I've done the IAMS course and felt it well worth the cost and effort. It certainly made me a safer and much more relaxed driver and taught me a great deal that was relevant to the hoons we run and those we go on. It may help to put my reasons into context though as you may be looking for something different to what I wanted at the time (6 years ago).
I recognised that I'd got into bad habits and found myself in situations where I wasn't being as thorough as I needed to be. As I was a surviving motorcyclist of many years I thought I had good road craft and defensive road reading ability but I was getting older (early 50s) and felt there was room for improvement and a check on my driving style needed so getting training appealed to me and it seemed like the right time.
It also needs to be said that I had an impressive guy take me through the course and I was willing to learn. I guess who you get paired with might make a difference and certainly (as with anything else) you've got to be open and prepared to take on board others comments and areas for improvement - in fact be prepared to accept there might be things that would be helpful to you and things you can learn.
I also thought the one-off payment was reasonable seeing as how you got as many sessions on the road as was felt useful before taking the 'test' drive.
It helped me familiarise myself with all signage and the highway code (hadn't visited this in years and it's amazing how much 'new' stuff there is). It raised my awareness, road reading and more particularly, thinking, far far ahead (which I honestly thought I already did) to a level and magnitude that impressed me. The guy I had was almost mystical in the way he could predict what about to or likely to happen on the road . . . and being honest I thought that was one of my best abilities - he was at another level! Brilliant doesn't cover it (and remember, like a lot of people - I thought I was good. . .)
Road positioning was another very useful area of improvement - as a motorcyclist I thought I had this covered but yet again I know for certain that at least two potential RTAs have been avoided through the application of what I learnt.
Some of the car control taught felt alien and at odds with what I'd thought to be best - but after applying it and using it for a time, it started to make sense and to be honest made me a far more effective driver.
The result was an increase in confidence (that the old habits had been addressed and new methods learnt) a massive increase in relaxation (ironically this was through increased concentration and thought, about what I was doing, rather than driving automatically) and a refocus on driving as a skill and pastime that makes me far more aware of what I'm doing on the road (and how I'm interacting with others) and maybe that's what I needed at the time. Much of what I did before was automatic and instinctive whereas now it's a more considered and a deliberate act.
As I said I had a 'special' guy and he listened to what my concerns were and what I was hoping to learn. We had 2 lots of 4 sessions of about an hour and a half each (first session was 2 hours as he said you could disguise how you 'normally' drive for about an hour and a bit but after that, he'd see what I was really like). He also drove a Scooby (he was nearly 70!) and understood what I wanted to do with my sports car on the road.
I agree with the comments above about the restrictions on driving these days but I've just got back from an intensive few days of group driving of the NC 500 which called for all these skills which in many cases could be applied within licence friendly speeds and certainly more safely as traffic density was so reduced.
I'd say any further training would be a help as it makes you think about what you're doing and this helps concentrate you on the task at hand rather than just instinctively driving. To be safe on the road, I'd say the IAMS course has a great deal to offer. It will help you maximise your safety which will aid you in making the most of the opportunities on the road. At the very least you'll gain skills that might help you keep your licence more points free (there are advantages to keeping to the speed limits apart from safety) and it will make you reassess your driving. At best, you will be able to apply what you've leant to making your hooning safer, more relaxed and in my experience, more effective. Always lots more to learn though I'm certain of that . . .
Good luck with whatever you decide - let us know how you get on.
, not 'cheap' though, but well worth it.
