The LINK January 2023

Contents

Welcome Readers

The Chairman’s Ramblings

Introduce a New Associate - £20 Reward Advertise in TheLink Full Course Refunds

Notice of Annual General Meeting Recent Test Passes Three-in-a-Car Club Sunday Monthly Meetings Reminder

Upcoming Meetings Meeting Report

The NCC 500

Undertaking – A Modern Menace Advanced Tips from the CO Events Calendar

Who Does What in the Group

All content compiled by the Editor unless otherwise credited.

Memberswhoassistedwiththisissue:

Peter Davies, Pete Goodman, Geoff Bevan, Richard Parsons, Martin Evans, Martin Emsley, Brian Hartley

PhotosarefromGrouporIAMsources,unlessindividuallycreditedtosomeone,as havingtakenitand/orgivenpermissionforitsuse.

the LINK – newsletter of Bristol Advanced Motorists

THE LINK

TheNewsletterof BristolAdvancedMotorists

The largest organisation dedicated to road safety in the Southwest Affiliated to: IAMRoadSmart

Registered Charity No 289807 Run entirely by volunteers Group no: 1009

Welcome Readers

From the Editor...

Ah well, the start of another year, they seem to be going more quickly these days and I’m not sure whether or not I’m looking forward to collecting my state pension! And will the impending possession of a concessionary bus pass further reduce my motoring miles? I’m slightly ashamed to say I covered little more than 4,000 personal miles last year, split almost equally between two cars, and probably a bit less than that again commercially. Circumstances, sadly.

In the September 2022 edition of TheLinkChairman Pete Davies wrote about the “Hamburger” roundabout on the A4174 in his Ramblings. The latest news from South Gloucestershire Council, so I believe, is that they have abandoned any plans to convert other junctions on this route. We can only conclude that they have decided that it doesn’t work as well as they expected. Public money is wonderful stuff! Another slightly daft thing I noticed the other day – a reminder of a height restriction on the exitramp of a car park. If you’ve got that far… And if you have just loaded your roof rack, what are you going to do about it at that stage?!

A sad note to finish on – we were advised just before Christmas of the passing of long-standing member Ken Rossiter at the grand age of 96. Many of our members will have known Ken, and we extend our condolences to his family. Drive safely!

Editor: Martin Baker editor@iam-bristol.org.uk 0117 956 3664 37

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The LINK is produced every 2 months. It’s also displayed freely on our website iambristol.org.uk where it can be read online or downloaded.

Printed and collated by Parish Magazine Printing, Devon. Views expressed in this Newsletter are those of the contributors.

Those views do not necessarily represent those of the Editor, the Committee of Bristol Advanced Motorists or of IAM RoadSmart.

The Group reserves the right to edit or otherwise amend original contributions submitted for publication.

If you wish to reproduce any content in other publications or places, then please credit the LINK, Bristol Advanced Motorists as the source.

The Chairman’s Ramblings

Pete Davies

And so here we are, 2023. One minute we were looking forward to a relaxing break with our friends and families and the next we’re seeing adverts for the sales and foreign holidays on the television. The decorations have been put away for another year and we are getting back into the routine of normal life, whatever that is. I am also reliably informed that there are Easter eggs in the shops already so perhaps you’d better hurry down quickly before they all sell out. On the other hand, you could just avoid all the hype and leave thinking about Easter as the time that sees longer evenings and warmer days as spring finally makes its presence felt.

Those of you who were at the November meeting will know that we were given a top rate talk by Rachel Mahy who is not only an IAM Roadsmart examiner but a serving police officer with a special role looking after road safety in this area. She covered many topics including how they use evidence from dash cam footage uploaded by members of the public to prosecute offenders or at the very least, to send a warning letter hopefully making them think about their actions in the future. Like so many of us, I have had a dash cam fitted in my car for some time following a couple of events where I had thought “If only I had captured that” and also to protect myself in the event of an incident.

The week after the meeting, on a short trip away, I had 2 incidents that happened right in front of me that I had decided to upload to the police website as soon as I got home. The first was where a fuel tanker did not stop at traffic lights on a roundabout narrowly missing a couple of cars that had entered the roundabout from the green lit road and the second was where I and another car had both stopped at a red light on another roundabout. Obviously the light wasn’t the correct shade of red for another vehicle that overtook us both and carried on up the road.

the LINK – newsletter of Bristol Advanced Motorists

Thinking that these were perfect examples of what Rachel had said was likely to lead to a possible prosecution, I downloaded them when I got home and then went through the footage to narrow down the time of the incidents. The camera normally records in 3 minute blocks and saves in both high and low quality segments so you have both formats dependent on how you want to use them. That was the time that I discovered a problem with my camera. Although I had a lot of the journeys recorded, it was randomly missing segments of data and frustratingly the crucial parts were some of the ones that were missing. Investigations with my camera are still ongoing to try to discover what went wrong but it does show that if you have one fitted in your car then it would be worth checking that yours is working as you would expect and also the importance of ensuring that it’s installed and maintained correctly.

