Stephen Parr

In today’s world there are more and more vehicles on the road and everyone seems to be in
a hurry to get where they’re going, learning how to ride/drive is a very big achievement and
some think it’s a walk in the park. I’ve always had a big interest in anything that had an
engine and how they work, I love to ride/drive on all types of road but over the years I’ve
noticed how people’s attitude, behaviours and safety have changed. I enrolled on a bike
safe course in Carlisle which I found very informative and interesting, this lead me to do my
advanced rider training with Carlisle and West Cumbria Advanced Motorists (CWCAM) which
I’m very proud of as I thought I was a good rider before?
Learning how to be in the right position to keep me away for harm, learning how to take
corners/bends, learning how to read the road/scanning so I could plan my ride/drive
understanding about Information, Position, Speed, Gear, Acceleration (IPSGA) Take, Use,
Give (TUG) Safety, Stability, View (SSV) Observation, Anticipation, Planning (OAP) these
skills were all new to me but after a few weeks I passed my advanced bike test. A few
years later I decided to do my advanced car and being an advance rider some of the
training was similar which gave me an advantage as I already knew what was expected.
I’m now a qualified National Observer for motorcycles with a Master Rider Qualification and
a qualified Local Observer for Cars.