IAM RoadSmart magazine – Summer 2021, Issue 5

F O R A DVA N C E D D R I V E RS A N D R I D E RS

DEMANDING DRIVES Tackling the UK’s trickiest tarmac

SCIENCE OF SICKNESS

SUMMER 2021

SEEING IS BELIEVING

Hands-on with interactive head-up driver displays

How everyday illness affects your driving

GREAT DEBATE Driver assistance tech: do we need training?

10

EXPERT TIPS FOR READING THE ROAD IN ANY SITUATION

S S A L C R E T S A M ERS , V I R D C AT E D I D E AME D G O R T I E S OF TH BIKER P T O N T A I RILL T THE B A M S O R R E F M EM B E H T M EET

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W ELCOME SUMMER 2021 HOW TO GET IN TOUCH IAM RoadSmart 1 Albany Place, Hyde Way, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire AL7 3BT Phone: 0300 303 1134 Email: roadsmart@iam.org.uk Web: www.iamroadsmart.com Patron HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Kent President Nigel Mansell Vice Presidents Sir Peter Bottomley, Steven Norris, Nick Ross Chief Executive Officer Tony Greenidge Director of Sales and Marketing James Hall Council of Trustees Stuart Donald QPM (Chair), Jeff Willcocks (Vice Chair), Dr Gina Bromage, Elizabeth Coyle-Camp, John Jenkins, Nick Lomas, Dr Brad Poulson, Nick Stein Registration England & Wales 562530 Registered Charity Number 249002 (England & Wales), SCO41201 (Scotland) PUBLISHED BY Immediate Media Co. www.imcontent.co.uk Editor Dan Read Account Manager Katy Hewett Design Director Will Slater Editorial Director Dan Linstead Art Editor Robin Coomber Production Editor Charlotte Martyn Cover photography Tom Barnes TO ADVERTISE Head of Commercial & Partnerships Jamie Bolton (0117 300 8518; jamie.bolton@immediate.co.uk) Sales Manager Steve Grigg (0117 300 8831; steve.grigg@immediate.co.uk)

Welcome to the Summer 2021 issue of RoadSmart. As I write this, we’ve just passed the 12-month milestone since the first nationwide lockdown began in March 2020. It’s been a very difficult period for many people, but hopefully – by the time you read this – we’ll be getting closer to a return to some sort of normality.

Assuming the government timetable remains on course you’ll soon be able to hit the road to experience the simple joy of driving or riding. And while all those essential local journeys to the shops will have helped sharpen your skills over a few familiar miles, there’s nothing like a proper road trip to truly exercise your mind.

When the time comes, you’ll see on p22 we’ve selected some of the UK’s most demanding driving destinations as inspiration for adventure. They’re the sort of roads that require all of your knowhow – knowhow that comes with hours of practice and plenty of hard work.

That’s what Advanced driving and riding is all about, from the very first observed session right up to our highest accolade: a Masters qualification.

On p38 we meet some members who’ve reached the top of the tree, from a super-vet on a superbike to a postman in a Fiat Panda. What have they learned?

And how and why did they do it? Find out in their own words.

Sometimes though, even our Masters can have an off day. Did you know that medication to ease symptoms of a common cold can impair your ability to drive or ride? And if a runny nose can do that, what about more serious conditions? Science journalist and broadcaster Jheni Osman investigates on p17.

Also in this issue, we try out Mercedes-Benz’s latest in-car technology, ask if drivers should know more about their car’s ever-increasing range of assistance systems, and get the lowdown on the latest cleaning kit for cars and bikes.

We hope you enjoy this issue. As ever, we welcome your thoughts, so please let us know what you think. Thank you for reading, and for your continued and much-valued support.

“THERE’S NOTHING LIKE A PROPER ROAD TRIP TO EXERCISE YOUR MIND, SO WE’VE SELECTED SOME OF THE UK’S MOST DEMANDING DRIVING DESTINATIONS”

Tony Greenidge Chief Executive, IAM RoadSmart

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CON T EN T S IN TA K E 07 NEWS Delay for smart motorways safety report, new pothole repair technology unveiled, and a call for in-car ‘alcolocks’ to prevent drink driving 11 INNOVATIONS Three-dimensional dashboard displays from Mercedes help keep your eyes on the road 12 THE GREAT DEBATE With advanced driver assistance systems set to become mandatory, should training in how to use them also be compulsory? We hear the views on both sides

22

ON T HE R O A D 22 DEMANDING DRIVES Discover the New Forest, Brecon Beacons and Northern Cairngorms

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31 RICHARD GLADMAN ‘Could you be a Master?’ asks our Head of Driving and Riding Standards 32 ASK THE EXPERTS Our team answer your motoring queries 35 GEAR GUIDE: SPARKLE AND SHINE The latest high-tech cleaning products

17 THE SCIENCE OF SICKNESS Ill health can affect your ability to drive or ride, but how can you assess if you’re fit to drive? And is it up to you or your doctor to decide? We look at the guidance around short-term illness and ongoing medical conditions.

37 IN THE KNOW Road-related facts and stats

IN S IDE R 49 GALLERY Your best photographs of life on the road 53 TONY GREENIDGE IAM RoadSmart research will drive transport policy

F E AT UR E S 38 MEET THE MASTERS IAM RoadSmart Masters have reached the highest standard of driving and riding. But what does it take to reach that goal?

And how has it helped them in their everyday lives, when they take to the road for work or pleasure? We meet six IAM RoadSmart Masters from all walks of life, in all sorts of vehicles, who tell us about their motivation for developing their Advanced skills.

29 SKILLS REFRESHER: READING THE ROAD Top tips for anticipating hazards ahead

55 IAM ROADSMART NEWS The latest updates from within the organisation

38

56 MEMBER REWARDS Exclusive offers and discounts for you 60 LETTERS Members have their say 64 MEMBER PROFILE Sarah Richardson on unique riding skills 66 MY OTHER CAR IS… At the beach! Meet the Meyers Manx buggy

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INTAKE

News and views from the world of road safety

The Great Debate: mandatory training on in-car tech?

