Tips and Blogs

As the nights draw in it’s a great time to take stock and make sure you have the insurance cover in place to keep your most prized assets protected – your home.

It’s the start of summer holidays this week, and you may be thinking about going on holiday, having a day out, or visiting friends and family.

Although fuel prices seem to have stabilised over the past few months, the cost-of-living crisis is still forcing us to tighten our belts

With summer in full swing, IAM RoadSmart has some useful tips on making sure your dog doesn’t suffer in hot conditions. Everyone knows dogs can die if left in a car on a hot day, but it’s not just being left in a car that can cause them to overheat.

Travel is big this year: bookings are on the up, with flights set to exceed those taken in 2019. So, it’s possible you’ve got a trip or two in the diary.

As any of you who have met me will probably know, as well as the Chief Examiner of IAM RoadSmart I identify as a kart racing petrol head (notice the distinction of no “Go”, we do get sensitive about that).

Golden Girl Gilly Miller will be celebrating 50 years as an IAM RoadSmart member later this year. Gilly is the Vice Chair and currently Acting Chair at Basingstoke Advanced Motorists (BAM).

On 9th January 2020 I was driving to work, it was no different from any journey until I was hit head on by a driver who had fallen asleep. In that split second my entire driving career would change forever.

Over 40 Observers from the two clubs, together with two guests from the Plymouth group, all met in Tiverton, Dorset, for a successful weekend of Observer training.

With many people currently struggling with the cost of living the thought of parting with more money can be a painful one. When it comes to our cars the costs are creeping up, everything from petrol prices, road tax, and normal wear, and tear, but could new government legislation on the future of the MOT, help save us money?

"My first run report held a surprise for me; the word “outstanding” was used. After my second run, my Observer suggested I should book my test, unless… (he paused dramatically) unless I fancied an attempt at achieving a F1RST, in which case a few more runs should do the trick. I realised in that moment how much I had changed, how hungry I was to be the best I could be, and how could I ignore the dangled carrot of a F1RST?" Read the latest blog by Karen Allen here.

Heidi Limbert discovered several passions and experiences have merged over the last few years. The main two being mental health and motorbikes. As a rider herself she discovered freedom and tranquillity on a bike, but now has learnt so much more.

"Several years of riding had seen me develop several bad habits that I didn’t know I had. With the help of my Observer supplied by the Herts & Beds Advanced Motorcyclists group (HBAM) I had several sessions out on the road, a few classroom sessions and passed my advanced examination with a F1RST." Tony Smith, Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service Fire Bike Team Leader.

I passed my IAM RoadSmart assessment originally in 1992 driving a Peugeot 205 1.9 GTI, which I somehow managed to get as a company car – today this would be regarded as a serious contender for one of the best cars ever made and good examples sell for healthy sums. The classic car market is alive and well, and many hundreds change hands at auctions and on forecourts every month.