Guildford and District Group of Advanced Motorists (GAM), to give the full name, was formed in 1975, so Happy Birthday to GAM. The actual date of incorporation into the IAM is unclear, but it was around 50 years ago.
The Group was subsequently registered as a charity on 27 November 1995 in accordance with the requirements of our governing body, the IAM, now called IAM RoadSmart. GAM has always been a car group, with our sister Group, Wey Valley Advanced Motorists, working alongside us and catering for the 2-wheel fraternity.
The original Group Rules said that the Group operated in an area of 15 miles radius from the centre of Guildford, but with postcodes being fully implemented in the early 70s the IAM soon specified an allocation for each group and we now operate in most GU post codes plus some nearby KT and RH areas. Over the years some smaller groups have been dissolved and absorbed into larger groups, but GAM has remained a single and quite successful group on its own. 30 years ago there were probably over 200 IAM groups and the number today is a lot less, but the mission is still the same.
GAM was granted free use of the Guildford Borough Council (GBC) depot canteen on a Sunday morning from the early days, and over the years this had been a very welcome facility. Recent plans to re-develop the site have meant the canteen is now closed, but we remain grateful to GBC for many years of support, and especially to the caretaker who opened up and greeted us every month.
Ripley Village Hall was also the venue of choice over many years for committee meetings and the occasional group meeting, AGM or lecture, and this facility has also now been redeveloped into a modern venue to which we have returned for Sunday Runs and other occasional events.
Few things have changed – we still quote Roadcraft and the Highway Code as the main reference documents, the volunteer Observers manage to train a good number of Associates to test standard every year, and the test is still carried out by an independent IAM Examiner, usually an ex Police ‘Class 1’ Officer.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the professionalism, dedication and enthusiasm of our coaches, the Observers. These individuals led by the Chief Observer are really the heart and core of GAM. Today, not only are they regularly tested for competence, but they also have to keep up with changing laws, rules and vehicle tech that was never envisaged in the 1970s. Even automatic transmission was quite rare then!
In the nineties, GAM had about 300 full members (compared to 120 today) and processed a larger number of Associates than currently (as many as 40 or so on a Sunday morning); we have more F1rst passes than before although we cannot recall when this ‘grade’ of pass was initially used. Also, ‘commentary driving’ used to be mandatory, but this has been renamed ‘spoken thoughts’ and is optional for a pass (but essential for a F1rst).
We have a number of old GAM newsletters, the earliest we can find dated March 1991. IAM annual membership then was £7.50, and the test cost £18:50, a far cry from £204 today. GAM annual membership was £5 and it has only recently been raised to £10 for a full member, but the GAM and IAM memberships have always been treated separately. GAM has always been financially sound.
In that 1991 newsletter there are some familiar topics – poor motorway lane discipline (penned by a member whose name we still see listed today), dirty emissions from diesel engines, and a plea from the Chairman for better AGM attendance. Nothing much changes.
Some of the events advertised for members in 1991 included treasure hunts, a barn dance, go-karting and a trip to a skid pan. GBC also used to organise Road Safety events, and Surrey Police had the capacity to offer lectures and practical instruction. Finding people to organise these and then enough members to participate has been a perennial issue, and the modern way of life seems to be very different.
But life moves on, and despite over crowded Surrey roads with ever increasing pot holes and reducing speed limits, the principles of the IAM Advanced Test remain the same. Get from A to B safely, smoothly and with some ‘sparkle’, and remain legally compliant and in control at all times.
Safe Driving for another 50 years.
Your GAM Committee