Another topic that Rachel touched on was the increasing use of illegal e-scooters on the road at the moment. I am sure that we can all give dozens of examples of having witnessed dangerous usage of these things but a recent one I saw did make me ask myself, “Whataretheparentsthinkingof?”

Waiting to join a reasonably busy road in south Bristol with cars parked on either side and numerous other adjoining roads, I saw a young lad of about 10 years old weaving his way up the road on an e-scooter totally oblivious to the dangers surrounding him. The one thing that did strike me was that he was obviously a caring, considerate lad especially where his friends and family were concerned because stood in front of him, with her arms REACHING UP to hold the handlebars, was a little girl of about 3 or 4 years of age to whom he was giving a lift. As I watched them travel up the road weaving in and out of the parked cars, going on and off of the pavement, I shuddered to think of the consequences of them meeting another poor unsuspecting driver coming the other way. Luckily I was going in the opposite direction so wasn’t going to be there to witness anything untoward but as I drove along I did wonder if I was going to meet another such setup just around the corner.

We all know about the importance of looking in the rear view mirrors and anyone who has attended one of Alan Hale’s meet the examiner sessions will remember his words about the danger coming from behind and his recalling of an incident that happened to him when meeting stationary traffic on the motorway.

As I was driving around the ring road recently, I was looking in the rear view mirror and there was something about the VW behind me that didn’t look quite right. I couldn’t put my finger on it but I knew that something was wrong. He wasn’t on his phone or drinking coffee at the time and he was a safe distance from me. His car wasn’t obviously damaged or anything like that but there was just something wrong. Then it struck me. Both of his exterior mirrors were folded in flat against the car.

Thinking that he had perhaps just started his journey, he must surely notice soon and would either pull in or at the very least would open the drivers side window and fold it out so he could see behind. At least, that is what you would think wouldn’t you. But no. Due to the traffic and the fact we were both going in the same general direction he was behind me for about 15 to 20 minutes and in all that time the mirrors remained firmly folded in. So perhaps we have a candidate for listening to Alan’s words of wisdom about the danger coming from behind or perhaps we have

someone who prefers to live in blissful ignorance right up to the point of being involved in a rear end shunt.

Mentioning things that you see in the rear view mirrors, and having just watched a local news item on the television, reminded me that many years ago I was driving down the M4 towards Bristol in the middle of summer with 100% blue sky and not much traffic. The sort of day that makes driving even on the M4 something approaching a pleasurable experience. The central matrix warning signs suddenly came to life with an advisory speed of 60mph displayed. Very quickly this was reduced to 50, then 40 and finally 30 mph.

On this particular stretch, the motorway swept ahead and you had a very good view for a mile or so and there was nothing untoward to be seen. Like everyone, I have seen these matrix signs switched on and left on only then to suddenly find them turned off with nothing having been seen. However, I did slow down, admittedly to between 30 and 40, because even though you might not be able to see anything, the signs aren’t generally there for decoration. I did feel a bit lonely sat there in lane one as numerous others drove past me at the national limit or in some cases, well above it. This went on for quite a few miles until even I was thinking that perhaps there was something wrong with the signs. And then, in my rear view mirror, in the distance I could see a sea of blue lights spread across all lanes catching up with me at an alarming rate. In what seemed to be an instant, I was overtaken by a number of fast moving patrol cars, blue lights on and sirens blaring, including one on my inside on the hard shoulder and watched as they disappeared into the distance. Obviously there was something going on and my speed dropped to the 30 mph that was advised.

Looking into the distance, I could see that there was now a mass of blue flashing lights stopped on the carriageway in a cluster around something on the hard shoulder. As I got nearer, I could see that what they had been racing towards was in fact a car that they had stopped travelling up the motorway in the wrong direction towards me and everyone else out on that glorious summer Sunday afternoon. It was quite sobering to think of the possible consequences if I, or anyone else around me, had been involved in colliding with that car. Indeed, some years later, not long after the ring road near Downend had been opened, I was driving along it one fine evening when everything quickly came to a halt. With everything stationary and people getting out of their cars it was obvious that there had been a collision of sorts and as the emergency services had yet to arrive some of us walked forward to see if we could be of any assistance. We were quickly met by a lady coming towards us quite upset who said, “I’manurse.Youdon’twanttogodownthere.There’s nothingyoucando”.

We all took her advice. It took a couple of hours for everyone to be turned around and for the stationary traffic to be cleared but I subsequently found out that an elderly driver had taken a wrong turn at the Bromley Heath roundabout and driving up the wrong carriageway had collided with an oncoming vehicle and had sadly been killed instantly. Naturally enough you start to go through the WhatIfscenarios.

Whatifthetrafficlightshadn’tbeenredforme?

