Few drivers look to sharpen their skills once passing the test, but it can make you a better driver and cut your insurance premiums.

Driver error is far and away the biggest single cause of road accidents, which makes the driver's skills a vital safety factor in every car.

The trouble is, very few of us make much of an effort to upgrade or develop those skills once we've passed our driving test. The basic learner test, which was introduced in 1934, is no more than an elementary examination of our ability to physically control a car.

Yet we confidently assume that a full driver's licence is a guarantee that we'll be able to handle all of the hazards that the highway throws at us. It's a dangerous assumption, according to the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), the national charity behind the UK's main advanced driving test (ADT).

Driving is easily the most dangerous thing we do on a daily basis – unless you happen to be a professional crocodile wrestler – so we should do it as best as we can. And the ADT is a way of making sure you really are a safer driver.

So what does advanced driving actually involve? Drivers preparing for the test typically undergo six one-hour training sessions in which their skills are scrutinised, bad habits highlighted and new techniques learned.

The course makes you a better driver by making you a safer driver. Driving is mainly an intellectual activity so instructors work on your concentration, observation, anticipation and planning, of course combining that with teaching good handling skills

Effective observation is one of the important skills that the advanced driving course helps develop. Most drivers think they are alert to what is happening on the road, but in fact the majority drive with tunnel vision and only see as far as the length of one cricket pitch.

Instead you should be constantly scanning the road and picking up clues to what's likely to happen, so that you can anticipate and prepare for hazards, rather than simply reacting to them

One way of developing this raised awareness, encouraged by the IAM, is the so-called 'commentary driving' in which drivers describe what they are doing and seeing as they drive along. Although this isn't a part of the test, IAM says that it's a very effective way of focusing on your driving technique.

Most of us tend to drive with only part of our attention on the task. Doing a commentary helps you to concentrate fully and makes you much more aware of the information that you are taking in as you drive

And the benefits of the course are striking. IAM figures suggest that advanced drivers are 50-75% less likely to be involved in an accident, which is good news not only for you but also other road users.

With statistics like that, you might expect that advanced driving would be commonplace. Yet while 1.2 million take the basic test each year, the number who go on to take the advanced test is a mere 12,000.

So what's holding us back? Everyone says they'd like to do it, but it's a case of getting around to it. Look at it this way – if you don't do it, you're much more likely to be involved in an accident.

Cost is likely to be another factor holding would-be advanced drivers back, but IAM, as a registered charity, takes pains to make sure that its courses are affordable.

In fact, its all-in-one 'Skills for Life' package, which includes membership of IAM, a course place and the test itself, comes in at a very reasonable £75. And if that weren't a small enough price to pay for greater safety on the road, there are other benefits to be had.

Some insurers are willing to offer discounts to IAM certificate holders. And better driving means you're reducing the wear and tear on your expensive car – not to mention yourself.

For more information on the Institute of Advanced Motoring and the advanced driving test in the York area visit www.iam.org.uk or contact Clive Tong (phone 07710 683501or email yorkgroupsecretary@hotmail.co.uk).