St. Helens and District Group of Advanced Motorists Registered Charity Number 1058971 (England & Wales)

Winter IAM RoadSmart Advanced Driver Course – Introduction Evening

Contact us | Get directions ibis Styles (formerly Ramada Encore) hotel, 4 Galway Crescent Piele Road Haydock, Saint Helens, WA11 0GR Thursday, 8th January 2026, 20:00 – 21:45 A presentation covering the course programme and outlining what advanced driving is all about. For those who have already signed up for the course as well as for those … Read more

Vehicle balance

A Simple Explanation of Vehicle Stability in Bends.  Normally the faster you want to go, the higher the gear you use. But have you noticed that the faster you want to go around a bend the lower the gear you have to use? Why?….because of vehicle stability. So what is stability?  Imagine a wine bottle … Read more

Traffic lights on dual carriageways

Two issues need to be addressed: 1) moving through lights at a ‘safe’ speed2) being in a gear which allows good control of speed with the accelerator pedal Consider the scenario in which you are on a dual carriageway, travelling at 70 mph, approaching traffic lights a quarter of a mile ahead. They have just … Read more

Town driving

A busy town centre during the day or evening is fraught with danger from all sides. Rarely do we get the chance to get up to the 30 m.p.h. speed limit. Pedestrians, parked vehicles, taxi-ranks, buses, vehicles loading and unloading and road works are some of the hazards we have to contend with. By using … Read more

The use of the handbrake

If properly working, the handbrake ensures that a vehicle does not move of its own accord once it has been stopped.  As advanced drivers, we seek to minimise as much as possible any risk to ourselves or our vehicles and so the handbrake is a useful tool in our armoury. It can be used to … Read more

The use of automatic gearboxes

This article is a summary of an article produced by the IAM RoadSmart on automatic gearboxes. P – Park – Must never be engaged while the vehicle is in motion as it locks the transmission and prevents the car from moving. R – Reverse N – Neutral DRIVE – AUTOMATIC USE of First, Second, Third and Fourth gears. 3 – AUTOMATIC USE … Read more

The true meaning of green

Next time you are approaching a junction with traffic lights, ask yourself what a green light means. If your answer is ‘go’, you are only half right! For full marks, you need to remind yourself that a green light at the junction does mean go, but only if it is safe to do so. You … Read more

The System of Car Control

The ‘System’ is a systematic method of driving which, if used correctly, will substantially reduce the risk of a driver being the cause of an accident. A detailed explanation of the System is given in Roadcraft, the police driver’s manual, and it is to this book you must refer if you want a thorough understanding. … Read more