Whatifthetraffichadbeenlighter?

All of these “What ifs” could have put me at the head of the traffic where the unfortunate innocent driver had met the oncoming vehicle on the wrong side of the road.

Both of these recollections should serve to remind us all that although we might not be able to see anything wrong on the road ahead, we can never be sure of what has happened, or is happening, just out of sight and that we should never relax our concentration when it comes to all round observation. You never know. One day that skill just might save your life.

I also mentioned last time how I had seen someone in a car alongside me having a video call whilst driving along the ring road. Well, under the banner “Youjustcouldn’t makeitup”, whilst driving back down the M4 during that bitterly cold and icy spell, a few days before Christmas, a car slowly overtook us and then pulled back in just in front. As it went past, both of us thought to ourselves that we had seen something but as it pulled across in front of us and the view became much clearer, we both exclaimed, “Theyarewatchingafilm”. Some of you might be giving the driver the benefit of the doubt and that perhaps it was a sat nav, it wasn’t, or that the screen had one of those directional filters fitted so that only the passenger could see it. The driver was the only person in the car and we could clearly see the movement on the screen through the rear window. This was on the M4, in the dark, on a cold and icy night with snow around. As I said, you just couldn’t make it up. Luckily we were approaching our exit junction so again we didn’t have to think about witnessing the possible consequences of the movie watching driver

Did you know that not being able to unscrew the top off a bottle could cause road accidents? You don’t believe me? Then read on.

You might recall in a previous link article I wrote about the traffic lights on a Scottish road that didn’t control a junction or crossing of any type but simply stopped you if you were detected travelling too quickly. Well, it seems that it’s not the only roads oddity coming out of Holyrood. On a recent foray into the wilds north of the border, that’s the Scottish border not the one with Gloucestershire although it can get pretty wild up there at times, I came across another strange road warning sign. We’ve all got used to the large matrix signs warning us of things such as : “Don’t Drink and Drive”. (Obviousreally.You’llspillmostofit)

“

Don’t use your mobile when driving “ (Youdon’twanttoletdrivinginterfere withareallyimportantcatchuponsocialmedia).

“

Don’t drive whilst tired” (DrinklotsofRedBullbeforeyouleave)

(Beforeanyonestartstogatherupstonestothrowatmeatthenextmeetingthat wasmyfeebleattemptatcomedy)

Anyway, enough of my attempts at humour, just south of Aberdeen, driving in pretty appalling conditions, there was a matrix sign above the road that informed everyone that “FRUSTRATION

CAN CAUSE ACCIDENTS”.

(Yes,Iknowwedon’tcallthemaccidents,theyarecalledcollisions,butthatiswhat thesignsaidandwhoamItoarguewithNicolaSturgeon!)

This particular message got me to thinking, whilst paying close attention to the road in the bad conditions of course, exactly what sort of frustrations could be at the root of these accidents.

Could it be not being able to remove the top off the aforementioned bottle?

Could it be that your toast always seems to fall to the floor butter side down? Perhaps it’s that your neighbours roses grow better than yours. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s something, shall we say, more exotic.

Who knows. I certainly don’t. Obviously the Scottish government knows something the rest of the country doesn’t. What with traffic lights that are there simply to stop you and signs that warn you not to drive whilst frustrated, I can’t wait for the next time I’m up that way to see what other pearls of wisdom the Scots can throw at me.

Following my last article where I mentioned the importance of getting in touch with people before it’s too late, I was chatting to one of our very long standing members who pointed out that on our distribution list to receive a copy of TheLink, there are a good number of people who have been members for a very long time and although we don’t see them nowadays they are still interested in keeping in touch with what the group is currently doing.

As everything changes over time, and the activities and methods of the group today would be totally different to how things were done in years gone by, it would be very interesting to hear of those experiences from people who were active in years gone by. You never know, there might be something that we used to do in the past but have since forgotten that we could resurrect to benefit today’s membership. So if you have been involved with the group for a long time but haven’t been actively involved in recent years, please think about contacting us about your past experiences so we can share them with others via this newsletter.

By the way, although we are still committed to sending TheLinkout in print format for those that want it but also realise that some people would prefer to read it on their digital devices. If that is you, then please let Martin our editor know and we will revise the distribution list.

Perhaps you’re also thinking to yourself that you’ve now had enough of my various ramblings and to be honest, who could blame you. The good news is that you have the power in your hands to curtail, or at the very least reduce, all of this. All you have to do is to put down on paper, or email as it is nowadays, something that can be used for an article for the Link. Martin, our esteemed editor, is always appealing for people to send in items for articles and sometimes even has to resort to desperate measures. (I’mcurrentlywritingthisonehandedwiththeotherarmfirmlytwistedup behindmyback��)

So there you are. Put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard, and get something to Martin for the next edition otherwise I’m afraid it’s going to be more of this nonsense. You have been warned!

