The official magazine of Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists and Motorcyclists
Dumfries NEW PARTS: USED PARTS: SALVAGE Cars: Stranraer NEW & USED:
01387 269546 01387 264813 01387 262888 01776 700888
www.daautoparts.co.uk
St Marys Ind Estate, DUMFRIES Tel: 01387 269546 Blackparks Ind Est, STRANRAER Tel: 01776 700444
This magazine was published by the Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists.
Group Committee Members for 2006/07 Group President: Tommy Jardine Chair, Group Alan Jones Chief Obs
01387 820527
Vice chair, Graeme McColm Chief m/c Obs
01387 720425
For more details of our activities see our web site at:
Secretary
Helen Cameron
07707 035518
Treasurer
Allan Graham
01387 269421
www.iam.org.uk/groups/ dumfries
Publicity & Events
Scott Anderson Russell Wears
01387 257826 01387 263893
Contact the Group Secretary:
Minute Sec
Anne Lind
07886 984380
dumfries@groups.iam.org.uk
Associate coordinator
Peter Dodds
01387 261523
Magazine comments and contributions to:
M/c c’rdinator Andrew Bird Christine News Donaldson Distribution
01387 259500
editor@iamdumfries.f9.co.uk
Committee
01387 263750 01576 202805 01387 337322
Charlie Allman John Donaldson Alan Dalrymple
01576 202805
To e-mail any member of the committee, please in the first instance, use the group contact e-mail address: dumfries@goups.org.uk
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this magazine are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Editor, Group or the Institute of Advanced Motorists, to which the Group is affiliated. Registered Charity No. SC 023511
This magazine This magazine is published three times a year and distributed free to members of the Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists. It is also available on-line and distributed free to various places where the public have access. Its purpose is to inform readers about our activities and to stimulate thought about safe driving and riding issues especially to those readers who are undergoing or have completed a ‘Skill for Life’ driving or riding course. Back issues may be viewed on line, just go to our web site www.iam.org.uk/groups/dumfries.
What’s on? (check latest news at: www.iam.org.uk/groups/dumfries) Monday 16 April Garage visit Lloyd Volvo, Kingstown, Carlisle 7:15 pm View vehicles on display followed by introduction and information about Volvo cars and tour of the workshops. Your opportunity to test drive a Volvo demonstrator. Please call or e-mail the Secretary or Russell Wears if you wish to attend. Monday 14 May AGM Dalston Hotel 7:30 pm Monday 11 June TREASURE HUNT Depart from Dock Park between 6:30 pm and 7 pm © Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists 1
Message from the chair - Alan Jones I hope this magazine finds you in good heart as we approach another springtime. So far we have been spared the worst of the traditional winter weather, in our region at least, but who knows what we might expect in April or even May! Given the amount of rain we have had from November onwards let’s just hope that 2007 brings with it a nice summer. The last few months have been a relatively quiet time for us but even so I am pleased to report that we continue to make steady progress in getting our Associates to Test standard. Since April 2006 we have enrolled 82 Associates, making our Group the most successful Group in Scotland in recruiting Associates. In the same period we have achieved a record 52 Test passes and we still have a respectable number of Associates currently under training and not far off being Test ready. Helen Cameron will make mention of the new Members by name in her report, but I just want to say here how pleased I am that our President, Tommy Jardine, lived up to his promise when he said that he wanted to be an active President. Tommy recently took his IAM Test and passed with flying colours. Well done Tommy and well done to all our new Members. We have put just under half of our Observer resource into coaching young people to Test standard and I am pleased to say that 5 of these new Members have now become Observers themselves, and we have a further 2-3 who we will be training shortly. The introduction of these young people into our Observer team is very pleasing, as they will help to encourage other young people to come forward and enrol with us as Associates. Improving the driving and riding skills of young people remains an important part of our activities and providing we continue to have funding available we will offer the IAM’s Skill for Life programme free of charge. To this end I am pleased to say that we have attracted significant levels of private funding from companies such as DA Autoparts, The Station Hotel, Amey and Crossflags, all of which will help us fund our young people initiative. In addition, we are in the process of receiving charitable donations from Arla Foods and John F. Black Motor Engineers, which will be put to good use in furthering our aims of improving road safety in a more general way. We also recognise that we need to do more for other sections of our membership, especially those who, like young drivers, are at higher risk of having an accident. To this end we have made representations to our Regional Coordinator, Steve Shepley. As a result of our petition, Steve and Robin Mair, our Divisional Council Member, are in the process of putting a proposal to the IAM © Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists
2
that the cost of Skill for Life for new or inexperienced motorcyclists be reduced by ÂŁ10. In addition, to show our support for this initiative, your committee has agreed that we should match this discount for new or inexperienced motorcyclists and motorists. We hope this initiative will make Skill for Life more affordable and thereby attract even more Associates. Above all however, we hope this initiative will demonstrate that we aim to spread our limited general funds as fairly as possible, and particularly to those at greatest risk. I hope you were pleasantly surprised to hear the IAM advert broadcast on SouthWest Sound radio recently. Again, this was another of our initiatives to increase public awareness in the area and through the medium of radio, to increase our reach throughout the region. You will be pleased to learn that the majority of the cost has been funded by the IAM, although the initiative and the advert itself was all our idea. Hopefully other Groups on learning of this will adopt a similar approach. We hope you enjoy reading this magazine. We try hard to keep the topics of interest to you so that even if you do not take an active part in the Group activities you will at least be kept informed and educated in road safety matters. You will also notice in this magazine that we have a number of new sponsors. We welcome these new companies who, together with our existing sponsors, create the income to enable the costs of this publication and its increasing circulation to be met.