Plus: how your health can affect your driving, from a common cold to longterm conditions. Find out more on p17. / SUMMER 2021 / 7

IN TA K E

Smart motorway safety measures confirmed

8/

/ SUMMER 2021

JCB reveals rapid pothole repairer POTHOLES ARE a scourge of modern motoring life in the UK. And IAM RoadSmart’s annual Safety Culture Report found that around nine in ten drivers have been affected by such defects in the road. However, relief could be on the way in the form of JCB’s new, high-speed Pothole Pro, which the company claims can repair a typical pothole in just eight minutes.

The labour-saving machine has a top speed of 25mph. It comes with three dedicated attachments enabling it to cut defects, crop pothole edges and clean holes, leaving them in perfect shape for contractors to add the tar.

This development follows Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s 2021 announcement of a £2.5bn fund to repair 50 million potholes.

WORLD-CLASS SAFETY FOR SCOTLAND

GET T Y;

TRANSPORT SECRETARY Grant Shapps has announced that no new smart motorways will be built without safety measures being in place and fully operational. New ‘all-lane running’ motorways, where the hard shoulder becomes a live traffic lane, must have radar technology to detect stationary vehicles. The news came after the publication of a Highways England firstyear progress report on smart motorways.

“The data contained in the Highways England progress report continues to show that fatal casualties are less likely on all-lane running motorways than on conventional ones,” Shapps told the House of Commons in April. “But we know drivers can feel less safe on roads without hard shoulders, which is why the report intends to accelerate a number of actions to provide reassurance to drivers.”

Coroners investigating fatalities on all-lane running smart motorways have criticised their safety. Lack of understanding of how smart motorways work has been raised as an issue, too.

IAM RoadSmart has previously given a cautious welcome to government plans to improve the safety of smart motorways.

We support the accelerated introduction of stopped vehicle technology and more frequent refuges, but also point out the need for better education and information for smart motorway users.

An IAM RoadSmart member poll on smart motorways showed that over 80% of the 4,700 respondents reported feeling unsafe on the new layouts.

“Our survey results confirm there is still much to do and we look forward to working with Highways England and The Department of Transport to help increase confidence among motorway users,” says IAM RoadSmart CEO Tony Greenidge.

“We believe high-quality and frequent education is needed to deliver ongoing reassurance to drivers and riders.”

THE SCOTTISH Road Safety Framework, supported by IAM RoadSmart, is aiming to have the best road safety performance in the world by 2030. The initiative is based on five pillars: safe road use; safe roads and roadsides; safe vehicles; safe speeds; and better post-crash response.

The goal is for no person to be killed or seriously injured on Scotland’s roads by 2050.

“For every nation, setting road safety targets has been a catalyst for improvement in road deaths and injury numbers,” says Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy & Research.

“If Scotland can set targets, why can’t England?”

250m2

is the total pothole area the machine can repair in a day, three times faster than traditional repair methods

Scottish roads could be world leaders in safety standards by 2030.

IN TA K E The new NMC is keen to work with the government on new transport policies to ensure their relevance to riders.

LOCK OUT DRINK DRIVING The government has been urged to introduce alcohol interlocks – ‘alcolocks’ – to stop convicted drink drivers reoffending, in a move suggested by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), supported by IAM RoadSmart. Alcolocks prevent vehicles from being started until the driver has blown into a breathalyser and proven their sobriety.

BEST DETERRENT According to the ‘Locking Out The Drink Driver’ report, a previous offender committed one in six drink-driving crimes. Around the world, alcolocks – used in conjunction with rehabilitation programmes – have proven more effective at preventing reoffending than media campaigns, penalties and police enforcement.

COUNTING THE COST PACTS advocates that offenders should pay for the alcolock programme. At around £1,000 per year, this is a fraction of the estimated £70,000 that could be incurred following a drink-driving conviction.

Alcolock technology could save 240 lives and prevent 1,400 serious injuries annually.

Launch of National Motorcyclists Council A NEWLY FORMED motorcycling organisation, the National Motorcyclists Council (NMC), has called on the government to work with its members to create a new UK motorcycling strategy. The NMC aims to give the UK’s leading national motorcycle organisations a collective voice to address significant common concerns and bolster individual motorcycling organisations’ campaigning power.

IAM RoadSmart is one of the founding members of the NMC, along with the Auto Cycle Union, the British Motorcyclists Federation, the Motorcycle Action Group and the Trail Riders Fellowship. Together, they will promote the numerous benefits motorcycling

offers for commuter and practical transport, leisure, tourism and the economy.

The NMC will also address a broad range of issues that affect motorcyclists. These include riding access to national parks, green lanes and motorcycle sports venues; the need to protect motorcycling’s heritage; and the need to ensure motorcycling is represented within the government’s drive for a post-Covid sustainable transport recovery.

“As transport and the motorcycle itself continues to evolve, motorcyclists need to be at the table as policies are created and technologies developed,” says the NMC. “Technological developments are occurring without taking motorcyclists into account.”

Raising visibility standards A NEW Direct Vision Standard (DVS) for all lorries over 12 tonnes has come into force across most of Greater London. The legally required safety permit has been introduced to tackle the issue of drivers’ blind spots and forms part of London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s Vision Zero initiative to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on London’s streets by 2041.

More than 60,000 heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) were automatically awarded permits rated between one and five stars, with more than 3,000 receiving a maximum five-star rating for safety. An additional 30,000 HGVs

Read more road-safety news at www.iamroadsmart.com or follow us on our social channels:

were issued permits after being modified to comply with the DVS. Safety technology to bring them up to the required standard included blind-spot cameras with in-cab video displays, audible left-turn warning systems and prominent warnings on the rear of the vehicle. @IAMRoadSmart

IAMRoadSmart / SUMMER 2021 / 9

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IN TA K E

INNOVATIONS

3D dashboard displays

Mercedes-Benz’s new driving aid is a step up for safety, finds Paul Horrell

ILLUSTRATION JAMES CAREY

T

he Mercedes S-Class usually showcases expensive innovations that eventually filter down to more affordable cars. The new one has a stereo driver’s display and an augmentedreality head-up display (HUD). This tech is still so expensive it doesn’t appear in the justannounced new C-Class. But it is strikingly useful, so here’s hoping costs will fall.

