Advanced driving skills are well worth the time. In fact, says, John Wheeler, anything less just isn't good enough
If one were to listen to tales of daring do in the four-ale bar of the Sprocket & Chain you could be left with the impression that the world is filled with a host of top notch riders. We'll carefully pass over the probability that half of them haven't even passed the driving test.
By definition, an "advanced rider" is one who has made the grade in a formal test which requires a higher standard than the basic driving test.
There are two organisations offering recognised "advanced" motorcycle tests: the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). Both carry out advanced motorcycle tests in Ireland.
Such tests are entirely voluntary. In financial terms, passing either test would gain you a 10 per cent to 15 per cent insurance discount, depending on your insurer. Against that you have to set the cost of the test, currently around €70 - and, to benefit from a free triennial retest, an annual membership of around €30.
Depending on how much insurance you pay at the moment, the main motivation for passing an advanced test is unlikely to be financial.
So, why bother? Many riders have convinced themselves that they are really good riders. Only a small minority have had the courage to test their skills against what are very high, internationally recognised standards.
With precious few exceptions (I know of only three), nobody could expect to take an advanced test without thorough preparation and a good deal of serious practice.
Once you get down to understanding what advanced riding is, most discover they have acquired habits and practices which, while they may not have cost them their lives, are inconsistent with the very high standards required. It can be a revelation to discover that your observation skills are poor, your braking technique is dangerous, that you put yourself at unnecessary risk when cornering and that you can't achieve the level of safe progress required.
I had been riding for 40-odd years when I got around to taking the advanced test. It had just become available in Ireland and I was humbled to realise that I had more to learn. It was worth every minute of practice and training.
Before you define yourself as an advanced motorcylist, answer these questions:
Is your machine control always "safe, systematic and smooth"?
Can you always make progress "unobtrusively, with skill and responsibility"?
Does your riding always demonstrate "a courteous attitude and a high standard of riding competence based on concentration, effective all-round observation, anticipation and planning"?
Do you always handle your machine "so that your motorcycle is always be at the right place on the road at the right time, travelling at the right speed with the correct gear engaged and can always be stopped safely on its own side of the road in the distance that can be seen to be clear"?
Those honest enough to admit that they don't measure up to this standard have taken an important first step tpwards becoming a better and safer rider.
A good starting point is to make sure you have a very thorough knowledge of the rules of the road. It never ceases to amaze me how many people profess to "know" the rules, but can't answer even simple questions correctly.
Get a copy of Motorcycle Roadcraft - The Police Rider's Handbook to Better Motorcycling' (ISBN 0-11-341143-X). This is "the bible" of advanced riding. Don't read it as a novel, it's a textbook. You need to thoroughly understand each chapter before moving on to the next one.
Another very useful, and user-friendly publication is Pass Your Advanced Motorcycling Test (ISBN 1-870979-65-6). You should be able to get both of these at any good bookshop.
If you have gone thus far, very likely you've realised that some help wouldn't come amiss. One such source is to go to the Irish Rider Training Association's website at www.IrishRiderTraining.com
There you will find a list of instructors. All IRTA instructors must have recognised advanced qualification. Those with a Level 4 grade are authorised to train others to advanced level. In the Golden Pages you will find other, non-IRTA instructors, offering advanced training.
Getting your riding to the best it can possibly be is a lifetime investment. Statistics show that advanced riders have a much reduced accident rate. In today's traffic conditions is anything less than the best good enough for you?