December Celebration Over 40 people attended a special celebration evening at the Dalston House over the Christmas period. The event was arranged to give all of our members an opportunity to meet T shirts and certificates being pretogether and to recognise the achievesented at the December event ment of our younger members in passing the IAM’s Advanced Driving or Riding Test. PC Les Kirkpatrick presented the young members with a T shirt displaying a specially designed logo to reflect their new found skills. Will McCulloch was identified by our Examiner, Robin Bell, as having given the best drive on the day of the Test. To add some additional excitement to the evening Les Kirkpatrick offered to give a Demonstration Drive to Will in his patrol car together with the winners of the Hazard Awareness competition and the General Knowledge Quiz. We hope the 3 winners were suitably impressed by the standard of a Police Driver who holds an Advanced Driving Certificate. Š Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists 3
Male Drivers Take More Risks
(source: YouGov/DfT)
Male drivers are more than twice as likely as women to assume good road conditions are safer and then take dangerous risks, according to a new national survey. A poll of 1,500 drivers by YouGov for the THINK! Road safety campaign revealed that men are less inclined than women to consider road conditions when driving on rural roads and almost a quarter believe it is acceptable to speed when they think it safe to do so. However, while male drivers may think that less traffic and fewer pedestrians on rural roads mean they're safer, the reality is that, per mile, you are three times more likely to die in an accident on a rural road than an urban one. Other rural road survey findings are that male drivers more readily find driving over the speed limit acceptable compared to females, particularly when driving: ·
On open roads with few cars (32% v 19%)
·
When weather conditions are good (26% v 15%)
·
On familiar roads (20% v 11%)
·
Where there are no pedestrians around (17% v 12%)
·
One in five men admitted to usually driving over the speed limit on rural roads, compared to 8% of women
·
A fifth of males only consider themselves to be speeding when they are driving over 10mph over the national speed limit of 60mph
One in four people living in cities think they are more likely to have an accident on an urban road yet one in three (31%) have had an accident or near miss on a rural road Details on the THINK! rural speed advertising campaign to remind motorists to drive carefully on rural roads has been launched by the Dept for Transport: www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/slowdown/slowdown.htm ·
Bikers - Where you look is where you go! An innovative treatment for bends from Buckinghamshire’s Casualty Reduction Team has won a motorcycling Prince Michael International Road Safety Award. ‘Where you look is where you go’ (WYLIWYG) holds a rider’s view round a bend, drawing them round safely. The BCC team recognised that single vehicles losing control on rural roads accounted for the largest number of recorded crashes. Such is the success of WYLIWYG that, at the treated bend, there were no biker accidents in the following 53 months. © Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists 4
Traditionally, hazard markers are placed to highlight the ‘crown’ of a bend. WYLIWYG takes the marker posts further round the bend to the point where the vanishing’ point starts moving away from the biker’s view, which is often into the straight. The posts are also placed closer together so that they keep appearing in the rider’s view, focusing him on a point around the bend allowing him to negotiate the hazard safely. Riding, driving and filming the treated bend, the markers create an optical illusion – they ‘pop out’ of the ‘vanishing point’ into the approaching rider’s view, concentrating their focus on the markers, so instead of being distracted by anything else, ‘where the biker looks, the biker goes’! Source: Institute of Highway Incorporated Engineers
ONE in five ‘at-work drivers’ hasn’t had an eyesight test in the past five years!