Commonly now, cars have an LCD screen for the instrument panel. Some or most of that screen can display a 3D head-up perspective map view.

In the new Mercedes, that perspective has genuine stereoscopic 3D depth. This considerably adds to its clarity and shortens your glance time. It also makes the rest of the dials and readouts more vivid.

The effect is achieved by the screen displaying two slightly different images, each using alternate pixels. A few millimetres in front of the display is a perforated screen with holes at the same pitch as the alternate pixels, arranged so that your left eye can see only the pixels of the left image, and your right eye only the right. As you move your head, a camera system reads the position of your eyes and adjusts the mask as you move, so the 3D illusion is maintained.

OUR VIEW

“IAM RoadSmart is supportive of technology designed to minimise driver distraction, and the ability of the system to convey the relevant information with a shortened glance is a positive step. Having information available quickly in a driver’s usual field of vision will allow for improved concentration on the road ahead.”

Richard Gladman, IAM RoadSmart Head of Driving and Riding Standards

Above the dash is a HUD unit, with a virtual viewing distance of 10 metres ahead of you, and an effective ‘screen size’ at that distance of 77 inches diagonal. It’s driven by 1.3 million tiny mirrors reflecting a bigger light source – the same technology used in cinemas.

Again, because the car knows your eye position, it can calibrate its projections so that graphics exactly overlay the real world: navigation arrows appear to be illuminated on the lane you need, and chevrons hover across your turn-off. It makes following directions really intuitive, keeping your eyes on the road rather than glancing down at in-car displays.

It also, I found, improved my confidence in – and interactions with – the driver-assistance systems. For instance, if you approach a lane marking, the white road paint appears to flash red. You can interpret and react to this more quickly than a generalised warning in the instrument panel. And when the adaptive cruise control and steering assistance is engaged, the HUD appears to place a hovering green mark on the tail of the car it’s following. So on a curving road you intuitively understand when your car’s systems are – and aren’t – ‘locked on’ to the vehicle ahead. / SUMMER 2021 / 11

THE GREAT DEBATE

Driver assistance systems: do we need compulsory training?

Technological developments have seen some motoring skills become more automated, with our cars and bikes alerting us to danger or even driving for us. But should we be taught to use these aids in the same way we learn to drive or ride?

New regulations will make advanced driver assistance systems compulsory in new cars from next year, so should training for them also be mandatory?

YOUR VIEW

Where do you stand on the subject?

Send a tweet to @IAMRoadSmart or visit facebook.com/iamroadsmart 12 /

/ SUMMER 2021

IAN S If you want to use them, then yes there should be training in how they will impact on your drive or ride. The manufacturer should allow the driver or rider to easily switch off each feature. My Mercedes has many of these systems and there is a way to switch them off, but it’s not made easy. The automatic braking system has got me in trouble twice, put me in danger and is now turned off.

ANDY W I think it’s more important that new drivers are trained in how to drive if these systems fail.

IN TA K E

A

dvanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) have been around for a while, and are being introduced into new cars at a rapid rate. In fact, from 2022, all newly introduced cars are mandated by the EU’s General Safety Regulation to have a host of systems as standard, including advanced emergency braking, driver monitoring for drowsiness and distraction, intelligent speed assistance and lanekeeping assistance.

Yet a new, extensive report from the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) shows that many drivers’ awareness of ADAS’s operation, both how to use them and understanding the limits of their capabilities, is surprisingly low.

One of its conclusions, supported by IAM RoadSmart, is that better instruction and driver training is needed.

Some ADAS always monitor the environment around the car and operate automatically when a dangerous situation develops. The driver needs do nothing extra. These include automated emergency braking (AEB) and blind-spot systems, some of which nudge the car back into your lane should you move across the path of another vehicle on a motorway.

But others are activated by the driver, and then take complete or partial control of critical systems for long stretches: acceleration, braking and steering.

Together these are ‘level two’ systems for supported cruising on major roads.

Adaptive cruise systems are coming to motorbikes too.

However, most drivers – perhaps even a few with an Advanced qualification – won’t voluntarily read a car’s 400-page manual to find out exactly how these systems work. They certainly won’t if they’re driving company pool cars, hire cars and, increasingly ‘mobility as a service’ shared cars.

MATTHEW C The only ‘tech’ I ‘need’ in my car is cruise control. All the rest encourage lazy driving and should either require a certificate showing suitable training, or be disabled.

“MOST DRIVERS WON’T READ A CAR’S 400-PAGE MANUAL TO FIND OUT HOW THESE SYSTEMS WORK” Dr Neale Kinnear, Head of Transport Safety at the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), says that guidance on how to use ADAS is essential. “Unless it’s absolutely intuitive, there should be training, especially if it’s a critical part

of the driving task,” he explains.

“The way a system is designed and integrated with the human can have negative consequences.

At TRL, we’re engaging with car manufacturers, providing guidance to introduce things in a consistent fashion for safety.

Currently there’s lots of flexibility for system designers – there’s no need to prove it’s safe before it’s launched. Tesla’s ‘beta’ products are an obvious example.”

David Fulker of Bosch, a leading supplier of ADAS to car-makers, says it’s up to each vehicle manufacturer to design their own ‘application’, including the human-machine interface (HMI).

That’s why, as the FIA report points out, the same system can be marketed under many different names, with slightly different switches and displays. The report drily notes: “Alignment between HMIs of different car manufacturers is desirable.

However, the competitive character of this industry poses a great challenge for this.”

Reassuringly, Bosch trains car dealers, so they can – in theory – educate customers when they buy a new car.

Whether this actually happens, or whether the customer is interested, is another

Do ADAS actually help safety?

Early data on ABS showed it had little benefit, perhaps because drivers didn’t brake hard enough when the pedal pulsed.

But ESP was transformative: after Mercedes fitted it across the range in 1999, single-vehicle crashes fell by about 30%. The US’s Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said ESP reduced fatal single-vehicle crashes by 56%.

PAUL A While some features will assist in mitigating incidents, they still happen. Until such time drivers take some form of enhanced driver scheme, it will continue to go the wrong way.

Thatcham says AEB can reduce frontto-rear collisions by 38%.

A study of accident statistics is summarised in the recent FIA paper.