All the best Pete

Introduce a new Associate: receive a £20 reward

For current Bristol Group Members and Associates: Refer a relative, friend or colleague, and when they pay and enrol on the IAM RoadSmart Advanced Driver Course with Bristol Advanced Motorists - you get a £20 bonus!

And you can do that as many times as you like!

For further information, call: 0117 256 5555

Terms and Conditions:

The referrer must be a current Bristol Group Member or Associate.

The referrer must notify the Group Associates Administrator with details of the person they will be referring before that person enters into the Advanced Driver agreement with IAM RoadSmart. Retrospective referrals cannot be accepted.

Offer applies to referrals who enrol on (and pay for) the IAM RoadSmart Advanced Driver Course exclusively with Bristol Advanced Motorists.

Bristol Advanced Motorists reserves the right to amend or withdraw the offer at any time. Neither IAM RoadSmart nor any other local IAM Group is subscribing to or taking part in this offer.

Advertise in TheLink!

Do you have something (motoring related) to sell? A business to promote? A vacancy to fill? Advertise in TheLink, and reach the Bristol Advanced Motorists community!

Prices per edition – Full page £30.00, Half page £20.00, Lineage £2.00/line.

40% discount for full BAM members and “6 for the price of 5” offers. Contact the editor for more details.

Full Course Refunds available for New Associates

Bristol Advanced Motorists holds two funds which allow us to refund an Associate’s course fee upon passing their Advanced Driver Test to those who fulfil the following criteria:-

South Gloucestershire Road Safety

The Associate must live, work or be in full-time education within South Gloucestershire, pass their Advanced Driver Test and be under 30.

Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner’s Community Fund

The Associate must live, work or be in full-time education within Bristol Local Authority or North Somerset, pass their Advanced Driver Test and be under 25 or over 60.

Please contact Vee Boobyer – associates@iam-bristol.org.uk prior to the start of the course, as retrospective claims cannot be accepted.

January/February 2023

Read this on our website www.iam-bristol.org.uk

Notice of Annual General Meeting

Notice is hereby given by order of the Group Executive Committee that the 64th Annual General Meeting of BRISTOL ADVANCED MOTORISTS will be held at BAWA, Southmead on Tuesday 25th April 2023 starting at 7.30pm to enable the Trustees of the Group (Registered Charity No. 289807) to present their Annual Report and Accounts for the years ending 31 December 2022 for approval by the Group Members and to conduct an election.

Secretary: Martin Evans 22 Highfields Close, Stoke Gifford, BRISTOL BS34 8YB secretary@iam-bristol.org.uk 06 January 2023 Group No: 1009

All Members, Associates and Friends are invited to attend but only fully paid-up Members of both IAM RoadSmart and of the Bristol Group may vote.

AGENDA

1. Introduction and acceptance of apologies for absence

1. Minutes of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on 26th April 2022 a. Confirm Approval as a true record

2. Matters arising from the minutes of that AGM

3. To receive and adopt the 2022 Annual Report and Accounts a. Confirm Approval as a true record

4. To elect nominees to the posts of Officers (Chair, Secretary, Treasurer) of the Group

5. To elect nominees to the Executive Committee

6. To authorise the Executive Committee to appoint an Auditor

7. To present Group Awards

8. Any Other Business, properly that of an Annual General Meeting a. (At the discretion of the Chair of the meeting)

After the formal business there will be a talk – Speaker to be confirmed.

the LINK – newsletter of Bristol Advanced Motorists

January/February 2023

Recent Test Passes with Bristol Advanced Motorists

Congratulations to the following Bristol Group Associates who have recently been successful in the IAM RoadSmart Advanced Driver Test.

Thanks also to their respective Observers for helping, guiding and assisting them to achieve the Advanced Driver standard.

We hope that all Associates who have become Full Members over the last year will renew membership, both with the national Institute and with the local Bristol Group, to continue your commitment to Advanced Driving and to support your local Group as we continue to guide more Associates.

SUCCESSFUL ASSOCIATE

OBSERVER

02/11/2022 Phil Kerswell Mary Hart F1RST 21/11/2022 Mike Karthauser Bob Hawksley 02/12/2022 Robert Smyth Matt Bridgewater F1RST 05/12/2022 Tracy Lush Martin Evans 05/12/2022 Paula Maddox Rich Olpin F1RST

Entry in bold denotes a perfect score of 23/23 – well done Paula!

