Spring 2024 Driving Forward

Spring Newsletter; Issue Number 419

Diary of Events

• Tuesday 26 March- 8.00pm (Held at Wirral Rugby Club. Thornton Common Rd, Birkenhead, Wirral CH63 0LT) David Hearn - The Wirral – a rather special place to live.

• Sunday 28 April- 11.00am

A Drive out - Open to all WAM members who like to drive! Further details are in the Newsletter on page 8.

Two Mills Premier Inn car park meeting at 11.00am

This is an excellent run out for all members, particularly useful for Associate/Observer run, and is an excellent route for potential for those wishing to embark on a Master’s qualification

• Sunday 12 May- 12.00pm

The Wirral Classic Car show will be held at Claremount Farm (Old Clatterbridge Road, Bebington CH63 4JB). We will be promoting Wirral Advanced Motorists We are always looking for people to help on the day, even for a few hours, this would be really appreciated.

CONTACT US

Email:

info@wirraliam.co.uk

Chair: Mrs. Amanda Williams

Vice-Chair: Vacant

Secretary: Jo Bolland

Treasurer: Yvonne Charlett

Chief Observer: Simon Richards

Membership secretary: Tony Stopforth (0792 1663220)

Associate Coordinator: Liz Scarff

Area Associate Organiser: Tony Stopforth

Newsletter Editor: Amanda Williams

Other Committee: Sheila Rose, Guy Lightfoot, Derek Jeffries

Committee report Spring 2024

Welcome to the spring edition of the Wirral Advanced Newsletter.

Thank you all for your patience with the delay in releasing our Newsletters. Our life and work balance sometimes interferes with our volunteer duties. We hope to recruit some new members for the Group soon. In the meantime, we are happy to welcome Derek Jeffries, who has a lot of experience in the WAM motorcycle section. We are thrilled to have him on board.

Our next event will take place at Wirral Rugby Club (see page 2 for more details). We received great feedback from the previous meetings at this venue. We are excited to welcome David Hearn again on the 26th March. He is a favorite among our members and always delivers a fun and informative evening. Please join us if you can. We guarantee a warm welcome!

We are also planning a social drive on the 28th April (Page 8). Everyone is welcome. You can find more details in the Newsletter. We will also send an email to all members before the event. This will be a good opportunity for associate/Observer runs. The committee will offer free refreshments to show our appreciation for your ongoing support for our Group.

We also want to welcome our New Associates to the Group. They are Neil Hilton, Ollie Thompson, Joe Warburton, Ian McLean, Mark Hadden, Paul Regnard, John Birkenhead, Richard Stocker, and Rosemary Wise. We hope you enjoy the course and the benefits that this will bring to your driving.

Your membership to WAM is due for renewal from the 1st April- this is separate to that of the IAM membership and we are delighted that the fee remains at £10 for those paying by standing order or via electronic payment. We charge an extra £2 for those paying by cheque to cover the additional charges made by our bank. We hope you continue to support the Group by renewing your membership, it does help us promote driving standards across Wirral, which we have done since 1980. For those members who aren’t on standing order should have received their membership renewal form via email. Thanks to those who have already renewed.

From 2 April, all IAM products will increase in cost, this includes the Advanced Driving Course which will be £200 and the Advanced Rider Course which will be £215. The Masters Driver Course will be £325, and the Masters Rider Course will be £345. So now would be a good time to introduce new Associate members to the Group, we would offer a £15 discount (to the £175 pre price increase) so the cost would be £160. If you do introduce a new Associate the Group will also waive your membership fee for a year worth £10.

Tony Stopforth Membership Secretary, National Observer, Masters Distinction, ROSPA Gold

Associate Report Spring 2024

Congratulations and welcome to Full Membership of WAM and the IAM.

Mr. Davinder Lotay Observed by Guy Lightfoot First.

Mrs. Julie Dala Observed by Guy Lightfoot Pass.

New Associate Members

Neil Hilton, Ollie Thompson, Joe Warburton, Ian McLean, Mark Hadden, Paul Regnard, John Birkenhead, Richard Stocker, and Rosemary Wise.

A warm welcome to you all.

We trust you will all enjoy and benefit from your Associate membership and we look forward to reporting your Advanced Driving test passes in the near future.

Liz Scarff.

