The aim of GAM (Gordon Advanced Motorists) and of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) is to improve road safety through improvement of driver standards.  We achieve this by preparing Associate Members to pass the IAM’s Advanced Car Driving Test.

The Advancement of Road Safety.

We try to match those aims and objectives by working in the following ways:-

We are a totally independent organisation (as a registered Charity)
We are therefore not “owned” or financially dependent on any commercial organisations who might have a vested interest in aspects of road safety. Our financial support comes from our Members and Associates in the North East of Scotland who pay a small annual Membership fee to retain their membership of Gordon Advanced Motorists. Because of that support from people who have taken an interest in their own driving standard, we have a wonderful source of excellent practical knowledge available.

The IAM’s Advanced Driving Test is recognised and accredited by the Driving Standards Agency. It has been in existence since 1956. Due to the existence of many local Affiliated Groups throughout the UK, all charitable organisations in their own right, the support for people wanting to prepare for and pass the IAM’s Advanced Test is unparalleled throughout the UK. While no attempt has been made to quantify that support but with many local IAM Groups with an average of 100 in each……..well, you can easily see it is a lot of people. The support of these Groups means that the Advanced Test is available and probably achievable for ALL who have an interest in improving their driving skills.

By “improving their driving skills” we are not talking about those who want to enter motor sport but anyone who feels the way that drivers are left to their own devices once they have passed their “L” test is not good enough, or even those who feel that the nature of driving has changed since they passed their test, especially in today’s hectic traffic and varied road conditions!

The aims of the IAM were set out in the late 1950s and are still relevant today. Too many people are being killed or seriously injured on our roads each and every year and it is well known that most collisions are caused by Driver Error.

Educate the driver into a better way of driving and the collision rate will fall – it is drivers that cause collisions, not cars, or roads.

While educating drivers is not explicitly one of the IAM's objectives, that’s what we try to do because that meets all the