It concludes that if half the cars on the road had level-two ADAS, we could expect a reduction of around 18% of all motorway accidents where a passenger car is involved.

MEG P My son had an incident when the braking system came on suddenly because his vehicle identified a patch of oil on the road as an obstacle. It’s just so dangerous. Manufacturers just keep adding all this ‘safety’ stuff and the powers that be encourage it rather than taking a more proactive interest in better-quality driving. / SUMMER 2021 / 13

IN TA K E

ADAS are becoming increasingly common on motorbikes, meaning more road-users are likely to become reliant on them.

matter. As for owners of older cars, says Fulker, “If a person has a vehicle with ADAS there must be an information chain – the driver must be able to reach out to the dealer or the safety organisations.

That’s why we produce videos and so on.”

Professor Natasha Murat from University of Leeds’ Institute of Transport Studies says level-two technologies are largely promoted as comfort aids. “The manufacturers’ push is around helping drivers do other things,” she explains. “Do drivers understand the actual capability?

The system works almost all of the time, so drivers have a misunderstanding that it’s foolproof – they become complacent and look elsewhere. So we’ve been studying how you create the right level of trust so that drivers keep monitoring. Eye tracking helps.” (See p11 for how Mercedes is putting this to use in the new S Class.)

Matthew Avery, Director of Research at the insurance industry’s Thatcham

IAN S There is an over-reliance on these devices. When they are involved in an avoidable incident, people inevitably blame the vehicle not their own abilities.

14 /

/ SUMMER 2021

Research, says: “We recognise the safety benefits of these technologies, but it’s vital manufacturers don’t over-sell their capabilities, and that drivers learn to use them properly.”

So Thatcham, together with Euro NCAP, is now testing ADAS features, grading not just their effectiveness but also their HMI and how they communicate their status, engage with the driver and monitor them.

Likewise, IAM RoadSmart has been consulting with Bosch and Thatcham about training, and how it might be introduced to both Advanced courses and standard driving tests – including making proposals to the DVSA. “IAM RoadSmart believes the time has come to include a

comprehensive lesson from every car dealer,” says Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart’s Director of Policy and Research.

“Manufacturers can’t just wash their hands of the issue, and if their systems get a bad reputation it’ll come back to them,” TRL’s Neil Kinnear agrees: “There’s a lot the public don’t know and we’re still in the trial-and-error phase.

Would you expect operators of trains or planes not to be trained in new systems?

See what happened with the 737 Max.” But while many groups feel some form of ADAS training for drivers and riders is in order – and indeed, should be compulsory – not everyone agrees.

See opposite for two views on the matter.

DENIS M We are being seduced by this flawed technology so much that we’re having to change drivers’ behaviours. This is because the systems aren’t designed to be fully intuitive, and are unable to take into account the full variation of road conditions. If the car does something a motorist would be prosecuted for (such as stopping suddenly for no reason) then the device isn’t fit for purpose.

GARETH D I love technology and computers, but I find them intrusive and lacking in the ability to instil confidence enough to rely on them when driving.

IN TA K E THE GREAT DEBATE

YES: Laurianne Krid Director General, FIA region 1 (Europe, Middle East, Africa)

ADAS are here to support motorists in their driving, correct mistakes and mitigate the effects of accidents.

However, our study shows that awareness about such systems is patchy and that consumers don’t always have the full picture about what they can and cannot do. Our study also found that consumers heavily rely on the information at the point of sale – which our mystery shopping showed depends highly on the consumer asking the seller.

The EU General Safety Regulation is mandating several of these ADAS systems in all new vehicles – from July 2022 for new models and in 2024 for existing vehicles. It reflects on the elements of the Driving Licence Directive, which sets out basic requirements for all drivers.

So why should training become mandatory? To improve consumers’ awareness of these systems, since our study shows it’s insufficient. There will be a surge of new vehicles equipped with many of these systems by default. If we want to deliver on our road safety promises, we need to ensure that drivers know how to use them.

How could it be done? We should include requirements to go through the mandatory system in the EU Driving Licence Directive. One element of the debate – to facilitate consumers’ uptake and understanding – would also be to increase the harmonisation of these systems’ names. Currently, manufacturers may use different names for marketing purposes and that doesn’t help recognition.

We should also work on an intuitive HMI design for all these systems. This also will become increasingly important as ‘mobility as a service’ increases, since you’ll be switching vehicles more often and would need to have some certainty on how each vehicle works.

Adding an element in the Driving Licence Directive would not preclude us from improving information at the point of sale as well.

NO: Adrian Walsh

Director, Roadsafe

“IF WE’RE TO DELIVER ON ROAD SAFETY PROMISES, WE NEED TO ENSURE DRIVERS KNOW HOW TO USE ADAS”

You have to distinguish between education and training.

Education is the bigger challenge: it’s about influencing the behaviour of the driver. You have to realise how poorly most people perform. At the least, cars have an indication on the instrument panel for the assistants.

That itself is education because it tells you that something is there in the safety system.

Although ADAS have different interfaces, there is standardisation of colour for the warning lights. Beyond this you won’t get much more standardisation because of the rate of development in these systems.

Drivers don’t need to know how the systems work.

But science has told us that they do work, including the critical systems that assist braking function and, now, steering. The introduction of ABS and ESP made a phenomenal difference.

Customers couldn’t be persuaded to buy these systems as options, hence NCAP has effectively made many of them standard [because they were key to gaining five stars]. With seatbelts, the public was educated in their benefits, and then they were mandated. With ADAS the public is happy to receive this sort of driving support. Acceptance is high, that’s my feeling.

Training is a good thing, but it’s a separate question who does it. The level of education and training for the driving test is quite high, as shown by the high failure rate. ADAS is, to an extent, covered in this.

But how do you train people who’ve already taken a driving test? It’s too difficult for government to do it, and there’s no public demand. It’s possible to ensure training where you employ drivers, as part of your duty of care. But there’s no duty of care at the point of sale of the car.

The salesperson’s obligation is to sell. I can’t see a car manufacturer or retailer explaining these systems.

It’s right that the systems are in our cars, even if fully educating people how to use them is impossible.

