As of December 31st 2006 the AA Motoring Trust that was originally founded and evolved from the AA, which is the UK’s largest breakdown cover organisation has now ceased operating. The IAM Motoring Trust will now take forward the work from the AA with a year policy of transport and safety research. The IAM is now in its 50th year and as a charity is fully experienced in tackling safety and motoring issues and in fact is the largest of its kind in the UK. They do this by encouraging advanced driving courses called the “Skill For Life” programme, which prepares drivers for their test. As Nigel Mansell says, advanced driving is not just for the racetrack. Their role is also to influence the politicians to the dangers of the roads and the solutions to those danger, so that real safety measures are out in place. As a charity they rely on membership fees to support their work and this comes from 112,000 members as well as the advanced test charges. Much of the work is done by the IAM groups who are mainly volunteers dedicated to the safety of the road. They also meet on a social basis too, within the company of fellow motorist and even bikers.

It makes sense that an independent organisation should support safety and driving issues rather than the existing AA organisation which has now evolved into a large Insurance and Breakdown Cover, with profits and share holders to content with. The IAM can work separately to all this, making safety the most important issue, without any fallback of profits or created PR.

Campaigns that have been originally led by the AA Motoring Trust are such things as child safety seats, over 5, 000 children under the age of 16 are injured each year on our roads, with 16 dying. They have promoted a campaign for saver van driving, with advice for managers, and drivers of commercial vehicles and even the car driver who has hired a van for the day. Going back to 2004 sees campaigns and statistics for safer refuelling at the UK petrol pumps.

As of 1st January 2007 sees a new beginning with Advanced Motoring being joined with road safety and a new IAM taking over the AA Motoring Trust role, this must be a great challenge, not only personal but also in branding as the UK public got used to the 2 organisations, the AA and a similar organisation originally formed by the RAC, promoting motoring issues in the press. The UK public often see the AA and RAC brand as a relationship to the old motoring clubs that now offer insurance and breakdown cover policies, so the transfer to IAM will need some work on branding.

Road safety in the UK as in all countries is a matter of importance with an increased number of cars hitting the roads every year. Manufactures are making cars safer, but we the motorists often take this for granted and have more demanding lifestyles that require us to get from A to B quicker than we ever needed to. We need organisations like the IAM, to remind us that safety is the most important issue, no matter what.