Associate Co-Ordinator

Car maintenance 80s & 90s vs today

I think it goes without saying that the way in which cars have progressed over the last 40 years is incredible. Whilst we may not have cars that can take us back to the future or ones that can fly, the cars we have today are still a far cry from the ones we had in the 80s. We’re looking at the differences in the maintenance and upkeep of cars in the 1980s and 90s, vs today!

Changing a tyre

Whilst changing a tyre is the same now as it was in the 80s/90s for the most part, there are some differences for today’s new car owners. Most cars these days have alloy wheels, and to protect them against theft they are supplied with locking wheel nuts (and a key that is unique to each set of nuts) for them to be removed for a tyre change and maintenance. In the 80s and 90s, most cars had steel wheels with plastic trims and had no need for locking wheel nuts (they weren’t really a target for thieves).

Another difference in tyre changing is in the 80s and 90s, you would often have a spare tyre in case you had to change it. These days new cars often come with a tyre repair kit, instead of an actual spare tyre. This consists of a pump and a can of puncture repair fluid to get you back on the road in no time. Of course, you can still pick up a spare tyre for your car, but the convenience of getting your tyre temporarily repaired with a handy kit is a great alternative in the short term.

Checking under the hood

Even with limited knowledge, it was much easier to work out what was what under the hood of your car in the 80s and 90s. A quick look and you could identify things like the battery, radiator, air filter and alternator etc. These days, things are a bit more complicated to figure out. Today, some parts of the engine are hidden under casings to offer protection, which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, so it’s harder to identify what is what. This can also cause young drivers to be a bit more anxious when it comes to their own car maintenance – if you’re overwhelmed and don’t know what it what, you may be tempted to ignore the problem. The best thing to do in this case is to take it to a mechanic to have a look for you! You can even ask them about what’s under the bonnet of your car, so you know what to look out for next time.

Under the hood

The electronic evolution

Back in the 80s and 90s, with a little bit of mechanical knowledge (and a friend or parent to show you the ropes), it was easier to figure out what the problem with your car may be by process of deduction. For example, it wouldn’t start on a cold winter morning, you would probably check the points and the spark plugs as these were the things that were often the problem. These days, cars are built with an onboard computer and ever-increasing number of electronic components which can make the issue more difficult to identify and rectify, so drivers are often reliant on taking a car to a mechanic who would plus the car if your car flashes a warning light and doesn’t start the advanced components in the car can make this more difficult to determine the problem. This means we are often reliant on taking a car to a mechanic to plug the car into a diagnostic system to determine the problem.

That being said – an onboard computer helps today’s drivers keep on top of their car maintenance by monitoring and flagging issues like low tyre pressure, etc.

How confident are young drivers today about car maintenance?

Cars have come on leaps and bounds in the latest 30-40 years and with this, some aspects of car maintenance have become more difficult for young drivers to do. Things like changing your own oil and oil filters in the 80s were easy but these days, things like this can be a much more complicated job. A recent survey showed that parents of young drivers are much more confident in their car maintenance than their children. For example – over 58% of parents said they can change a tyre, whereas only 37% of 18-24-year-olds who own a car know-how too. The same goes for replacing windshield washer fluid, changing a car battery, and replacing a headlight. We think this is a perfect opportunity for parents who know a bit more about car maintenance to help their children pick up these valuable skills and build confidence in their car maintenance.

Whilst cars these days may be a bit more difficult to deal with on the maintenance side of things, they also have come on leaps and bounds in terms of the safety they offer young drivers on the road and the tech that can help drivers stay safe behind the wheel.

Many thanks to

My personal favorite would be the MK2 Golf

- really regret not owning one of these!

GTi

No EV incentives in 2024 budget, but fuel duty’s frozen again

There’ll be no increases in fuel duty for the next 12 months, as the chancellor’s budget ‘baked in’ the 5p petrol and diesel duty cut that was due to expire this month. There’s no other relief specifically targeting drivers though, and Jeremy Hunt’s budget statement was notable for ignoring industry calls to support private EV sales through VAT and Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax) cuts.

The budget fuel statement will come as a big relief to hard-pressed drivers struggling with excessive fuel prices, but won’t have them rejoicing.

Simon Williams, head of policy at motoring organisation the RAC, said the looming election meant it would have been a huge surprise if the Chancellor tampered with the “political hot potato” of fuel duty. “But, while it’s good news that fuel duty has been kept low, it’s unlikely drivers will be breathing a collective sigh of relief as we don’t believe they’ve fully benefited from the cut that was introduced just two years ago due to retailers upping margins to cover their ‘increased costs’,” Williams added. “This has meant fuel prices have been higher than they would otherwise have been.