“HOW DO YOU TRAIN PEOPLE WHO’VE ALREADY TAKEN A DRIVING TEST? IT’S TOO DIFFICULT FOR GOVERNMENT, AND THERE’S NO DEMAND”

/ SUMMER 2021 / 15

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IN TA K E

THE

SCIENCE OF S I CK NESS What impact does illness have on your driving? From the common cold to more serious conditions, we examine what happens to our bodies when sickness sets in – and discuss when you should stay off the road until you recover

WORDS JHENI OSMAN

C

hristmas was miserable for Olivia. After contracting Covid-19 in December, she spent a few weeks wiped out. But the virus has claimed lives and severely affected the health of others, so Olivia felt fortunate when she recovered.

“When ill with Covid, I suffered what I’d call ‘foggy brain’,” says Olivia. “But before I went for my first drive I felt absolutely fine.

Obviously I wasn’t – on that short drive I crashed.”

The crash was a minor bump. But Olivia now realises that her brain wasn’t functioning at 100%.

This highlights how even when you think you’re back to normal after an illness, you may not be fit to drive.

“Driving is a complex set of psychomotor actions that require the brain to integrate vision and hearing,

/ SUMMER 2021 / 17

as well as acceleration and deceleration cues,” says Dr Peter Holden, a GP and advisor on medical driving issues for the British Medical Association.

“Everything that comes in through your eyes, what you feel in the car, what you hear, has to be processed by the brain to produce a coherent output. And it’s not a static input – it’s varying all the time.

So anything that slows up your brain is going to result in sub-optimal performance. If you’re feeling unwell and tired, your thinking slows down, your perception drops, and you become a danger to yourself and fellow road users.”

Even the symptoms of a mild cold can affect your driving, as you may suffer from a runny nose, sore throat and muscle pain.

are likely to impair the safe handling of the vehicle (physical disabilities, impaired vision or cognitive problems). The DVLA website clearly explains the law for specific medical conditions (see the ‘What the law says’ box opposite).

“The DVLA website is full of brilliant advice,” says Dr Holden. “But one issue is that it’s separated out into information on neurological conditions, cardiological conditions, diabetes and so on. A driver may have a number of conditions but they don’t hit the threshold in any one of the conditions. Put all of those conditions together, though, and they’re quite impaired. This can be the case for older drivers in particular. As we get older, none of us want to admit we’re getting more

“A DOSE OF A COMMONLY AVAILABLE COLD REMEDY WILL TAKE YOU NEARLY HALFWAY TO THE DRINK-DRIVE LIMIT” “If your eyes are streaming, your vision is impaired. If you sneeze, you’re momentarily distracted. And when you have a cold you may not be able to think straight, which is part of the body’s response to infection and inflammation,” says Dr Holden. “Cold remedies are designed to ameliorate some of the symptoms, but a dose of a commonly available cold remedy will take you nearly halfway to the drink-drive limit.

Medication does carry a warning about driving, but it tends to be in small print, so you must read the label. It’s up to you to decide whether you’re fit for the road.

The key is to be careful.”

THE LAW AND SAFETY While drivers need to be clued up on how medicines can affect driving ability, they also need to be aware of the law if they develop a medical condition.

Broadly speaking, there are two groups of conditions: those that are likely to cause sudden impairment at the wheel (such as epileptic events, hypoglycaemia and cardiac arrhythmias) and conditions that 18 /

/ SUMMER 2021

frail. And no-one wants their lifeline to the community taken away.”

Giving up the car can be tough at first.

Age UK advises retiring drivers to talk to someone about this in advance, such as a friend, family member or GP. There’s no legal age at which you must stop driving but you must give up your licence if your doctor tells you to stop driving for three months or more because of a medical condition. You can apply to get your licence back once you meet the medical standards for driving again.

In 2019, there were 1,752 deaths and 25,945 serious injuries from road traffic accidents in the UK – and a small but significant number were caused by medical conditions. One issue in the UK is that the onus is on drivers to declare medical conditions. The DVLA website states that you must tell them if you ‘develop a notifiable medical condition or disability, or a condition or disability has got worse since you got your licence’.

“A medical condition that impacts the individual’s ability to drive safely for less than three months may not need to be

OUR RESEARCH IN NUMBERS The road users who’ve declared a medical condition, and those who’ve used medication

4% 90% 90% 20%

The percentage of UK licence holders who’ve advised the DVLA they have a medical condition that could affect their driving

The percentage of drivers who received a medical licensing decision within 90 days in 2019/2020

The percentage of drivers who retain their entitlement to drive when reapplying for their licence

The percentage of drivers in a 2017 survey who had recently taken prescription drugs (not all were aware of the driving-related risks)

IN TA K E old had suffered a similar blackout when driving a bus but didn’t disclose this when renewing his HGV licence. Prosecutors ruled he wouldn’t face criminal charges due to insufficient evidence.

When initially applying for a lorry or bus licence, HGV drivers need a medical examination report (D4), and then confirm their fitness to drive every five years until they’re 45. After that, they must pass a medical examination every five years until the age of 65, when they have to pass an annual medical. The D4 must be signed by a doctor, but this doesn’t have to be the driver’s GP. “The only person who’s got a really complete medical record that would allow appropriate certification is a driver’s GP,”

“RESPONSIBILITY FOR DRIVING SAFELY LIES WITH THE INDIVIDUAL, WHO MUST FOLLOW THEIR DOCTOR’S ADVICE”

declared to the DVLA,” says the DVLA’s David Whitbread. “We’d advise anyone uncertain if their temporary medical condition would impact their ability to drive to speak to their doctor. We’d also stress that the responsibility for driving safely lies with the individual, who must follow their doctor’s advice. This is the same for non-medical impairments – for example, if someone can’t drive safely because they haven’t slept then the responsibility not to drive lies with them.”

MEDICAL CHECKS So, in essence, the law relies on drivers to be honest and keep their records up to date. In December 2014, a bin lorry collided with pedestrians in Glasgow, killing six and injuring 15. The driver had passed out at the wheel. The 62-year-

says Dr Holden. “A driver shouldn’t be able to go to an independent doctor who doesn’t have their records and say, ‘I’m all right, Doc’.”

