Autumn Issue October 2015
Driving Safety Home The newsletter of the Stratford upon Avon Group of Advanced Motorists (3127) Registered Charity #1016119
Hello from Mark Langstone your new chairman of the Stratford upon Avon and South Warwickshire group. 2016. If you know of a hall / classroom which can accommodate about 35 people and has access to toilets and a small kitchen with parking for 35 cars on a Sunday morning between 9-1.30 please contact me by email chairman@stratfordiam.org.uk. The second issue we have, is that after many great years running the group Mike Page is standing down as Secretary from next October. Without this important role the group cannot carry on -again if you know anyone who may be interested please contact me.
I have been a member since 2011, when I sat the skill for life course and then in 2012 I became an observer. Earlier this year I trained as a national observer, as well as being a member of the I am pleased with how well the group committee. is progressing with new observers and I work in sales and service in commercial the training of existing ones. Many horticulture which takes me all over the thanks to Ian Gibbins and Pete UK, so a lot of time spent driving. Thornett for their hard work. As new chairman, I have some And lastly a big thank you to all important issues that need to be observers, committee members and addressed. people behind the scenes who make Firstly, we need new premises to work the Stratford group run smoothly. from, as the Montague road site is due to be demolished in the early part of 1
Autumn Issue October 2015
Autumn Skill For Life Course Associates Here are the current members of the associates group.
Alexe Ciurea, Annie Fenton, Leonor Garcia Gutierrez, David Harding, Matthew Hazlewood, Yvette Holborow, Sylvia Jones, Matthew King, Jeanne Martin, Bob Martin, Peter Murphy, Brendan Pearson, Sameer Sawant, Sally Sleath.
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: Babatunde Olomoso, Andrew Littlejohns, Connor Bentham, Mike Darby, Richard Anderson, Rachel McCombie, Jack Langstone and Daniel Olver. Congratulations to you all and welcome to the world of Advanced Motoring!
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Autumn Issue October 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 Ian Gibbins 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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Autumn Issue October 2015
Visit to the GWR Steam Museum in Swindon
We learned that prior to 1835, when Isambard Kingdom Brunel was given permission to build his railway, the population of Swindon was around 2,500. It was a small market town, and most of the inhabitants rarely left home. After the railway was completed in 1841, their horizons expanded and they had more opportunity to get around. They were able to get from Swindon to Bath and Bristol, and the journey to London only took about an hour, at 50 mph. The site of the Railway workshops grew to be the biggest covered engine works in the world, occupying 326 acres and they were the largest and most important employers in the area. The workforce of thousands had jobs for life, and this provided the stability to raise their families. A large section of the town was taken over and company houses built, the paintwork corresponding to the company colours of crimson and cream. Every trade was represented on site, and every single piece of equipment needed to produce the 30 King Class and 150 Castle Class locomotives was made in the workshops by highly skilled workmen. Most of them were almost deaf by the time they retired, as the constant noise was not alleviated by ear-protectors in those days. During the war years, the production was switched to military hardware and when the men left to join up, the women moved in and took over. The workshops were closed down in 1968, and the buildings were used as restoration workshops. The museum was opened in 2000. We spent a couple of hours after lunch touring the large site. There was much to see, and many interesting old films. A visit is highly recommended if you have not yet been.Dartmoor ponies daubed with glow-in-dark paint to cut road deaths
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Autumn Issue October 2015
Dartmoor ponies daubed with glow-in-dark paint to cut road deaths There has long been talk of mysterious beasts haunting the great moors of south-west England. But night-time travellers on Dartmoor should now look out for a very odd creature indeed – a glow-in-the dark pony. The horses will be daubed with reflective paint to make them more visible to drivers after a rise in livestock being killed on the roads. About 60 animals have died on the Devon moor’s roads this year, an increase on previous years. The idea to paint them was inspired by a Scandinavian scheme in which reindeer’s antlers are made to glow in the dark, and the Dartmoor Livestock Protection Society (DLPS) initiative will include ponies, cattle and sheep. Karla McKechnie, a livestock protection officer for DLPS, said she took the Scandinavian idea to a south-western manufacturer, who made a paint that glows brightly in the dark when a vehicle’s headlights catch it. McKechnie said tests on a couple of ponies had worked well and the scheme is set to be rolled out across the moor in the coming months. The animals will not be covered head to toe, but have a strip painted across or around their bodies. Rob Steemson, Dartmoor National Park’s head ranger, said the authority backed the project. He said a previous scheme, in which reflective collars were attached to animals, failed because “when the animals wandered through the gorse they could be pulled off”. There are challenges, however, as ponies and cattle moult and sheep become woolly and get shorn – so working out the best time to apply the paint is an issue. Steemson said there would be no need for the project if motorists drove with greater caution across the moor. “People should slow down. When they cross a cattle grid, they ought to realise that animals could be around and drive carefully.”