Last week the Society of Manufacturers and Traders set out a three-pronged package of reforms it wanted to hear from the chancellor in his budget today. The SMMT called on Hunt to cut VAT on private electric car purchases by half saving the average buyer £4,000, to exempt EVs from the five-year ‘expensive car’ supplement on road tax costing £1,950, and to reduce the 20 per cent VAT on public EV charging to the same 5 per cent VAT paid on electricity used for charging at home.

The Chancellor ignored the pleas, leaving the problematic high cost of electric cars firmly in the lap of the manufacturers.

“It’s hugely disappointing that the Chancellor has failed to reinstate financial incentives for electric vehicle buyers in today’s budget,” says FIAT UK’s managing director Damien Dally. “The numbers don’t lie, private sales account for fewer than one in five electric car registrations in 2024 – and the overall market share is way below the 22% mandated by the government as part of the ZEV Mandate.

“The demand for electric vehicles is waning and we are sleepwalking into an electric vehicle crisis. The government is also potentially putting its Net Zero target at risk.

“Without any government financial incentive there’s no reason for the consumer to make the switch.”

With thanks to

WAM drive Sunday 28th April 2024

81 miles, 2.5 hours and stops.

The text in red are the SatNav coordinates of waypoints

Start/end: Two Mills Premier Inn car park 53.26136, -2.978901 meeting at 11.00am

Right into A550 and A494 (Aston Hill), left (still A494) signposted Mold

Mold by-pass 53.17996, -3.111938 signposted Ruthin

Ruthin 53.11391, -3.305222 A494 turn left signposted Bala

Tyn-y-cefn 53.11391, -3.305222 A5 to Cerrigydrudion

Cerrigydrudion 53.02596, -3.561723 take B4501 signposted Llyn Brenig

Llyn Brenig visitor centre/ lunch 53.07315, -3.547621

https://llynbrenig.com/reservoir-visitor-centre/

Continue Nth on B4501 then right, signposted Denbigh

Denbigh 53.18310, -3.395808 then A525 signposted Ruthin

Ruthin 53.11391, -3.305222 then return on A494 to Two Mills

The route can be seen by pasting the following into Google Maps:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/53.26136,-2.978901/53.11391,+-3.305222+/53.02596,+3.561723++/53.07315,+-3.547621/53.18310,+-3.395808+/53.11391,+-3.305222+/53.26136,+2.978901/@53.1690877,-3.364138,11z/data=!4m27!4m26!1m0!1m3!2m2!1d3.305222!2d53.11391!1m3!2m2!1d-3.561723!2d53.02596!1m3!2m2!1d-3.547621!2d53.07315!1m3!2m2!1d3.395808!2d53.1831!1m3!2m2!1d-3.305222!2d53.11391!1m3!2m2!1d-2.978901!2d53.26136!3e0?entry=ttu

Happy Birthday to those celebrating in March, April, and May.

March’s Birthdays:

Mr. Tom Connor, Mr. Gerald Moore, Mr. Brian Porter, Mr. Andrew Wright, Mr. Stephen Banks, Dr Anthony Walker, Mr. Gerry Scott, Ms. Jane Rooney, Mrs. Elizabeth Tann, Mr. Tony Stopforth, Mrs. Patricia Haggie, Mrs. Rosemary Murphy, Mrs. Marilyn Shakeshaft and Mr. Graham Barley.

April’s Birthdays:

Miss Manisha Pandya, Miss Beth Murray, Mr. Dyson Brown, Mr. William Dunn, Mr. Paul Davies, Mr. Leonard Pollock, Mr. Christopher Jones, Mrs. Dylys Stevenson, Mr. James Bonsall, Mr. Malcolm Studholme, Miss Joanne Bolland, Mr. Michael Martin, Mr. Douglas Mullin, Mr. Graham Clayton, Mr. Roger Roberts, Mr. Harry Eakins, Mrs. Sheila Rose, Mr. Ronald Eagle, Mr. Rex Andrew, Mr. David Kewley, Mr. Mark Bland, Mrs. Mary Beaumont, Mr. Nigel Gill and Mr. Rodney Jones.