Due to the pandemic, you currently don’t need a D4 when renewing an HGV licence. This is to keep supply chains flowing. The pandemic has also created a six-month backlog of licence renewal applications. In the meantime, road safety may be under threat. Research shows that since March 2020 there have been fewer diagnoses for serious conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes, and reduced public transport may mean more elderly and unwell drivers are on the roads. And no-one yet knows how ‘long Covid’ affects driving ability.

“Our knowledge will evolve on long Covid,” says Dr Holden. “But the bottom line for any illness is: if you don’t feel 100%, don’t drive.”

Jheni Osman is an award-winning science writer, author and broadcaster. See more of her work at www.jheniosman.co.uk, and follow her on social media @jheniosman

Any illness, no matter how mild, can affect your ability to drive. For instance, hay fever or a cold can cause a runny nose or itchy eyes, which can be distracting.

WHAT THE LAW SAYS You must tell the DVLA if you have a driving licence and you develop a ‘notifiable’ medical condition or disability or if a condition or disability has got worse since you got your licence You can be fined up to £1,000 if you don’t tell the DVLA about a medical condition that affects your driving. You may be prosecuted if you’re involved in an accident as a result.

There’s no legal age at which you must stop driving. You can decide when to stop, but you must give up your licence if your doctor tells you to stop driving for three months or more because of a medical condition. You can reapply to get your licence back once you meet the medical standards for driving again.

For more information and a full list of medical conditions visit www.gov.uk/health-conditionsand-driving / SUMMER 2021 / 19

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ON THE ROAD Taking your journey to the next level

“MOTORISTS FACE CORKSCREW TRACKS AND WEATHER THAT QUICKLY CHANGES FROM DELIGHTFUL TO DAUNTING” Hone your Advanced skills with three beautiful but challenging drives around the UK

GET T Y

Twisting, undulating roads are a feature of the Cairngorms in the Scottish Highlands.

Please ensure you take note of any current Covid-19 restrictions at the time of your drive, and only make the trip if it’s safe and legal to do so.

/ SUMMER 2021 / 21

ROAD TRIPS

DEMANDING DRIVES

Challenge yourself with a skills-testing drive through some of the UK’s most beautiful locations

NORTHERNN CAIRNGORMS WORDS DAVID WILLIAMS

22 /

/ SUMMER 2021

ON T HE R O A D

A summer drive in the Cairngorms, free from the hazards of ice and snow, will allow you to enjoyably practise a range of Advanced driving or riding skills.

W

hether you’re spearing along California’s Pacific Coast Highway, sunshine bouncing off your bonnet, or swishing through the British countryside with birdsong in the air and bugs on your visor, it’s hard to beat the joys of the open road. Gentle, sweeping bends.

Long views. Smooth tarmac stretching way into the distance.

But what about when the going gets tough? When the route is full of unexpected challenges? Crooked corners, blind brows, slippery surfaces, treacherous weather and fast-moving hazards on four legs? For some, it’s enough to turn a dream drive into a nightmare.

However, with an Advanced driving or riding qualification under your belt you can be sure that no matter how tricky the journey becomes, no matter what obstacles fate throws in your path, you’ll enjoy even the most testing of journeys.

Now that is the very definition of a road well-travelled.

Challenging roads are plentiful in and around the Cairngorms mountain range in the Scottish Highlands. It’s where motorists face ever-changing road surfaces and corkscrew tracks – and where the weather can change from delightful to daunting faster than you can switch from sunglasses to fog lights.

Before spring arrived, I tackled this 150-mile route – complete with ‘bigdipper’ mountain tracks, ruined castles, a battlefield site and other attractions – in a rugged 4X4 rented at Inverness Airport.

I was glad I had when, on the ascent into Moray Firth

Forres

Inverness

Culloden Battlefield Lochindorb

Cairngorms National Park Rothiemurchus

Nethy Bridge

Coylumbridge Cairngorm Mountain

Cock Bridge

/ SUMMER 2021 / 23

DEMANDING DRIVES the mountains, the road was suddenly axle-deep in un-forecast snow.

First stop is the Battle of Culloden interactive visitor centre, 15 minutes from Inverness on the A96. To the untutored eye, the site is a windswept moor. Enter the powerful ‘Battle Immersion Theatre’, though, and it becomes a vivid canvas etched with the blood of soldiers locked in bitter and brutal combat over 250 years ago.

Follow the A96 with its coastal glimpses towards Forres (diverting to sheltered Findhorn Bay to spot dolphins, if you’re lucky) then the B9089 towards Lossiemouth for more sea views and dramatic, ruined Kinloss Abbey, signposted en route.

“OUT OF SEASON, THIS IS A LONELY, ISOLATED ROAD, PERFECT FOR HONING YOUR CORNERING SKILLS”

24 /

/ SUMMER 2021

Right Bright heathers add splashes of colour to the roadside in summer.

Below The mountain landscape is largely treeless, giving you clear line of sight along the winding roads.

Head inland to Elgin on the arrowstraight, often windswept A941 to ponder the romantic ruins of Elgin cathedral.

Before ascending the Cairngorms, visit the town’s historic cashmere mills to stock up on woollies – which can be essential at any time of year. Now follow ‘The Malt Whisky Trail’ along the increasingly craggy and hilly A95.

Here you have two choices: turn east and follow the dramatic – and demanding – Old Military Road all the way to Cock Bridge via the Lecht Ski Centre. Or, as I did, push into the mountains along the winding B970 to Nethy Bridge.

After glimpsing ruined Castle le Roy I turned right at Coylumbridge, passi passing ing the Mountain Rescue centre – a clue to the rugged and remote destination natiion ahead. If you’re here out of season on thi this is is a lonely, isolated stretch of road,, perfect for honing your cornering skills. s. Pull in at Rothiemurchus Centre for a qui quick ick weather check before following ssigns igns to beautiful Loch Morlich via well-signed siigned opportunities for sailing, climbing, g, cycling and even a reindeer centre.

Now it’s time to climb steeply as ffar ar as you can along this beguiling backwoods ds road, keeping your speed down. The reward, as you finally park at the foot of Cairngorm Mountain’s funicular railway, is welcome refreshment at the Cairngorm Cafe, popular with skiers in winter and walkers in summer. As the funicular is currently closed for repairs (due to reopen at the end of 2021), any ascent to admire the views from even higher ground will have to be on foot.