Paul Duvall (top) and Phil Kerswell receive their certificates from Pete Goodman & Mary Hart

January/February 2023

Three-in-a-Car – 2023

Read this on our website www.iam-bristol.org.uk

These are informal, social driving events, to help Members maintain the high standard they achieved on their original Advanced Driver test – and also to offer Associates some extra guidance input before their tests. Dates so far confirmed for 2023 are –

Sunday 12 March 10.00am Wishing Well, Codrington

Saturday 13 May 10.00am Bath Hill car park, Keynsham

Wednesday 21 June 7.00pm

Thornbury Leisure Centre

Sunday 03 September 10.00am Ashton Way car park, Keynsham

Saturday 30 September 10.00am

Club Sundays – 2023

Easter Compton Farm Shop

These informal events run from about 10:00am to whenever you want to go home (usually about 1:00 or 2:00pm). A fun driving event, all members, associates and guests are most welcome. Any car is suitable, especially old, classic or interesting! Dates for 2023 (July/October venues TBC) –

Sunday 19 February Nailsworth Garden Centre

Sunday 30 April Norchard Station, Dean Forest Railway, Lydney

Sunday 23 July

Sunday 29 October

Contact Pete Goodman: meetings@iam-bristol.org.uk for updates.

Monthly Meetings: Reminder

Our Meetings, Associate courses and some other activities are held at the BAWA Club, 589, Southmead Road, Filton. It is one of the Bristol region’s venues of choice for conferences and events. It is easily accessible by car with ample car parking adjacent to the buildings. The venue offers a modern, pleasant environment with reception/security, staff on duty and wheelchair access.

The next monthly meeting will be on 28th February – next page for more details. Arrivalat7:15forapromptstartat7:30pm.

Page 12

the LINK – newsletter of Bristol Advanced Motorists

Bristol Advanced Motorists Evening Dinner

Bookings for this event are now full; we hope to see you all in February!

Group Monthly Meeting February 28th

In February we once again welcome local historian Alan Freke, this time he will be talking on “The work of FA Simpson, Technical Artist for The Motorcycle magazine in the 1920s/30s”. Simpson also worked for Douglas Motorcycles in Kingswood. Alan has always been good value with an in-depth knowledge of his subjects, so this again promises to be an interesting meeting.

November Group Meeting

Our speaker in November was PC Rachel Mahy, Avon and Somerset Police Roads Safety Unit and IAM examiner. Rachel is notable for bringing the largest piece of “show and tell” material to a group meeting, namely a smashed-up car on a trailer which had been unfortunately involved in a fatal accident. The family of the deceased have allowed this exhibit to be presented as an example of the devastating consequences of a moment’s lapse in concentration.

A fatal collision can have a cost of over £2 million, and the annual cost to the UK of all RTC’s is around £36 billion. There were about 1500 deaths on the country’s roads in 2021 (50 of which were in the force area), the equivalent of a Boeing 747 falling out of the sky every three months. The Road Safety Unit exists to educate motorists in an effort to reduce this horrendous toll. It is mainly funded through speeding fines and other such penalties. Rachel stated that the long-term aim of the unit is to eradicate fatal collisions in the Avon and Somerset area.

The unit is also involved in a number of other initiatives; dummies around schools to increase driver awareness, and undercover LGV’s to observe the activities of lorry drivers who would otherwise be invisible from a normal patrol car.

Avon and Somerset also has a section on their website for the uploading of dashcam footage, and we were all encouraged to do this if we see something “dodgy” on the highway.

It should be noted that there was a pleasingly high turnout for this meeting, we hope you all went away informed and entertained, even if some of the content was a bit gruesome!

newsletter of Bristol Advanced Motorists

Brian Hartley’s photos of the mangled remains of a car hit from behind on a slip-road

SUNDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER TO WEDNESDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER 2022

The Rules;

• Roof Down (unless it is raining).

• No Motorways (unless it is unavoidable).

Well, we managed to break both of them within first few miles, let’s face it cruising on the motorway with the top down can become a bit wearing and even using motorways it was a 7 hour drive to arrive at our first stop point at Eyemouth for our North Coast 500 trip.

After 2½ years transforming the NB from a tired MX into a bespoke smart tourer here we were, thanks to my daughter, on a grand tour.

Day 2 dawned bright and dry, another 4 hours to Inverness but before that a bucket list visit to the Jim Clark Museum at Duns. What a charming place with all of Jim’s many trophies, some great cars and his story. Prior we had visited the memorial and his grave in Chirnside. From the house across the track, a lovely lady came over and showed us some photos and told us of some personal experiences meeting Jim, which was very special, we were quite awed.

Another Rule;

Stick to the route (unless somewhere looks interesting and scenery looking better and better).

Some cracking roads took us via Pitlochry, especially interesting was the salmon ladder and dam, very beautiful but unfortunately not a salmon day for leaping. The wind had got up though still beautiful weather. Had to put hood up for final leg to Inverness. Good job we did, smashing sights but drove through a hell of a downpour, at least it cleared some of the bugs off the car. Didn’t take a good look at Inverness, maybe on return leg. Needed a good rest as NC500 starts.

Martin Emsley

Tomorrow finally here and all rather exciting, most of evening spent checking guidebook and map for “must see” places. Traditional B&B superb in Inverness.