When did you last have your eyes checked? Origins of the Planned System of Driving
Source www.met.police.uk/
In 1934 there were 585 vehicles in use by the London Metropolitan Police but the accident mileage ratio stood at one accident for every 8,000 miles travelled. This high accident rate resulted in the famous racing motorist, Sir Malcolm Campbell, being asked to test a number of police drivers. Despite a difficult and strenuous test where a high standard was demanded, all the police drivers passed with flying colours. In 1935 it was decided to set up the first police driving school at Hendon in order to train future police drivers and it opened it’s doors for the first four week driving course in January of that year. The following year the first advanced driving course was held. In 1936 one of the most famous racing drivers of the day, the Earl of Cottenham was appointed as a civilian advisor to the driving school. His aim was to bring to the technique of advanced driving a new standard of perfection. It was he who introduced what was the foundation of the modern System used by the police. A system which by implementing a simple "drill" or sequence of events a driver would ensure that his vehicle was always in the right place at the right time, travelling at the right speed and in the correct gear. Thus, it was reasoned, a driver would be in complete control of any situation with which he might be faced. By 1938 the efficiency of this new system proved itself for the accident rate had dropped to one accident per 27,000 miles travelled. Although this system has been revised and improved over the years it is essentially the same system that, as advanced drivers, we use today. © Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists
5
Workshops to let from ÂŁ69 p.w. Easy In - Easy Out Terms No legal costs. Immediate access 24 Hour Access On-site security Ideal starter units Container storage available On-site car parking
Evans Easyspace Ltd Heathhall Industrial Estate, Dumfries DG1 3PH Web site: www.evanseasyspace.com FREEPHONE 0800 039 3900
Accident Scam You will no doubt heard of the new scam where fraudsters stage a deliberate accident, often by disconnecting their own brake lights so unwary motorists drive into the back of them. They then greatly exaggerate their insurance claims in a number of ways, including adding non-existent passengers to the claim. The growing problem is costing more than £1.5 billion a year, adding 5% to policyholders’ insurance premiums. A spokesman for the Fraud Investigation Team at insurance company Norwich Union said: ‘The trend is towards the fraudsters targeting predominantly larger commercial fleets, those that have marked vehicles. They see targeting such fleets as a victim-free crime, affecting an organisation rather than a person. It’s worrying.’ The chairman of the new Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB), created by insurers to clamp down on such crime, added: ‘There are usually some tell-tale signs that you have been involved in a fraudulent collision. Motorists should pay extra attention to people braking suddenly in front of them for no apparent reason or otherwise driving erratically.’ What do you do if you suspect you have been caught up in such an incident?
If you suspect you have been involved in a staged accident, do not say anything other than ‘it is a matter for our insurance companies’. If anyone is injured, call the police. Take as many pictures as possible of the accident, including the driver, passengers, vehicle and any damage. (It’s a good idea to always have a camera in your vehicle) The identity of the driver is crucial so take a good description. Establish how many passengers are in the other car and take a good description of them. Try to find an independent witness for the accident but be wary of any witnesses quick to offer their services as they may be corrupt. Take note of any other cars involved, including damage and registration numbers. Be wary of any companies that contact you quickly, offering to repair your car, unless they are through your insurance company. If you suspect the accident was intentional, inform your insurance company at the earliest opportunity. If you know of anyone involved in staging accidents, call the IFB Cheatline on 0800 328 2550. Source: Royal & SunAlliance
© Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists 7
Crash dieting - eating and drinking at the wheel doubles crash risk Eating or drinking at the wheel dramatically increases the risk of a car crash, according to a study by Privilege Insurance. Tests revealed that drivers are almost twice as likely to crash when eating or drinking as when driving normally. Although drivers try to compensate for eating and drinking by driving more slowly and carefully, they are often unable to react to avoid a collision. Privilege’s study found that drivers’ mental workload was significantly higher when eating or drinking, suggesting that the consumption of refreshments reduces a driver’s ability to deal with other events. So, although drivers were slowing down and steering more consistently they were still not compensating enough to avoid a crash. The experimental research was conducted on a Driving Simulator to uncover just how distracting eating and drinking at the wheel can be. Participants were asked to drive an urban route once without eating, and once while eating from a bag of sweets or drinking from a bottle of water at two intervals, coinciding with a pedestrian stepping into the road. The total number of crashes doubled during the food and drink trial. Nine in ten occurred at the point the driver was eating sweets or sipping water, resulting in a collision with a pedestrian. Dr Mark Young, from Brunel University, who carried out the study explained: “The results of our experiment strongly indicate that eating or drinking while driving increases the risk of a crash. Drivers may not perceive the risk to be any higher than other menial in-car tasks, but the impaired reactions combined with the increased workload suggest drivers should exert caution.”
Mobile phone reminder Just a reminder that studies have shown that use of a mobile phone whilst driving can impair your reactions even when using a hands free telephone. The Government seem to have recognised that the existing penalties related to phone use in vehicles are widely flouted and have now increased the penalty for using a handheld mobile phone while driving to three penalty points plus a £60 fine. The revised law also includes the same penalties to apply where drivers using a hands-free phone are found by police to not to be in proper control of their vehicle. You should note that if you are an employer you can also be prosecuted if you require employees to make or receive calls while driving. It is an offence to cause or permit the use of a hand-held mobile phone while driving, it is also an offence to cause or permit a driver not to have proper control of a vehicle. It is much safer to stop (in a suitable place) and take or make that call. © Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists 8
Are We New To You? If you are reading this magazine for the first time you may be a new member of the Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists and Motorcyclists (DGGAMM) or you may know nothing about us. We are a local group affiliated to the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). DGGAMM is a charity devoted to promoting road safety through its advanced driving and riding courses leading to the taking of the IAM Advanced Car or Motorcycle Test. We are a growing regional organisation, have a membership of over 100, including qualified Advanced Driving and Riding Observers who provide guidance to assist drivers and riders to improve their skills on the road. We also work with and receive support from other road safety organisations and local businesses to help promote our aims. Our aim is to help drivers and riders improve their skills on the road and so help reduce collisions, injuries and deaths on our roads. We promote the IAM ‘Skill for Life’ courses throughout the year and you can find out what is entailed by visiting our web site. Well over ninety percent of people who sit the Advanced Test with us are successful. Once a candidate has passed the IAM Advanced Test, we offer further driving and riding courses leading to qualifications as Observers. The Group run social nights most months of the year at the Dalston House Hotel, Dumfries or other nearby locations. These meetings are free to members and open to anyone who wants to come along and find out more about what we do. At these meetings we often invite guest speakers to talk on a general theme related to driving or riding, roads, vehicles, motorcycles, safety and the like. Details of ‘What’s on’ can be found on our web site or on page 1 of this magazine. We are a non-profit making organisation, run entirely by volunteers who give their time freely to help achieve our aims. To find out more contact the Group Secretary or visit our web site - see page 1 for details.
