Ive joined RoSPA!!

[x-Sonia-x]

Hi everyone

Today I posted my application to join my local RoSPA - well its 20 miles away lol - thanks Porker for the link!!

Im hoping to go to the next meeting in a couple of weeks time. Cant wait to get started and have someone observe me.

As ive been so undecided until now, Im also going to the next IAM meeting in Sept. I have soo much inspiration to do it that I now really want to train to become an observer myself......one day!!!

if anyone can enlighten me as to what to expect on my first meeting that would be great!

Thanx

[GS]

Which group have you joined?

I expect that the first meeting will not be too exciting for you, introductions all round and you will be given some idea about how the observer system works and what to expect.

[ROG]

My associates get a very inteesting first meeting - A 1 hour+meeting with at least a 30 min drive which is quite intensive - I then leave it 4 weeks before the second to allow them to assimilate the info and to read the book again so they can relate one to the other.
Read book - drive - read book - a system that has worked for all my 90+ test pass associates over the last 10+ years

I could spend time talking & talking & talking but what's the point of that - let's get out there and do it for real

[x-Sonia-x]

Ive joined the North East Thames RoADAR. Its quite a way from where i live but that doesnt matter to me. My driving instructor was out of my area too! He was in Romford so I did most of my lessons up there and infact passed my test at Hornchurch. So driving to my observer wont be problem for me.

I could spend time talking & talking & talking but what's the point of that - let's get out there and do it for real

How right you are!!!!! Ive got itchy feet, coz I cant wait, opefully it wont be too long!!!

[GS]

My associates get a very inteesting first meeting - A 1 hour+meeting with at least a 30 min drive which is quite intensive - I then leave it 4 weeks before the second to allow them to assimilate the info and to read the book again so they can relate one to the other.
Read book - drive - read book - a system that has worked for all my 90+ test pass associates over the last 10+ years

I could spend time talking & talking & talking but what's the point of that - let's get out there and do it for real

ROG so this happens the first time a new associate attends a group meeting does it?

[x-Sonia-x]

I did guess that ROG meant the first meeting with your observer!!

GS - which group do you belong to, i see you are South East

[GS]

I'm a RoSPA examiner in the Herts / Essex border area.

I go to various groups in the area but I have not been to the group you have joined, I'm a bit further north, lots of the groups offer the same services so I'm sure that you will be OK there.

[ROG]

ROG so this happens the first time a new associate attends a group meeting does it?

I did guess that ROG meant the first meeting with your observer!!

Yes I did - we do not have group meetings as such - we do have club nights with guest speakers on just about anything - sometimes they are driving related
We tried associate/observer/training meets but they proved generally inneffective - time with ones own observer is much more beneficial.

[TripleS]

ROG so this happens the first time a new associate attends a group meeting does it?

I did guess that ROG meant the first meeting with your observer!!

Yes I did - we do not have group meetings as such - we do have club nights with guest speakers on just about anything - sometimes they are driving related
We tried associate/observer/training meets but they proved generally inneffective - time with ones own observer is much more beneficial.

Well it should be if things work as they should....

When you have a new batch of Associates do you not have classroom sessions, whereby the new Associates receive an introduction to the IAM, and go through the basics of Roadcraft, and receive an explanation of what the Skills for Life business means in terms of practical driving?

When I was briefly in the IAM that's what the Scarborough Group did. There were two classroom sessions and I thought that part of it was relevant and helpful. My difficulties began when I got on the road for the first time with my Observer, an experience from which it took me many weeks to recover.

Best wishes all,
Dave - still with different ideas about how things should be done.

[SeanP]

I joined my 'local' RoSPA group too a month or so back -- the Thames Valley Group (TVG, Reading), after a toss-up whether they or Three Counties (T-CAD, Dunstable) were the 'closest'...

I did attend a meeting in July, which had a great presentation from some ADI group members and an insight into the DSA approved interactive application for Hazard perception -- which was pants in just about everybody's opinion!

However, no observed runs will be set-up until I've attended a number of presentations and workshops in September.