Day 1 on NC500 and we did twice the number of miles planned. Visited a couple of waterfalls/salmon ladders but mostly the fish were not playing. The scenery was simply amazing continuing mile after mile and the deserted clear flowing road a hoot to drive. (Is all about the weather!). A visit to a distillery never heard of before, with a little sample for passenger topped off a splendid day.

Day 2. This was a tale of 2 castles (very different). Just outside Dornoch is the Dunrobin Castle and Gardens, was modelled upon a French Chateau and was home to the Sutherland family. Some of the rooms are open of the 189 in total and very grand they are too with classic furniture, huge family portraits and many hunting trophies. The gardens facing the sea are a delight, well maintained, I was intrigued by the giant rhubarb or dinosaur food, quite different from “our” rhubarb. The falconry display was outstanding we learnt about hawks and falcons whilst they demonstrated their prowess.

On the road the hunt for a cream tea was in vain reminding us that refreshments are sometimes hard to come by, not necessarily convenient!

Just above Wick is Castle Girnigoe & Sinclair, which is a ruin right on the cliff edge, the boards telling its history are most interesting, cannot imagine living there in days of old.

Day 3. Simply splendid roads and the scenery was mostly rolling fells. 1st stop was John O’Groats, well we had to go there. It was extremely windy and highlight was cracking coffee and cakes in the deli after the obligatory photos. Thus far, it has amazed me how few people there are enroute, was led to believe it would be pretty busy. We briefly stopped to look at The Castle of Mey but decided against the tour. A friendly elderly gent at the gate told us he had just got an MX5 and loved it. A 2.0 NC, great another convert.

Clear winding roads up and down, a driver’s delight with barely any traffic. The night stop at Tongue gave a brilliant view of mountains and inlet.

Day 4. Our longest planned day but we still managed a lie in and late start. What a drive, the scenery spectacular and varied and the roads challenging especially the single track on the loop to Durness, but regularly spaced passing places. A visit to Smoo Caves started the day. We descended to view the waterfall, very spectacular but no tours due to recent rain. Met a couple in a green NA going in the opposite direction and shared notes. A quick pit stop at Cocoa Mountain at Balnakiel for the ‘ultimate hot chocolate’ before taking in the views. Another must visit is Lochinver Larder for one of their many glorious pies, absolutely divine and then to our evening stop on the edge of loch, literally 20ft away from the water. Certainly found today some drivers acted with courtesy and some cannot reverse their vehicles!!

Day 5. In some respects we could have cut out this day of the tour. Shortest drive underwhelming to Ullapool but really nothing in town of interest. The 2 hour sea safari was good and saw different seals, dolphins and porpoises, various sea birds and an eagle! Sensibly we had chosen to go in the partially covered boat so at least stayed dry on the return trip.

Day 6. Once again promises some great roads and plenty to see, of course weather dependant. Turned out to be the worst of days and the best of days. Started with torrential rain and an MX5 which was misfiring at idle. Took a look and fiddled with some wires with no joy. Stopped for a coffee and discussion, wisdom being that the unburnt fuel may damage the catalyst. Being in back of nowhere on a Sunday and seeing the car still ran we decided to press on, another fiddle failed to cure it. Do we run for Inverness?

A few miles further it cured itself (anyone any ideas what it was?). Anyway, we then decided to do the major loop including Applecross pass. Jolly glad we did, sun came out, hood went down and MX5 was going like a dream. Best scenery and roads of the trip obviously enhanced by the weather, fantastic and evening meal of haggis, neeps and tatties!

Day 7. Final 500 route miles, we took the opportunity to go back to Sheieldaig and then Ardarroch before cruising through the lovely Glen Carron, roof down, sun out and then Straith Bran, a slow reduction in dramatic scenery as we edged back to Inverness. As we had time to spare, took a trip around the loop Beauly – Cannich –Drumnadrochit. As the first part had been a pleasant enough drive through the woods, the decision was made to return to Inverness alongside Loch Ness. But first a quick look at Urquhart Castle, quite an impressive ruin on shore of loch and a visit to the John Cobb memorial to pay respects. An evening in Inverness, nothing special, and then an early night before the long 2 day drive back to Bristol via a night in the Lake District.

Date Travel Mileage

Sunday 11th Sept Bristol - Eyemouth 359.4

Monday 12th September Eyemouth - Inverness 219.2

Tuesday 13th September Inverness to Dornoch 54.5

Wednesday 14th September Dornoch to Wick 62.8

Thursday 15th September Wick to Tongue 79.3

Friday 16th September Tongue to Ledmore 109.3

Saturday 17th September Ledmore to Ullapool 18.7

Sunday 18th September Ullapool to Kinlochewe 75.5

Monday 19th September Kinlochewe to Inverness 123.6

Tuesday 20th September Inverness - Torver 311.7

Wednesday 21st September Torver - Bristol 242.2 Total 1656.2

NC500 523.7

We took a few detours and our actual NC500 mileage was 688 miles, mostly good weather and can honestly say we saw not a single midge.