Did you know? That one moment of carelessness on the road can have serious consequences. Thirty two percent of car occupant deaths occur in single vehicle accidents i.e. ones in which no other vehicles were involved. Statistics show that these types of accidents are increasing. Source: Roadsafe/dft © Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists
9
Spot the difference Here are the answers to the Winter 2006 ‘spot the difference’ competition based on the photos shown here. There were ten changes to the original photo (shown with orange border): ~Red doll in window ~Different colour gable wall ~Man on the steps ~Wall across path ~Man’s top changed to yellow ~Extra parking sign by van ~Man in blue shirt crossing road ~Manhole cover in path by flowers ~Silver car has no second sunroof ~Piece of white line missing
Available on our web site now In an effort to be more accountable, Group Rules, Year End Accounts and the minutes of both AGM and Committee Meetings are available for inspection on our web site. Go to www.iam.org.uk/groups/dumfries to find out more.
In a lay-by at night Here’s a question for you; at night if you’ve stopped for a break at a lay-by out on the open road (e.g. on the A75) is it necessary to have your lights on? © Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists
10
JOHN F. BLACK Servicing - Repairs - Welding - Recovery - MOT Testing We cater for cars, motor-homes and light commercials
Tel: 01387 267473
6B Catherinefield Industrial Estate Heathhall Dumfries DG1 3PQ
Members have their say For the past two years the Group has been working to a Plan which is approved by the committee each year. The Plan is aimed at helping us both to grow in size and become more effective in improving road safety throughout the region. You can see a copy of the current Plan on our web site. For all this good work however, the one thing we cannot afford to do is to ignore the wishes of our members. For this reason we asked Russell Wears to develop a questionnaire to help us better appreciate your views about what we are trying to achieve, as well as giving you the opportunity to let us know your preferences for our future direction. We now have the results of the questionnaire. Although so far we have only received replies from around one third of our members I would like to share the results with you. If you did not complete a questionnaire it is not too late to comment, please let our Secretary have your views - you can download the questionnaire from our web site. In summary almost 70% of the replies supported our focus on young people, although some replies expressed a wish for a recognition that other types of road users are also vulnerable. We hope our representations to Steve Shepley will go some way to addressing this balance, which if the IAM supports the Š Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists 11
proposal, will mean that returning motorcyclists receive a £20 discount and new drivers or riders, regardless of age, will receive a £10 discount on the cost of a Skill for Life package. 80% of respondents felt the Group had the balance of activities about right but there was no majority either way for having more frequent events; there was however a two to one majority against focusing on motoring themes. There was a similar majority in favour of holding events further from our home base and most supporters would be prepared to cover the cost of these activities. There was almost overwhelming support for obtaining local discounts for Members and although 60% of you said that you had seen publicity about the Group in and around Dumfries, nearly 80% wanted to spend more on publicity. Our advertising on SouthWest Sound is therefore a step in the right direction. Your feedback, which is too extensive to fully mention here, is appreciated and please be assured that your committee will consider all your comments, and wherever possible we will take your suggestions on board.
The Secretary Reports - Helen Cameron Once again we are coming towards the end of a very enjoyable season of speakers and visits. The meetings this year have been fairly well attended but there is always room to squeeze in a few more. Our annual 10 Pin Bowling challenge against Carlisle Group recently took place and once again we won the trophy. It was good to see a few new faces and it’s nice to hear ideas from different groups. The three way quiz was due to be held in March but has been postponed until the end of April. I have one volunteer so far but would like a few more. We will be defending last year’s win and it will be held in Dumfries with Carlisle setting the questions. Unfortunately Westmorland will not be Carlisle Chairman competing this year. I would like to thank all the presents Dumfries‘ Emma participants of these events, especially as most of Purdie with the cup. them volunteered without too much arm twisting. Since our last magazine five new members have passed their IAM driving test. Congratulations to our President, Tommy Jardine who had more pressure on him than most of us have when taking the test. Congratulations also to Richard Radcliffe, Jamie Wood, Emma Purdie and Paul Green. Our Motorcycle section is quiet at this time of year as far as tests are concerned but I am sure it is building up for a burst of tests in the spring. © Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists 12
Crossflags At Crossflags we strive to create the best customer experience in the area. Please come and see us when you are considering your next vehicle purchase. York House, Annan Road, Dumfries DG1 3AW 01387 253473 Fax: 01387 253472 www.crossflags.co.uk
Our invitation:
Get
in CONTROL
We exist to promote road safety and improved driving and riding standards to motorists and motorcyclists throughout Dumfries and Galloway, by providing Advanced Driving and Riding courses. Whether you are an experienced driver or rider, or newly qualified, why not find out how we can help you to get in, and stay in control on the road? If you are interested in improving your skills, even if you have completed an Advanced course in the past, then why not find out how we can help you. To find out how we can help you to help yourself e-mail or call the Secretary (07707 035518), or visit our web site - it’s a ‘Skill for Life’
DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY GROUP OF ADVANCED MOTORISTS & MOTORCYCLISTS Registered Charity in Scotland No. SC 023511
What’s different about our method of driving or riding?
