my machine and my ability was significantly improved, and I regard myself as a confident rider to start with.
The instruction was pitched at the right level for the group that I was in, and the value for money was exceptional with approximately 2 hours of track time spread across the day. I will do more of these as they will only improve my riding and therefore enjoyment whilst riding