IAM myself, but earlier in the threadI said I was all set to buy him his first bike, had it all teed up, he didn’t want one.
I also use an electronic Helite and so would he
RoSPA I have found to be utterly useless, they have failed to reply to three of my emails requesting further training.
One email missed can happen, two, a bit worrying but three, inexcusable.
I then called them and that was just as useless., the person on the phone had no idea where my local group was and no contact details Waste of time
That’s a bit rubbish, but the link above shows the local groups across the country together with the phone numbers and email addresses of the local contacts to cut out the need for contacting HQ. I gather the HQ had some staffing issues, but I can understand how off putting that would have been.
When I moved house I was put off the new IAM local group when, having been a qualified senior observer in two other local groups, the local group I tried when I moved seemed obsessed with speed and exceeding the speed limit. Just not my thing I’m afraid and not my experience elsewhere, hence my suggestion to have try-outs at various local groups as different approaches appeal to different people.
Interesting comment regarding “Speed” and “Overtaking”
I was talking to someone who attended the “Police Advanced Motorcycling Training” (Not Bike safe) He was left behind as the Police riders rode so fast he was always playing catchup!
Reason being is that Police/Emergency Services need to get to the scene of the incident ASAP The mantra being " We are not on our way, we are there" (Words to that affect)
For us “Non Emergency Riders” I would suggest that excessive speed and the need to overtake everything is not necessary" (Happy to be corrected)
This video makes a good watch…
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The other side to this coin (as there always is another side) is that I have been involved in advanced riding since first passing my IAM test when I was 19 and I’m now 54. During that time I have been fortunate to have trained with Police Class 1 riders on many occasions including various days at the Police Driver Training Centre at Hendon (NW London). It is very clear that these riders have exceptional levels of skill and experience on bikes that most, if not all of us, are unlikely to get close to in our own riding careers. That said I have always found them very understanding of the skills gap and very willing to match their training to the level and experience of the person they are teaching. Pushing pupils to achieve a little more can and should be part of that experience, when safe to do so. I’ve no doubt that there will a few who want to push a little too much for whatever reason, however overall I found what they have to offer has always been very helpful indeed and the example they set is something I have always strived to get closer to. The most important thing is always ride within your own limits and whichever advanced training you undertake from a recognised and experienced source you are sure to learn something beneficial.
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Agreed!
Each time I’m in my car or on my bike I witness terrible driving.
Only the other day I have on my dashcam what I believe to be an elderly female driver drifting over the centre line and at one point driving on the wrong side of the road approaching a righthand bend!
Thankfully there wasn’t any other traffic coming the other way.
My father always said that he really started to worry about his sons when they started to become independent because he had less control; Its something we all have to go through.
one thing I’ve noticed a lot recently is vehicles driving along in rain and fog with no rear lights, even though they have front lights on. these are all new vehicles usually with LED lights, i suspect because there is a daytime running light on the front people just assume the rear lights are on too and don’t think to turn them on. older vehicles don’t seem to have the same problem because they are either on front and rear or all off which people notice more often and switch them on.
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A 125cc bike everytime, he can make his mistakes and gain his initial experiences with traffic and will soon decide if his destiny involves motorcycles.
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Automatic headlights are the worst “safety” feature on modern cars.
They can only detect the level of light but not whether it’s foggy or raining.
Off topic, but who decided it would be a good idea that cars should light up one fog light when they turn a corner? Does not the highway code say that fog lights should only be used when visibility is seriously reduced and you can’t see further than 100m? 
Don’t disagree Chris but they call them, ‘driving lamps’ these days 
That’s a shame. I joined our local RoSPA group before I started riding (in fact, it was a slow riding event organised by the group, that encouraged me to do my CBT and DAS) and started going on rides with them soon after having passed my test. They and my local MGCGB branch are the only people I feel comfortable riding with. I hope your persistence (if you’ve persisted) has paid off.
I don’t think anyone has mentioned it but the Enhanced Rider Scheme is a step up from the full licence training. Could be useful for any one who doesn’t want to go the whole hog with the advanced test. BikeSafe is fun too.
Link for ERS