Anybody here from TVG RoADAR?

[Porker]

if anyone can enlighten me as to what to expect on my first meeting that would be great!

Thanx

Sonia

The IAM and NETRoADAR meetings will have much the same format. That is, there will be a speaker who'll talk on their chosen subject, various announcements about events (etc) that the group is planning and so on.

The group evenings are, in some ways, slightly peripheral to the actual learning (driving) process. They can offer some useful information but they're not by any means the reason that you join the group, in my view at least. From my own experience, I didn't do many of the group evenings when I was doing my initial training but ended up attending them all, for reasons which I won't bore you with.

With both groups, make a point of identifying yourself as a new member (Chelmsford IAM have a "meeting point" for new joiners) and you will be welcomed into the group. From personal experience of both groups, they are chock full of good people who will be only too happy to pass on what they know.

regards
P.

[ROG]

When you have a new batch of Associates do you not have classroom sessions, whereby the new Associates receive an introduction to the IAM, and go through the basics of Roadcraft, and receive an explanation of what the Skills for Life business means in terms of practical driving?

That is what we trialled for a few months about 4 years ago - did not work for our group.
As associates did not join at the same time it meant many had to wait until there were enough to warrant doing a class.

The basics etc are all gone through on the first meet with their designated observer who stays with them for the duration unless either party requests a change for whatever reason.

Our emphasis is strongly on the driving and the system. I'll bet most that pass do not know much about the IAM and it's aims etc - they will have the web address for that.
The groups remit seems to be - let's concentrate on roadcraft and the actual driving - everything else can go into the ether until up to standard and the test is passed.

I am happy with this and have been fo 10+ years.

[TripleS]

When you have a new batch of Associates do you not have classroom sessions, whereby the new Associates receive an introduction to the IAM, and go through the basics of Roadcraft, and receive an explanation of what the Skills for Life business means in terms of practical driving?

That is what we trialled for a few months about 4 years ago - did not work for our group.
As associates did not join at the same time it meant many had to wait until there were enough to warrant doing a class.

The basics etc are all gone through on the first meet with their designated observer who stays with them for the duration unless either party requests a change for whatever reason.

Our emphasis is strongly on the driving and the system. I'll bet most that pass do not know much about the IAM and it's aims etc - they will have the web address for that.
The groups remit seems to be - let's concentrate on roadcraft and the actual driving - everything else can go into the ether until up to standard and the test is passed.

I am happy with this and have been fo 10+ years.

It appeared to me that although new Associates can join the IAM at any time, the Scarborough group used to have periodic recruitment campaigns, and this seemed to lead to new people joining in batches, so their classroom sessions were quite well attended and successful.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[ScoobyChris]

My old RoSPA group used to run a 4-week classroom course once a year and I managed to join just as it finished. The IAM group I joined didn't seem to have any concept of that and just paired you with an observer.

I personally think classroom sessions are very useful as they allow idea-sharing, eg the anatomy of a corner that Clive Jones does, and also concepts to be explained and discussed. However, it needs to be pitched at the right level to keep the associates motivated and also be taught by someone with a good grasp of the material who is able to convincingly answer questions rather than saying "it is because it is". These people are in short supply and high demand, I fear, and I can understand that needing x associates to make it worthwhile is not the easiest thing to achieve

Chris

[Gareth]

However, it needs to be pitched at the right level to keep the associates motivated and also be taught by someone with a good grasp of the material who is able to convincingly answer questions rather than saying "it is because it is". These people are in short supply and high demand

When I joined the Thames Valley RoSPA group last century they ran a series of lectures in the early part of the year, then had a demo drive day, and after that the observed runs started to coincide with the better weather and longer evenings. They used a traffic cop to give the lectures, and I thought he was very good indeed. He made the subject interesting as he worked through the chapters of Roadcraft, especially when he included anecdotes from his working life

The numbers were such that a fairly large lecture theatre at Reading University had been hired, Wednesday evenings every two weeks for however long it took - I suspect most groups don't get sufficient interest these days to make that approach viable.