1. The High Wycombe Group is affiliated to the Institute of Advanced Motorists and helps to prepare people for the Advanced Driving Test. This is done by the use of Observers who have passed the test and received extra training/tuition to bring them up to “Observer Standard”.
2. The Group allocates an Associate (potential IAM member) to an Observer who will assist & advise the Associate on the methods needed to pass the IAM test, by observing and commenting on the driving ability of the Associate. This can take several drives each lasting for just over an hour.
3. After completing several of these sessions, the Associate may well be ready to take the test. In order to check this out and give the Associate more experience of what the test involves, a check drive with a Senior Observer is carried out and if that goes well then the Associate is recommended to apply for the test.
4. The test is carried out by the holder of a Police Class 1 Licence – a Traffic Officer - not a Dept of Transport Driving Examiner - and lasts for up to 90 minutes, covering all types of road/ motorway testing knowledge of speed limits, Highway Code and general driving ability. At the end a review is carried out and the candidate is advised of the outcome.
5. The Group meets in March, June, September and December, usually at The White Hart pub in Beaconsfield, at 8pm and finishing at around 10pm. All members of the Group may come to the meeting and if they wish to bring friends they will be more than welcome.
6. To join the High Wycombe Group as an Associate you first need to purchase the IAM “Skill for Life” package which costs £99 (for those aged under 26 the cost is reduced by £20 so costs £79). This covers the membership of the Group, the test, IAM membership for a year (dependant on passing the test), the book “Pass Your Advanced Driving Test”, and a reasonable number of drives to bring one up to the advanced standard, usually about six or seven.