Undertaking – a modern menace?

Richard Parsons

Many years ago, when I passed my driving test, undertaking on the inside was frowned upon and was a definite no - no. Today it's common practice.

Recently I was travelling into Bristol and had just crossed the roundabout at the bottom of the Long Ashton bypass. I was driving up to the speed limit and was using accelerator sense in order to leave a suitable gap to enable the two cars that were legitimately in the inside lane to move in front of me. Suddenly I saw the car behind me move into the inside lane where it then undertook me. It never ceases to amaze me what lengths some drivers will go to in order to move forward one place in a line of traffic.

On my return journey I saw a car undertake a scaffold lorry just at a point where the road was narrowing. This is never a sensible idea.

One thing is for sure. Undertaking is on the increase, and for some people it is just a part of their everyday driving. Advanced drivers need to use all of their observation skills to be aware of when it is happening.

Advanced tips from the CO

Geoff Bevan

The latest in the series of advanced tips taken from the Chief Observer’s publication ‘An Associates Guide’ which he has made freely available on the Group’s website. In this issue he deals with –

The ‘off-side’ Rule

In this issue I want to talk about ‘off-siding’ and possible misconceptions some may have about the official IAM RoadSmart view and as we begin a new year perhaps it’s a good time to remind ourselves of the guidelines and to introduce another of those mnemonic phrases - ‘SLAP’ to those who have yet to encounter it!

But this time I’m going to cheat because (with his permission) I am repeating an article written by Shaun Cronin, our Regional Service Delivery Manager, a couple of years back but it’s as relevant today as it ever was and ever will be for as long as we have roads and vehicles using them.

The Offside Rule: by Shaun Cronin RSDM

“With football you get the chance in slow-motion high definition to replay the event over and over and often the worse that happens is the referee blows their whistle and declares that the try or goal is disallowed. However, on the public road, getting the offside rule wrong can have catastrophic consequences.

Straight lining, apexing, taking the racing line and off-siding are some of the names used to describe 'being on the wrong side of the road’. But exactly what is the wrong side of the road? We pay a lot of vehicle excise duty and all of that glorious tarmac is

available to us - isn't it? I mean, as an advanced driver we all know we can use it in certain circumstances and it just depends - doesn't it?

Ask your average road user what they think about seeing a vehicle or motorcycle on the opposite carriageway from their norm and they will cry 'dangerous.' Ah, here is the first lesson - perception. We must be careful of the perception our actions have on other road users. At best they may wave at us in a rather less than encouraging way, at worst they may take avoiding action such that bent metal and twisted bodies are the result.

So, here is your definitive guide to this subject:

Just what is off-siding?

It is the practice of moving to the offside of the road across either centre white line markings or hazard line markings on the approach to a left-hand bend where you do not have a view around the bend. Generally when practised it is in an attempt to encourage the limit point of vision to match and open quicker and allow a greater speed of approach. Issues often arise when a vehicle comes into view and your movement, required to adopt a position of safety, is sudden and often coarse. The oncoming vehicle could react to your presence and this may cause a chain reaction behind it.

At speeds within the posted limit the benefit of this extreme offside positioning is usually futile. Even in Roadcraft, whose focus is on progress for emergency service drivers, the practice of off-siding is not mentioned or encouraged. On the approach to left-hand bends Roadcraft advocates positioning towards the centre white line and encourages you to consider the approaching traffic, your effect on others and whether there is any advantage - all very much in sync with the IAM RoadSmart advanced course material. Roadcraft says ‘Don’t position yourself in a way that causes concern to other road users.’

What is not off-siding?

• Adopting a straight line through a series of bends where we have a clear view of the road and the road surface (road markings permitting) i.e. ‘The road is mine until the loss of vision in 400yds, my mirrors are clear so I am adopting a straight and stable course.’

• Opening up the radius of a bend where vision is available of any potential oncoming traffic or other hazards on a generally open road.

• Moving out to make a planned safe overtake and then finding yourself with a fantastic view which allows you to maintain your progress before returning to your own side of the road.

There is a phrase that will help you decide when you can apply the offside rule in safety but I reiterate we never simply ‘offside’ on the approach to a left-hand bend.

Picture the scene, I’m on a National Observer Car assessment with a very good Observer. I see the road ahead is weaving like a snake on a mission, the road surface is visible for about half a mile and nothing else is in sight, so I ask – ‘can I straighten this out?’ The Observer replied, ‘You need SLAP.’ Clearly I slightly misheard him and

thought this type of punishment is rarely handed out on test to an Examiner! He went on to explain that when you are considering straightening out a corner (but never ‘off-siding’ and using the other side of the road) you need to consider the acronym SLAP.