On the way back down you’ll muster the best of your driving or riding skills as you keep your speed in check, evermindful of oncoming motorists who are distracted by the magnificent views while your eyes remained glued firmly to the road ahead.

Now head for Carrbridge before flying along the remote B9007 framed by wild, dramatic mountain scenery. Turn right to the dark waters of bewitching Lochindorb, Gaelic for ‘Loch of Trouble’.

Drive along the water’s edge and marvel at the magical 13th-century island castle, a former stronghold of the Clan Comyn, before returning to your base at Inverness.

A longer route between Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst will take you along Rhinefield Ornamental Drive, lined with beautiful shrubs and trees.

THE

NEW FOREST

S

afely tackling tackliing fast, undulating undulatiing roads is the sign of an accomplished driver driiver or rider. riider. But so is the ability abiility to drive driive slowly and expertly while surrounded by unpredictable unprediictable wildlife. Seldom is this skill more in in demand than in the New Forest, where woodland often conceals iitinerant tinerant animals. aniimals.

IIn 1990, 1990 speed limits liimits on main main n roads roads here her were cut to 40mph to reduce the number of collisions with the ponies, deer and even wild boar that run free.

Animal deaths fell after the speed limit was lowered, so it’s ideal territory for a slow road trip, starting at Lyndhurst, known as the ‘capital’ of The New Forest since William the Conqueror established it as a royal hunting ground in 1079. From Lyndhurst head southeast on the free-flowing A3056, spotting ponies grazing

Lyndhurst

New Forest National Park Brockenhurst

Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum

Beaulieu Exbury Gardens & Steam Railway

on the open heathland. It’s criss-crossed with Above Donkeys roam freely around the New hiking trails, so also be alert for walkers.

Forest and its roads.

Nearing Beaulieu, there’s plenty of time to enjoy views of rhododendrons lining the verges between rows of brick and flint cottages.

Follow signs to Beaulieu’s famous National Motor Museum, which displays gems including early motor carriages and land-speed record-breakers. As you push on to Beaulieu village itself, the vista could hardly be prettier: herds of donkeys graze the verges by the river, and there’s a picture-perfect classic garage stuffed with shiny old MGs and Triumphs.

Next, find your way to Exbury Gardens – 200 acres of woodland heaven. Retrace your steps to Beaulieu to head west on the B3054/B3055 via Brockenhurst to the Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum to admire the vast collection of beautiful bikes. / SUMMER 2021 / 25

DEMANDING DRIVES

BRECON BEACONS B The ancient landscape of south Wales is the perfect place to immerse yourself in history, geology, sightseeing… and roads that test your Advanced skills

W

ales has its fair share of mountain roads, seldom more challenging – and varied – than those in and around the Brecon Beacons. Starting at pretty Abergavenny – the ‘gateway to Wales’ – head first to the rugged Blaenavon World Heritage Site.

Look carefully to identify the ghosts of the iron-processing industry that once formed the heart of this community. From here, work westwards via Merthyr Tydfil, cutting up into the Park for scenic detours, such as the Sgwd Yr Eira Waterfall near Penderyn.

From there, set your satnav to Upper Brynamman at the southern end of the soaring A4069 Black Mountain Road – a regular fixture on any list of great driving destinations. Roughly halfway along, you can detour

26 /

/ SUMMER 2021

ON T HE R O A D The A4069 descends from the Black Mountain in the Brecon Beacons into the Towy Valley, offering beautiful views and a testing drive.

The meandering roads require your close attention.

Hay-on-Wye

Dolaucothi Gold Mines Llandovery Sennybridge Brecon Beacons National Park Upper Brynamman

west towards the gaunt, broken teeth of Carreg Cennen Castle that dominates the landscape. It’s well worth the £5.50 entrance fee and half-mile slog on foot for spellbinding views from the top.

From Brynamman, begin the scenic, twisting run to Llandovery, then branch out north-west to the National Trust’s rather desolate Roman Dolaucothi Gold Mines along the A482 (watch your pace on the densely forested and winding road).

Retracing your steps, it might feel as though you’re driving back in time as you motor through ancient scenery to Myddfai, and along the largely deserted, labyrinthine roads to the peaceful, isolated Usk Reservoir. Pass the dam towards Sennybridge – no wonder this wild, challenging location is a Ministry of Defence training area – and press on to Brecon.

Llanthony Abbey Abergavenny Blaenavon

“IT MIGHT FEEL AS THOUGH YOU’RE DRIVING BACK IN TIME AS YOU MOTOR THROUGH MYDDFAI” Here you have a dilemma: dip back into the Park for more great roads, including the B4560 near Crickhowell, or strike out to the English border and quaint Hay-on-Wye. (I chose the latter, browsing the famous bookshops before heading south again.)

With a 150-mile loop almost complete there’s just time to discover the tour’s crowning glory: the romantic Llanthony Priory, set against the brooding mountains. Truly some of the most beautiful scenery Wales has to offer, and worth every twist and turn of the road to get there.

Above left Drop down from the main road to explore more of the Park, including Talybont reservoir.

Far left Watch for instructions to slow down.

/ SUMMER 2021 / 27

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ON T HE R O A D SKILLS REFRESHER

Reading the road ahead As with a good book, the road ahead can be read on different levels. An accomplished driver or rider should be able to see far beyond the obvious, as Richard Gladman explains.

1. EYE FOR DETAIL

2. STEEPLE MEANS PEOPLE

3. HOLD YOUR HORSES

The bins are out, but look closely and you’ll see some of their lids are slightly raised. They’re neatly lined up, too. That means they’re yet to be emptied and you might encounter a bin lorry blocking the road.

A church steeple spotted far in the distance almost certainly indicates a village, and the presence of people, so begin your preparations to comply with a lower speed limit ahead – probably 30mph.

Dried, flattened horse manure on the road means there’s a chance of equine traffic ahead. But if you see a ‘fresh’ delivery, expect to encounter a horse and rider soon. When it’s safe, overtake carefully.