We advocate using the ‘Planned System of Driving/Riding’. Just because you don’t use this System does not necessarily make you an unsafe driver or rider. What our method gives you is a means of driving or riding in a consistently safe, systematic way which leaves nothing to chance. Our method will not help you drive or ride through a hazard, say a bend, at the fastest possible physical speed but when perfected it should help you progress through it at the fastest speed while at the same time maintaining stability and maximising safety. © Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists
14
Stop Press News just in indicates that we are likely to have another successful application for a Grant Award from the Council. This will mean enough funding for a further fifty young people to prepare for and take the advanced test; and another busy year for our Observers.
Allan McNish to take the test Tommy Jardine, President of the Dumfries Group recently met racing driver, Allan McNish, during one of his visits to Dumfries. During the meeting Allan agreed to lend his support to the road safety initiative planned by Tommy's radio station, SouthWest Sound. Allan was so impressed by the work our group does that he agreed to act as a role model for younger drivers by taking the IAM Advanced Driving Test himself during a future visit to Dumfries from his home in Monaco. Š Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists 15
Annual General Meeting NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by order of the Group Committee that the Annual General Meeting of “Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists and Motorcyclists” will be held at 7:30 pm on Monday 14 May 2007 at Dalston House Hotel, Dumfries. to enable the Trustees of the Group (Registered Charity No. SC 023511) to present their Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 30 April 2007 for approval by the Group Members and to conduct an election. Secretary: Helen Cameron; Contact: 07707 035518; Group No 6071; e-mail: dumfries@groups.iam.org.uk - 1 April 2007 All Members, Associates and Friends are invited to attend but only Fully Paid Up Members of the IAM and of the Group may vote. A Member entitled to vote at the General Meeting may appoint a proxy to vote in his stead. A proxy need not be a Full Member of the Group. CURRENT OFFICERS: All Officers retire annually and may offer themselves for re-election. (Group Rule 3.4) Chairperson: Alan Jones - Offering to stand for re election Vice Chairman: Graeme McColm - Offering to stand for re election Secretary: Helen Cameron - Offering to stand for re election Treasurer: Allan Graham – retiring at AGM COMMITTEE MEMBERS: One third of the Committee (excluding Officers) must retire annually and may offer themselves for re election. (Group Rule 3.4) A. RETIRING BY ROTATION AND STANDING FOR RE-ELECTION:
Russell Wears, Scott Anderson, Peter Dodds B. RETIRING BY ROTATION AND NOT STANDING FOR RE-ELECTION: none C. COMMITTEE MEMBERS NOT RETIRING & NUMBER OF YEARS REMAINING:
Anne Lind (I yr), Andrew Bird (2 yrs), Christine Donaldson (2 yrs) John Donaldson (2 yrs) Alan Dalrymple (2 yrs). NOTE: The total number of Committee Members including the Officers must not exceed twenty. See the Nomination Form (available from the Secretary) for details, which must be returned by 7 May 2007. Group Rules and the Minutes of the May 2006 AGM are on the Group web site or via the Secretary. IMPORTANT The Group belongs to its members and it will benefit from your input at the AGM and/or your participation on the committee, if you are able to help. Any full member of the group wishing to help the group by volunteering to be a member of the committee should let the Secretary know in advance of the date for return of nomination papers so that a Nomination Form can be raised. © Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists
16
Being conspicuous in poor conditions This picture may help you to consider how much more conspicuous a vehicle can be in poor conditions (a wet day getting towards dusk) dependant on which lights you use. In this image the lead car has one headlight and one side light illuminated, the second has no lights and the third is driving with dipped lights. It is always worth thinking about how conspicuous you will appear to other road users even if your lights won’t help you to see any better.