➢ SAFE – is it safe to do so? (Considering the view available and any hazards)

➢ LEGAL – Is it legal to do it? (Road signs and markings)

➢ ACHIEVE – Does it actually achieve something (or are you just showing off?)

➢ PERCEPTION – What is the perception of your actions by another road user?

Taking this clear and unambiguous guidance on when you can cross the paint, then considering ‘SLAP’ as your guiding principle, you should be able to master the offside rule in complete safety.”

I hope this clears up any misunderstanding on the subject and that we never find ourselves on ‘the wrong side of the road’ before a left-hand bend!”

Events Calendar

January 2023

February 2023

2023

• Tuesday 10 January 2023 07:30pm - 10:30pm

Executive Committee Meeting :: Executive

• Tuesday 24 January 2023 07:15pm - 10:00pm

Group Monthly Meeting :: Meetings Group

• Wednesday 08 February 2023 07:15pm - 10:00pm

IAM RoadSmart Advanced Driver Course 1/1 :: Courses

• Tuesday 14 February 2023 07:30pm - 10:30pm

Executive Committee Meeting :: Executive

• Wednesday 15 February 2023 07:15pm - 10:00pm

IAM RoadSmart Advanced Driver Course 1/2 :: Courses

• Sunday 19 February 2023 10:00am - 02:00pm

Club Sunday: Nailsworth Garden Centre: Nailsworth, Stroud GL6 0BS :: Events Social

• Tuesday 28 February 2023 07:15pm - 10:00pm

Group Monthly Meeting :: Meetings Group

March 2023

• Sunday 12 March 2023 10:00am - 02:00pm

3-in-a-Car: The Wishing Well at Codrington :: Three in a Car

• Tuesday 14 March 2023 07:30pm - 10:30pm

Executive Committee Meeting :: Executive

• Wednesday 22 March 2023 07:15pm - 10:00pm

Advanced Driver Course 1/3 :: Courses

• Tuesday 28 March 2023 07:15pm - 10:00pm

Group Monthly Meeting :: Meetings Group

the LINK – newsletter of Bristol Advanced Motorists

Who does what in Bristol Advanced Motorists

Executive Committee (Trustees)

Chairman

Peter Davies chairman@iam-bristol.org.uk

Vice Chairman Steve Carlin vice-chairman@iam-ristol.org.uk

Secretary Martin Evans 0117 979 8061 secretary@iam-bristol.org.uk

Treasurer Marcus Venn treasurer@iam-bristol.org.uk Database Manager Andy Cole database@iam-bristol.org.uk

Newsletter Editor Martin Baker 0117 956 3664 editor@iam-bristol.org.uk

Associates Administrator Vee Boobyer associates@iam-bristol.org.uk

Chief Observer Web Administrator

Geoff Bevan 01453 860365 chiefobserver@iam-bristol.org.uk web@iam-bristol.org.uk

Brian Hartley publicity@iam-bristol.org.uk Membership Development Tony Gilbert development@iam-bristol.org.uk

Publicity Officer

Training Officer

Richard Olpin training@iam-bristol.org.uk

Younger Driver Ambassador Hugh Raynor youngdrivers@iam-bristol.org.uk

Monthly Meeting Organiser & Social Organiser

Pete Goodman 0117 960 5367 meetings@iam-bristol.org.uk

Other (non-Trustee) Post Holders

Committee Minute Taker

Brenda Smyth minutes@iam-bristol.org.uk Field Events Manager Vacant events@iam-bristol.org.uk

Social Content Manager Richard Olpin iam-bristol@olpin.net (sic)

Group Display Boards & LINK Mailing Organiser

Andrew Nicholls 01749 860321

The Cover of the hard copy version

The LINK is primarily distributed as a hard-copy A5-size paper version. The current cover continues the tradition first started in about 1971 of having an image of Bristol’s iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge. The back has a brief text about the Group, for the benefit of non-Members, and a QR code which directs to our website.

Printed and collated by: Parish Magazine Printing, Devon communitymagazineprinting.co.uk

Cover photo by photographer: TonyGilbert.co.uk

Observer Training

Members, new and experienced: could you be an Observer?

We are always looking to further increase our team of 40 Observers to help guide and assist our Associates to Advanced Driver standard.

The first step is to complete the Further Advanced Driving course which costs £49.

If you achieved a F1RST on your advanced test - get in touch!

For more information contact: training@iam-bristol.org.uk

Associates Required!

Since the re-commencement of activities we have guided many Associates through the Advanced Driver Course to become Full Members of IAM RoadSmart (almost half of whom achieved F1RST status) – but we have capacity for more!

Members – you can act as recruiting salesmen for the Bristol Group, our Advanced Driver Courses and our three Driver Refund Schemes.

For information about the IAM RoadSmart Advanced Driver Course Contact: associates@iam-bristol.org.uk 0117 969 1746 or 0117 256 555.