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Autumn Issue October 2015
NEWS Speeding still top road offence – and people flouting law in bigger numbers
And the numbers of those found guilty have risen sharply in the past 12 months – from 115,935 to 148,426, an increase of 28% which is the highest number since 2005. The 2014 figures were 2% greater than 2004. The next highest offence where defendants were found guilty was vehicle insurance-related crimes, although the percentage has fallen dramatically since 2004. Some 118,254 people were found guilty in court of this, which is 7% up on 2013 but 84% down on a decade ago, when 218,142 were found guilty. The figures, obtained by the IAM from the Ministry of Justice, also show that vehicle registration and excise duty offences and driving with alcohol in the blood above the legal limit are both offences that have fallen in huge numbers in the past ten years. The top five list of offences where offenders are found guilty in court is as follows: Offence/2004/2013/2014/% change (one year)/%change (10 year) 1. Speed limit offences/146,161/115,935/148,426/28%/2% 2. Vehicle insurance offences/218,142/110,843/118,254/7%/-84% 3. Failing to supply information as to identity of driver when required/not applicable/50,687/54,372/7%/not applicable 4. Vehicle registration and excise licence offences/192,959/55,182/46,636/15%/-314% 5. Driving with alcohol in the limit/74,055/40,683/37,853/-7%/-96%
blood
above
the
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Other offences with a large number of guilty verdicts other than speeding are neglecting road regulations at 16,951 in 2014 (up 2% 6
Autumn Issue October 2015 from 2013), using or causing others to use a mobile phone whilst driving at 16,025 (down 8% from 2013) and driving licence-related offences at 15,982 (down 10% from 2013). New offences such as causing serious injury by dangerous driving are also showing signs of more widespread use which reflects the life changing nature of these crimes. Sarah Sillars, IAM Chief Executive Officer, said: “We can see from these figures that as the UK comes out of recession traffic levels have risen, speeding appears to be becoming more prevalent and regrettably casualties are rising again. The government and police forces cannot afford to take their eye off the ball and more visible policing is, in our view, the key way to ensure that people don’t think they can get away with speeding. “In addition local campaigns must remain high-profile to make sure drivers don’t get complacent, or forget that speed can kill.” According to the government’s THINK! campaign, speed is “one of the main factors in fatal road accidents”. In 2013, 3,064 people were killed or seriously injured in crashes where speed was a factor. They added that the risk of death is approximately four times higher when a pedestrian is hit at 40mph than at 30mph. Sarah added: “On a positive note, the joining up of databases across agencies and the increased use of number plate recognition cameras means some motoring crimes have fallen in big numbers.”
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Autumn Issue October 2015
Newspapers lock horns in speed camera row In response, the Guardian says The Sun’s campaign against speed cameras is “encouraging dangerous behaviour that blights communities and kills”, and describes speeding drivers as “criminals”. Peter Walker, the author of the Guardian’s article, said: “Let’s just imagine a national newspaper ran a front-page campaign demanding that young people were given a few hours’ warning before police carried out searches for knives, giving them time to hide the weapons. The outrage would be universal.
Two national newspapers, The Sun and the Guardian, have gone head-to-head in a row over guidelines relating to how speed cameras can be used. Last week, using the slogan ‘Come clean on cameras’, The Sun called for guidelines on the use of speed cameras to be reinstated after claiming they have been “quietly scrapped by the government”.
Peter Walker adds: “There is, of course, an argument that visible speed cameras are a better deterrent than stealth. But with its talk of ‘Gatso Gestapo’ the Sun is going way beyond this. The problem is they are completely wrong and there are reams of research showing this.
The Sun says that under previous DfT guidelines cameras had to be yellow and clearly visible, but this requirement was phased out following a review in 2013.
“It’s a selfish choice. When you speed, you put yourself in more danger, any loved ones in your car in more danger, and other people on the road in more danger. If you get caught it’s your own fault. Stop whining.”
A DfT spokesperson told The Sun it is now up to Highways England and local police to decide how to deploy cameras. Rob Gill, the Sun’s motoring editor, said: “This is the last straw – the Gatso Gestapo has gone too far. “Speed cameras were supposed to make our roads safer, to slow us down at an accident blackspot, to stop our children getting killed — not make money from us.” 8
Autumn Issue October 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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Autumn Issue October 2015 Upcoming events: Date
Event
Details
27/11/2015 Skittles evening
Snitterfield Sports Club. Includes light meal.
??/01/2016
Snitterfield Sports Club. Includes light meal.
Quiz night
PLEASE BOOK IN FOR ANY OF THE ABOVE EVENTS. Tel: (01789) 730276 Email Address: events@stratfordiam.org.uk
Position
Holder
Phone
Chairman
Mark Langstone
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
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
Don Rushton
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