Observation, Observation, Observation - Alan Jones I was recently asked, during a telephone interview with a newspaper reporter, what three tips I would give to members of the public to make them safer on the road. I replied, observation, observation, observation! I thought I would amplify my comments here in order to provide a brief refresher for those Group Members who may have passed their Advanced Test some years ago and who may need a reminder. The explanation may be of interest to other readers who may have just picked up this magazine while sitting in a waiting room. Observation is the first phase of the IAM’s Planned System of Driving and is the “cement” which holds all the other phases together. Without it we would not have a System. As Advanced Drivers and Riders we pride ourselves in our observation skills, which allow us to spot hazards far ahead of our vehicle or bike, so giving us time to take action. We constantly scan our environment and maximise the use our mirrors so that we always have an awareness of the hazards in front, behind and to our sides. This gives us the opportunity to plan our response to hazards, and in the case of pedestrians or other road users, allows us to give a timely indication of our presence by use of the horn or lights, should this be required. Warning signs, road markings and the condition of the road surface are all taken into account in helping us assess the risks associated with a hazard. Finally we continually seek to anticipate hazards, even if we can’t see any, since we know that they may only become readily apparent at a later point. By concentrating on the task at hand and taking the necessary steps into account as we drive or ride, the System gives us time to react to hazards in a safe and controlled manner. Through developing good Observation techniques our “road-craft” skills improve, which when combined with the correct use of the System’s other phases, the chance of being involved in a collision can be reduced to around 50-70% than that of the average road user. © Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists 17
Making safe legal progress The ability to make good smooth progress is the mark of a good driver or rider. Maximising progress is also a requirement of the Advanced Driving and Riding Tests but only where it is safe and legal to do so. Remember speed limits wherever they are, are just that, the maximum speed and not a target speed. On the other hand, moving along in town at 15mph in a quiet, relatively hazard free area can be just as annoying to following traffic as the person who holds up traffic driving at 45mph on an open road with few hazards. In these circumstances following drivers or riders can be tempted to follow too close or attempt to overtake in less than the safest of places. Sometimes the uninitiated have an incorrect view of what advanced driving means and think it involves driving ‘defensively’ everywhere but at slow speed. This is not what a safe driver seeks to do; consistently making and maintaining swift safe progress is something that only the most observant and reactive of people can do. The secret of good driving is smooth progress, always being on the right part of the road, travelling at the right speed and in the right gear; never making unnecessarily jerky moves or changes of direction. Progress is smooth because you are always in control, aware of what is in front, behind and to the sides, thinking well ahead and planning your course of action. Often drivers have a very high opinion of their own driving skills which may or may not be deserved, but as far as safe driving is concerned, attitude is probably significantly more important than handling skills. Of course the best drivers can perform well in both areas. So to make safe legal progress you need a flexible and considered approach to the use of speed especially in respect of safety margins, creating space and the identification of escape routes. This applies whatever the type of road, the conditions or the speed limit; indeed it applies equally to an urban environment and to the open road. On motorways for instance you don't have to stay with the bumper huggers in the outside lane to make progress, with a bit of thought and planning you can still make legal progress whilst at the same time maximising your safety and that of your fellow road users. This does not mean you never use the outside lane it just means you actively consider which lane to use rather than just following the rest of the traffic. By honing your skills you should gain the confidence to know you can drive at any legal speed when the situation is safe enough to allow you to do so. Š Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists
19
O B S E R V E R’ S C O R N E R
This section is intended to help when considering the best course of action. It is up to every driver to actively assess each scenario.
Know your roadside furniture
Many drivers pass bollards and posts at the side of the road, unaware that they could be the key to useful information. The bollards incorporate reflectors (red on nearside and white on offside) and it is only the reflectors which are shown in the 'Know Your Traffic Signs' book. Amber reflectors are reserved for use on the offside of dual carriageways. The posts or bollards on which they are mounted can be of many different patterns; commonly in our area they are single colour (black or white), a ‘black & white banded’ pattern, or even wooden as on the road to Moffat. They are used, of course, to mark hazards and as such should be of interest to an observant road user. The choice of mounting post/bollard is made by the Roads Engineer who takes into account various things relevant to a particular hazard location, for example how conspicuous do the posts need to be? How posts react in the case of impact may also be important and this may mean using a post that easily breaks when hit. Other regions may use different styles of posts. As a general rule in our region, on the open road, solid white bollards mark single hazards and ‘black & white banded’ posts delineate a feature. For example, a white post is often used at an access but the bend leading past it may use ‘black & white’ posts. A pair of white posts are often used in isolation either side of an active entrance or side road, for example on the A75. Sometimes markers are not fixed to posts but to another permanent roadside feature. Hazard markers may often be found on plain black bollards in town. To maximise your safety when you spot these markers actively seek to identify the hazard to which they refer and plan your approach accordingly. © Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists 20
When seeing isn't believing! Good observation skills require you to look in the far, middle and near distance ahead, behind and to the sides. Looking for confirmation that what you have seen really is what you are going to encounter is also important. Here an approaching driver or rider observing out and ahead could spot this maintenance lorry and get a glimpse of the arrow on the rear of it. As a result it may well be assumed and planned for the lorry to be stopped on the offside of the carriageway. Good observation is the cornerstone of The Planned System of Driving so constantly reviewing the hazards and your driving plans should put you in a position where your assumptions don’t suddenly turn out to be false. With this in mind it soon became obvious that the maintenance vehicle was stopped on the nearside but that the arrow inadvertently had not been rotated to suit the situation i.e. Keep Right. As long as you keep reviewing your observations and look for corroboration of your assumptions you should have time to react and modify your driving plan accordingly. Another example where benefit comes from maintaining a high standard of observation and reviewing your driving plan is shown below. 1
2
3
4
On this road you will find a warning triangle (1) which warns of a double bend, first to the right then to the left. Your forward observation shows a wall ahead across the road so you plan for this and look for corroboration of the road layout as you approach. Progressing towards the first bend (2) the layout seems to confirm that the road may well go to the right but once nearly there (3) it becomes obvious that the road actually turns sharp left but that there is a house entrance to the right. The next bend is a sharp right (4). Š Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists 21
Mind the gap Controlling and creating the space around you is an important aspect of advanced driving. Often drivers complain of tailgaters and believe that there is nothing that can be done to improve their safety in such a situation. Whilst indeed you may not have any control over the way a following driver is positioning his vehicle that does not necessarily mean you should resign yourself to the situation. The first thing to remember is that the gap between vehicles whether to front, rear or to the sides is shared safety space. When someone is following closely resist the temptation to concentrate too much of your attention on the mirrors but consider redoubling your efforts to observe ahead and to the sides to identify hazards which may require you to slow or alter course. By anticipating what may happen you can plan to build in extra time in which to deal with hazards. In this way you may, for instance, be able to brake more gently or adjust your position more carefully so allowing the close follower more time and space to deal with the situation. Often the close follower is not looking ahead very far and may be just reacting to the car immediately in front i.e. your car.
