Summer Issue May 2015
Driving Safety Home The newsletter of the Stratford upon Avon Group of Advanced Motorists (3127) Registered Charity #1016119
Spring Skill For Life Course Associates Here are the current members of the associates group.
Louise Cleife, Sylvia Jones, Jack Langstone, Rachel McCombie, Annie Midwinter, Mary Moran, Daniel Olver. If you know of anyone who would benefit (please be diplomatic) from the Skill for Life Course - and let’s face it, everyone could - then please ask them to contact Mike Page email secretary@stratfordiam.org.uk or phone 01789 763732 - for more details. And of course remember to tell them what fun it is!
The following have taken their Advanced Driving Test and satisfied the Examiner that they are of a standard to be accepted into the IAM: Zoe Beale and Malith Sumanasekera gained F1srt passes. Congratulations to you all and welcome to the world of Advanced Motoring!
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Summer Issue May 2015
How did the UK get the 30 mph limit? Eighty years ago the UK reintroduced a 30 mph speed limit in built up areas. With calls to reduce the limit, we look at its history and future. Today there are three typical speed limits across the UK: ● a 30 mph limit on roads with street lighting (which is taken to indicate a built-up area) ● a 60 mph national speed limit on single carriageways ● and a 70 mph top speed on dual carriageways and motorways The limits are meant to keep everybody safe. The Department for Transport (DfT) says that for every 1 mph the average speed of vehicles reduces on roads, there are 6% fewer accidents. Speed limits should be "evidence-led and self-explaining", the DfT explains, and "should be seen by drivers as the maximum speed rather than as a target speed at which to drive irrespective of conditions". Today road safety in the UK is relatively good, with one death on the roads for every 20,000 cars. Back in 1934, just prior to the introduction of the 30 mph speed limit, there were only around onetenth of the cars on the road today, but four times as many associated deaths. There had previously been a blanket 20 mph speed limit, set in the 1903 Motor Car Act, but it was repealed for light vehicles in 1930. The spate of deaths caused a change of heart in government in 1934 and 1935, with 30 mph brought in for built-up areas. In the days before the implementation on 18 March 1935, MPs debated the benefits and drawbacks with unusual prescience given the issues today. Sir Oliver Simmonds, Conservative MP for Birmingham Duddleston, asked the home secretary of the time, Sir John Gilmour, whether exceeding the limit by two or three miles per hour would be overlooked by the police. 2
Summer Issue May 2015 "No, sir," came the reply from Gilmour. "Ample warning is being given of the procedure which will be followed by the police, and I hope that the motoring public, by their general observance of the intentions of parliament, will render unnecessary any frequent recourse to proceedings on the part of the police." But it seems rather than basing their decision on hard evidence, officials and politicians settled on 30 mph in a rather arbitrary fashion. "It was pulled out of a hat," says Rod King, founder of the 20's Plenty for Us campaign, which believes that the 30 mph limit today is no longer appropriate, credible or acceptable. In 1935, Motorsport Magazine was sceptical. "Conditions vary so widely that any attempt to secure uniformly safe driving by a single speed limit is bound to result in failure," the magazine wrote. By the big day in 1935, some of the infrastructure, including key signs indicating the speed limit of a road, wasn't in place in some areas. Pieces of paper plastered over existing signs, or on tin discs, were occasionally used. Those official signs that were erected were torn down and thrown in lakes in some areas, so unpopular was the new law. There is still controversy. Campaigners seeking more protection for cyclists and pedestrians want the 30 mph limit reduced, with 