May’s Birthdays:

Mr. Leslie Struthers, Mrs. Susan Brown, Mr. Ronald Heath, Mr. Tim Scott, Mr. Andrew Nash, Mr. David Campbell, Mr. David Codling, Mr. John Joynson, Mr. Andrew Kelly, Mr. Colin Herbert, Mr. Alan Doyle, Mrs. Janet Peters, Mr. David Straughan, Mr. Frank Harper, Mr. Christopher Coulter, Mrs. Diane Jones, Mrs. Elizabeth Scarff, Mr. Roger Brearley and Mrs. Susan Harris.

Chaotic, risky and noisy: But is there something we can learn from Vietnam’s city roads?

It was 5pm and the early spring warmth in Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, elicited a drink stop on a balcony terrace overlooking Hoam Kiem Lake in the heart of the old quarter. Hanoi, like many large Asian cities, can often leave visitors not just mesmerised by its vibrant colours and architecture, but also overwhelmed by the incessant sound of car and moped horns and choking exhaust fumes. Every inch of road space at major junctions seemingly becomes a battleground for hoards of busy locals and wandering tourists.

Even though we wanted to see sunset overlooking Don Ngoc Son, the temple which floats on an island on Hoam Kiem Lake opposite the balcony, our fixation turned to Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square to our left which could be lazily described as Hanoi’s version of Piccadilly Circus. Branded shops, western fast-food outlets, lively bars and street eats dominate the pedestrian space though unlike Piccadilly Circus, this square has only a single roundabout and no traffic lights. Indeed, it has very little in the way of anything directing road users, including painted road markings.

Instead, taxis, minibuses, mopeds, pedicabs and pedestrians descend on a junction that at first sight seems like a lawless mess. A closer inspection, however, appeared to demonstrate that the impact of effectively having no rules had a rather surprising impact on the behaviour of road users.

Car and moped horns were simply used as a way of alerting people that the vehicle was there and was coming through and all drivers and riders did this at a glacial pace almost without stopping. Everybody indicated (unlike at UK roundabouts) because where no rules seemed to apply, there was an unwritten code that people must know where you are going so the system can work.

Pedestrians would wait but once they started to cross, they would need to do so with purpose and confidence and without stopping or hesitating because that would only confuse other road users and bring the unwritten system to a confusing halt. Yet because traffic was moving so gently, pedestrians feel they have plenty of time and the driver approaching could thus time their speed and vehicle movement to consider others.

The idea of ‘no rules’ on busy roads sounds horrifying and is not something that as a policy director I will be putting forward to the UK Department for Transport. Moreover, according to the World Health Organisation, Vietnam’s road fatality rate in 2019 stood at 30.6 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, but with the trend heading in the right downward direction. This compares to just 2.9 in the UK. However, like all road casualty data, Vietnam’s figures need breaking down further. The Road Safety Facility provides the most comprehensive overview I could find with a quick search, showing more male fatalities and poorer-than-the-regional-average fatality rates for pedestrians. But I can’t find where or on what type of roads these tragic incidents are happening. Interestingly, 94% of the road infrastructure across the country has no formal footpath, which gives a clue on why pedestrians are overrepresented in the casualty figures.

None of this favours adopting the Vietnamese template on our road network, but it is an observation that Hanoi’s major junctions seem to have adapted to a system of personal responsibility where the infrastructure is lacking. So long as everyone is buying into this way of road use, it seems to function in its own way and acts as means of self-regulating drivers and riders to ultra-low speeds at busy junctions.

In the UK, we are bound by the Highway Code and the rules are for the most part, black and white. Infrastructure (potholes aside) is good, and users are generally law-abiding. The weakness in our system occurs when rules are flouted or humans make mistakes. Of course, mistakes will happen in Hanoi, but could a bit more personal responsibility and gentle vehicle movement at busy junctions necessarily be such a bad thing?

It certainly made me think before I tucked into my Pho.

Many thanks to the

Wirral Advanced Motorists Group was formed in 1980 having previously been part of the Merseyside Group. A Registered Charity run entirely by unpaid volunteers, our main function is to improve driving standards and to advance the cause of Road Safety. Affiliated to the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), also a Registered Charity we are completely self-funding.

Wirral Group works hard to inform local people of the advantages to be gained by becoming an Advanced Motorist. We arrange open days regularly throughout Wirral to promote Advanced Driving.

How can the Group help me?

We provide advice on improving your driving and preparation for the IAM Test. This guidance is given by Observers (an Advanced driver who has received training and has passed a nationally recognised (IMI) Observer assessment).

If you would require any further information, then please contact any member of the Committee, or email us at: info@wirraliam.co.uk