Concentrating on a close follower too much can lead to mistakes. After several miles of the Peugeot following very closely the MPV driver crossed the solid white lines. Although the MPV was making good progress maybe it would have been safer to stop in a lay-by to let the close follower get by?
If you are driving in traffic consider compensating for the lack of space behind you by increasing the gap between you and the vehicle in front just through easing off a little. If there is nothing in front of you still carefully consider your speed in relation to approaching hazards so you have time to deal with them by gentle adjustment of speed rather than risking firm or harsh braking which could catch out the following driver. Don’t try to antagonise the driver behind by going unnecessarily slow; even though it could be annoying you may want to consider turning off or stopping to let the other vehicle pass you, especially if you can see from their body language that they are not paying proper attention to their driving. Š Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists 22
Reading the road and adjusting the shared safety gap in front should become second nature to you, in this way you can exert some control over the situation behind you. Consequently when vehicles in front brake you won’t necessarily always have to apply your brakes. You will have to brake when the situation demands it but in a measured way rather than as an automatic reaction to the brake lights of the vehicles in front. Often you will be able to adjust your speed simply by judicious use of acceleration sense (lifting off the throttle). In the situation shown in the photos on the previous page maybe the driver of the Peugeot believed his positioning was conducive to making progress and if he maintained a position as close as possible to the vehicle in front he would be ready to grasp an overtaking opportunity.
Keeping a safe distance can help you identify potential overtaking situations. Here by looking up and out unfolding potential overtaking situations could have been identified and planned for at an early stage; being too close can mean they will be lost or not carried out safely.
This was far from the truth, more than one opportunity was missed because forward visibility was compromised and the car in front had to remain the focus of attention to avoid a collision. Keeping back would have allowed observation of the far and middle distance.
Who goes first? When approaching a junction, obstruction in the road or the like how do you decide who should go first? The answer of course is that you should take into account the Highway Code and look for signs and markings to help you decide. Some junctions or hazards may have the same signs and markings visible to vehicles approaching from either side, or even no markings at all. In this case a little common sense is needed, especially if two vehicles arrive at the same time. Making eye contact with the other driver can help as can taking into account visibility through the junction/hazard and the relative movement and position of other road users. At junctions or obstructions sometimes it might be safest to let the other driver go first, in which case you may be able to give precedence merely by careful adjustment of the speed and position of your vehicle to ‘engineer’ your arrival after other traffic. This may allow others to negotiate the junction or hazard © Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists
23
without the need for both road users to negotiate who goes first. Conversely there could be times where it could be helpful to ‘engineer’ your arrival first, before other vehicles. All this, of course, will depend on good observation skills, whether you can get an advance view of all the approaches to the junction or hazard and your abilities to effectively plan for the situation. You’ll need to take into account what is happening behind as well. Is it good practice, in circumstances where priorities are unclear, to wave the other driver on or give a flash of your headlights to let him know you are giving way? Consider an approach to an unmarked junction where you see another vehicle approaching from your right and one from your left, they arrive at the junction simultaneously and just after you. There are no signs or lines and no obvious indications of who has priority. The vehicle to the left then flashes his headlamps and looks towards you. Is he giving way to you? The answer is only you can decide, maybe he is, but you need to look for other evidence before proceeding (you’ll obviously also need to check for other hazards too). You should take note of the headlamp flash - if it was meant for you? However although the other driver may have been trying to tell you something don’t rely on it, instead look at the speed (if it is still moving) and position of the other vehicle. Where is the driver is looking, what is his demeanour, where are his front wheels pointing etc.? You’ll need to consider similar elements for any other road users too. The Highway Code tells us that headlamp flashes are to be used ‘to let other road users know that you are there’, ‘never assume that it is a signal to go’, ‘use your own judgement and proceed carefully’ (Rules 90 & 91). Of course many drivers do use headlamp flashes to give others precedence. Don’t forget that a headlamp flash may well be seen by other road users too, not just the intended recipient. The other road users may think the flash is for them and respond by making an unwise manoeuvre which could have safety implications. Of course waving another road user (including pedestrians) on could have equally unsafe consequences as the recipient of the gesture could interpret it as being safe to proceed and so move on without checking adequately for other hazards. © Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists
24
Reasons why you may fail your advanced driving test Test failures can come from a variety of problems on the day but overall failings can often stem from one of the following categories: Poor preparation; e.g. poor guidance, failure to practice, failure to read up theory, vehicle not prepared or non availability of driving documents. Nerves; the Examiner may be able to make some allowance for this in the first couple of miles. Reversion to type; where non advanced techniques show through a thin veneer of advanced skills; the Examiner has to ask if the Candidate is the finished article or faking his or her abilities? Test Candidates may not meet the standard through consistent failure to employ best practice in any one (or a combination) of these elements: System - e.g. failure to use the System Phases in order to identify and deal with hazards safely and efficiently. Poor observation - the Examiner asks “Is the Candidate maximising observation all around and seeing things in the same way as I do?” Poor anticipation - e.g. late braking or moving to the opposing side of the road too early when approaching temporary traffic lights. Poor hazard assessment and planning - e.g. too fast into bends or junctions. Poor positioning - e.g. too close to oncoming traffic or following too close. Failure to make safe legal progress - e.g. too slow on open roads. Gears – use of inappropriate gears for the speed/hazard - e.g. negotiating a roundabout in 5th gear. Poor use of acceleration sense - e.g. failure to make smooth and balanced progress through a series of bends using acceleration sense. Steering - e.g. crossing hands, driving one handed. Speed limits, signs and lines - e.g. break the law and you fail the test. Safety - if safety is not of paramount importance in your drive, you will fail.