20's Plenty for Us favouring a drop to 20 mph - the original speed limit from 1903 - in all built-up areas. "The 30 mph limit is compromised beyond belief," says King. Cities including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Bath, Cambridge, Liverpool, Oxford, Brighton, Newcastle and Edinburgh, have introduced 20 mph limits on some roads in their jurisdiction. The Lib Dems have even considered 10 mph limits in some areas. While motoring organisations the RAC and the AA have expressed support for 20 mph limits outside schools, they oppose a blanket change from 30 to 20. And there are drivers' groups who believe the whole idea of rigid speed limits may not actually improve safety. "Speed limits are supposed to give the driver an indication of what sort of hazard level he is going to be exposed to on the road," argues Brian Gregory, chairman of the Alliance of British Drivers (ABD), a lobby group. "Now they've become a master rather than a slave, and adherence to a number on a piece of tin has become the primary criterion in road safety whereas actually it shouldn't be." 3
Summer Issue May 2015
NEWS IAM warns drivers not aware of changes to scrapping of driving licence counterpart
The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is warning people to be aware of the changes that took effect on 8th June as the paper counterpart for the driving licence is scrapped. As was the case with the abolition of the paper tax disc last October, the IAM fear many people are still confused or unaware of the implications of the scrapping of the paper counterpart today. The counterpart was introduced alongside the photo card driving licence in 1998 to include details such as any endorsements and which category of vehicles you are entitled to drive. However this information will now be stored electronically and any updates will not be shown on any written documentation you will have. These details can only be obtained via the DVLA driver record system, and be checked online or in writing by post. From 8 June the paper counterpart, or an old-style paper driving licence cannot be relied upon to carry correct or-up-to-date information about endorsements or categories of vehicle someone can drive. 4
Summer Issue May 2015
If you know of a sixteen year old who is keen to start driving now rather than waiting for their 17th birthday contact Jan Copson by email at yds@stratfordiam.org.uk or phone 07847802711
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Summer Issue May 2015 The argument of Gregory, and many drivers like him, is that speed limits that are poorly set can actually increase the likelihood of accidents. Drivers become too focused on their speedometers rather than the road around them, they argue. Gregory believes that limits should be set according to the 85th percentile principle - traffic speeds should be measured under free flow conditions, and the limit set so that only 15% of the traffic will exceed the limit. According to him, some roads now are being set so that 50% of traffic flowing freely exceeds the road's speed limit. As speed limits have fallen, so have road deaths, admits Gregory. But he doesn't think there's a causal relationship. "Road engineering, better cars and better brakes have brought about the decrease in deaths, not speed limits," he says. "Speed limits in themselves have a limited effect," agrees Dr Joanne-Marie Cairns, a post-doctorate research associate in public health geography at Durham University. But Cairns is in favour of a 20 mph limit. "Reducing speed alone will not solve a lot of the problems on the roads," believes Cairns. "They have an effect, and up to a 25% reduction in casualties, but to see the most promising effects we need to go beyond that." The benefits, she says, are clear - pedestrians and cyclists feel safer taking to the streets when cars go slower, and so people take more exercise. It may not be a central issue in the coming election, but after 80 years the debate on speed is nowhere near being settled.