Do you feel the pain? Do you get back pain driving your car? According to The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy choosing your car carefully and setting up your seat correctly can make a big difference. A detailed publication showing you how to choose © Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists 25
a vehicle and how best to set up the seating to minimise back pain is available free from them at www.csp.org.uk/. Some of their tips are outlined below.. Vehicle attributes: The seat should adjust for the height and tilt independently. The seat should be wider than your hips and thighs. The back rest should support your shoulders A steering wheel adjustable for reach and rake is best. Automatic gearboxes can reduce strain on the legs. Steering wheel and pedals should be centrally positioned. Adjusting the seat: The advice sets out eight steps to adjusting your seat to its optimum from a pain free back perspective. The steps involve starting with the steering wheel fully up and fully forward, the seat height at its lowest, the cushion tilted so that front edge is in lowest position, the back rest approximately thirty degrees reclined from vertical, the lumbar adjustment backed off and the seat fully rearwards. It then takes you through all the steps to enable you to optimise your vision, reach of the controls and comfort but is far too lengthy to reproduce here.
What to do if you have an engine fire There are over 70,000 car fires every year, many are as a result of arson but you could be affected by fire caused by a malfunction of your vehicle. If you think you have an engine or under-bonnet fire, you should take the following precautions: Stop your vehicle, switch off your engine and all auxiliaries including electrical items and get everyone out of the vehicle. Call the Fire Brigade or get someone to do this for you. If the fire is severe get yourself, passengers and bystanders well away. If you want to investigate the cause of what may be a small fire don’t do so until you have got your fire extinguisher ready. Check the instructions on the extinguisher carefully, remove the safety pin, unfold the nozzle and make sure you are familiar with its operation. Don’t lift the bonnet to investigate the cause of a fire if you don’t have an extinguisher and you are not prepared as the the fire is likely to intensify, and the angle of the bonnet will likely direct the flames towards you. If you cannot put out the fire, or haven’t got an extinguisher, don’t return to the vehicle but retire to a safe distance and wait for the Fire Brigade to arrive. © Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists 26
Lay-bys at night (read P11 first)
Summary of recent IAM Fact Sheets
Have a look at the Highway Code Rule
These are aimed at helping you become a safer driver/rider and enjoy your time 223 - this tells you that all vehicles must display parking lights at night when on the road more. You can download www.iam.org.uk No.
them
from
parked on a road or lay-by where the speed limit is greater than 30 mph.
T-shirts
Subject
Young persons who pass the advanced test through us are given a T-shirt carry21/001 Safety Cameras ing the relevant logo shown below. 20/001 Successful Towing Techniques These T-shirts are now available to purchase by any group member at a re19/001 Driving Attitudes duced cost of ÂŁ5. 22/001 Classic Cars
18/001 Emergency Vehicles 17/001 Sharing the Road with Cyclists 16/001 Use of Gears & Adv Driving 15/001 Driver Fatigue 14/001 Driving in Wet Weather 13/001 The 'School Run' 12/001 Scooter Riders should be stylish but SAFE Place your order with Helen Cameron.
Free Membership offer still on Any Member introducing an Associate who goes on to take the IAM Test will have free membership of the Group the following year. The committee encourage you to let friends and relatives know about us and what we do. IAM Driving Tips - each week throughout 2006 and into 2007 the IAM have published a driving tip, they are available to view now - just go to: www.iam.org.uk Recent IAM News Releases all available at: www.iam.org.uk Mobile phones - new survey by the IAM
Feb 07
Mobile phones - new survey by the IAM
Feb 07
Mobile phone law and you
Feb 07
New Year Honour for IAM Chief Executive
Jan 07
Driving in fog: advice from the IAM
Dec 06
My Worries for "Hamster"
Dec 06 27