Motorway speed limits around the world ● United Arab Emirates: 120 km/h (75 mph) ● USA: varies between states - 104-136 km/h (65-85 mph) ● Sweden: 120 km/h (75 mph) ● China: 120 km/h (75 mph) ● New Zealand: 100 km/h (62.5 mph) ● Germany: Advisory limit of 130 km/h (81 mph) 6
Summer Issue May 2015
Visit to Lichfield, May 2nd, 2015. 10 members met our super guide, my friend Elizabeth Waters and her husband Terry in Lichfield Cathedral on a cold day, and were pleasantly surprised at how warm in was in that vast space. Elizabeth has been a guide in this gothic cathedral for many years, and was a fund of interesting information, telling us about the history and treasures that we would never have known about on our own. It is a beautiful cathedral, and well worth a visit. After a good lunch in the Cathedral café, we explored the Cathedral shop, and next door to that was our first museum – Erasmus Darwin’s house, grandfather to Charles. Erasmus was a hugely talented man – physician, poet, inventor, scientist, and botanist. The presentation of his life and works in all the rooms was excellent. Some of our party decided that they would leave the Samuel Johnson Museum for another time, but those who did visit this 7
Summer Issue May 2015 The counterpart will carry no legal status, and the DVLA recommends you destroy it after 8 June. What is also changing is the procedure if you have to surrender your driving licence to a court in the event of an endorsement. The court will take your photocard and if you include the paper counterpart with your submission, the photocard will be returned to you but the counterpart will not. You will be expected to pay your fine in the normal way however. Another change is how to provide proof of your driving record to an employer or car hire firm, as your photocard or paper licence will not be enough in itself any more. You will need to access the DVLA’s Share Driving Licence service for this. You will be expected to access the details yourself and print those off for submission to a car hire firm or employer. Or you can call the DVLA and give a third party permission to check your driving record verbally. If you are hiring a vehicle, it is important to check with the car hire firm beforehand what information they need. Other than downloading the information as detailed above, you can also obtain a special code from www.gov.uk which allows the hire firm access to your record for 72 hours to make the necessary checks. This applies to both holders of photocard and paper licences. Sarah Sillars, IAM chief executive officer, said: “People are not aware of how many of the current procedures are changing. Similar to the abolition of the tax disc, they assume much of what has happened before will continue. “The onus is very much on the individual to obtain the information they need beforehand. So we very much hope people will not be caught unawares, especially if they don’t want a nasty surprise when arriving to collect their car at the start of their holiday.”
house said that it was very interesting, and that the staff were helpful and knowledgeable. It was an enjoyable outing, and both museums were worth visiting. Lindsay.
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Summer Issue May 2015
NEWS GROUP
OBSERVERS WANTED As you all know, the people who sit alongside new associates are called Observers, and these Observers are volunteers, giving up their time for no reward other than the knowledge that they are helping to make our roads safer by encouraging better driving techniques. Unfortunately we don’t have enough of them. This means that the Observers we have are being asked to attend every Sunday and sometimes to carry out 2 check drives each Sunday Morning.
To reduce the demands placed upon our dedicated Observers we are asking for more Advanced Drivers to step up and join our merry band of Observers. With more Observers to call upon each Observer will be asked to carry out fewer check drives - spread the load! If you are interested please contact Pete Thornett by email observer@stratfordiam.org.uk - or why not drop in on a Sunday morning and speak to him in person? You can now find out which Sundays the course is being run by checking our Events Calendar on our website www.stratfordiam.org.uk.
Social Media As well as our website - www.stratfordiam.org.uk - you can now follow us on Facebook and Twitter. If you have a Facebook account type in https://www.facebook.com/editorstratfordiam then click on Like. On Twitter look for @stratforddriver and click on Follow.
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Summer Issue May 2015 Upcoming events: Date
Event
Details
22/08/2015 Museum of GWR With introductory talk. Cost £8.50, concessions £7.00. Minibus extra cost £7.00. Swindon 22/09/2015 Walk Details later
27/11/2015 Skittles evening
Snitterfield Sports Club. Includes light meal.
PLEASE BOOK IN FOR ANY OF THE ABOVE EVENTS. Tel: (01789) 730276 Email Address: events@stratfordiam.org.uk
Position
Holder
Phone
Chairman
Don Rushton
Secretary
Mike Page
Treasurer
Dot Holtom
YDS
Jan Copson
07847 802711 yds@stratfordiam.org.uk
Events
Lindsay Rushton
01789 730276 events@stratfordiam.org.uk
Membership
Sarah Brook-Taylor
membership@stratfordiam.org.uk
Observer Training
Pete Thornett/Ian Gibbins
Observer@stratfordiam.org.uk
Publicity
Brian Feely
press@stratfordiam.org.uk
Newsletter
Keith Madderson
editor@stratfordiam.org.uk
Committee
Colin Upchurch
chairman@stratfordiam.org.uk 01789 763732 secretary@stratfordiam.org.uk
Mark Langstone
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