4. CAMERA – TAKE ACTION

5. HIDDEN FROM SIGHT

6. LOOK AHEAD AND LOOK UP

If you’re travelling within or at the speed limit, a road safety camera sign or a traffic enforcement van shouldn’t concern you. However, be prepared for other drivers and riders to panic and brake suddenly.

When driving towards a pedestrian crossing, check the pavements for people walking towards it. But look for breaks in walls and buildings too. Did you spot the concealed alleyway that leads to the crossing?

A single lamp post often indicates a junction, while a cluster can signify a roundabout. Telegraph poles may show where the road goes, and a tree line can help determine which way the road turns ahead.

FARMER AT WORK On country roads, twigs on the road indicate hedge cutting in progress. In a similar vein, mud, straw and hay trails let you know there could be a slow-moving tractor around the next corner.

Check your mirrors, reduce speed and proceed with caution.

SCHOOL’S NEVER OUT We all know to exercise caution when we see ‘School’ signs during the week. But remember that children often use school facilities, including playing fields, at the weekend too.

BROWN FOR OUT OF TOWN Drivers and riders can behave

erratically when looking for a location they’ve never visited before. Brown tourist attraction signs and temporary signposting for events such as festivals should be considered a requirement for increased awareness.

AND FINALLY Remember, to really read into the detail and respond accordingly, it’s a good idea to practise a running commentary on what you see and how you’ll prepare and respond to it.

/ SUMMER 2021 / 29

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ON T HE R O A D VIEWPOINT

Richard Gladman

“A Masters is the ultimate achievement,” says our Head of Driving and Riding Standards

O ILLUSTRATION DAVID MAHONEY

ne of the skills of being an Advanced driver is to recognise that no matter how good you get you never stop learning, or wanting to learn.

Combine that with a desire to be the very best, and you’re on your way to becoming, quite literally, a master. Open to all full IAM RoadSmart members, the Masters programme is our top tier of training – the highest standard of civilian driving or riding ability in the UK. And as we’ve seen elsewhere in this issue it’s something anyone, from any walk of life, can achieve, so long as you’re prepared to work for it.

When asked to describe the journey from passing a regular driving test to passing an Advanced test, I often say it’s the difference between painting by numbers and becoming an artist. But going from your Advanced test to a Masters qualification? I’d say that puts you up there with Picasso himself.

Based on the principles of the Advanced test, a Masters qualification takes your skills to new heights.

We want you to stretch your thought processes, recognise the clues and always have a plan and a backup for any situation. Nothing is left to chance, your car or bike is ready to go and sparkly clean.

You’ll know exactly where you’re going and what you’re likely to encounter on the way. Whether you’re talking out loud or just in your head you’ll be asking yourself the ‘what if’ questions. You’ll be looking for the lane of least resistance, you’ll try to keep moving if possible, you’ll know where an overtake may be developed. You’ll know that the ideal line is a straight line, and when it’s safe to use it. Above all you’ll be living and breathing safety for yourself and others.

BE THE BEST You can start your Masters journey today by booking an hour’s drive or ride to assess your skills (from £35), or you can sign up for the full IAM RoadSmart course (£299).

To find out more or to book, visit www. iamroadsmart.com or call 0300 303 1134.

“A MASTERS QUALIFICATION TAKES YOUR SKILLS TO NEW HEIGHTS. WE WANT YOU TO STRETCH YOUR THOUGHT PROCESSES AND ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN AND A BACK-UP FOR ANY SITUATION”

All Masters candidates are assigned a dedicated Masters mentor – a specially selected Observer at the top of their game. There’s no application form for mentors; they have to be invited to step up. They must maintain their IMI and Masters qualification and be re-assessed every three years. The message they deliver will be consistent and the training tailored to your needs. Best of all, they’ll stick with you for life. Maybe not literally, but in spirit at least – you’ll constantly think back to your mentoring sessions and hear them asking why you came to the decision you did.

The culmination of your hard work will be a 90-minute test with one of IAM RoadSmart’s fulltime team. In fact, only eight examiners in the UK can award a Masters certificate, and the qualification is so prized that everyone who passes must re-qualify every five years. As a further challenge, every Masters test takes place well away from your usual patch, and will involve an extended route on roads that are completely unfamiliar.

The full course includes a personal logbook, the latest copy of RoadCraft, an introductory drive or ride, six mentored sessions and, of course, the test itself, including an extensive written report.

Successful candidates will be awarded a pass, or a pass with distinction, plus a coveted Masters membership card and certificate. You can even book a taster session to see how your current skills stack up to Masters standards.

So why take on such a challenge? For me, personal pride plays a part, as well as finding new joy in every journey. But everyone has a different reason for taking their Masters. On p38 we’ve featured five Masters-level members from around the UK. All have very different stories, but all have one thing in common: they’ve reached the top of the RoadSmart rankings. And I’d love for you to join them. / SUMMER 2021 / 31

Your choices can seem limited when overtaking a car that suddenly speeds up.

Dropping back is the only legal option.

ASKT HEEX PERTS

Q

Sometimes when I’m in the outside lane on a dual carriageway or motorway, the car I’m passing will speed up – I particularly notice this as I often use cruise control set at 70mph.

I may then have to drop back, but this doesn’t seem sensible if there’s a car coming up behind me. It’s also slightly awkward to do smoothly as it involves coming out of cruise control. At this point I feel the safest – and simplest – thing to do is accelerate over 70mph to safely overtake and then move to the left. Is there a better way to deal with this sort of situation?

32 /

/ SUMMER 2021

A

We’ve all experienced this, and of course we can’t permit ourselves to exceed the speed limit to make the overtake. It’s possible the reading on your speedometer may differ slightly from that of the vehicle you’re passing, or it may be that the other driver has inadvertently sped up. The only legal response we can offer is to drop back and regain lane one. If safety is compromised, clearing the other vehicle and moving back to the nearside may be the only safe response, but of course this will be the exception and not a regular solution. RG

Below Motorhome owners could find themselves at risk of being ‘drunk in charge’ even while parked overnight.

Opposite Helmetmounted cameras can compromise the wearer’s safety.

Q

Your article in the last issue about drink-driving raised the offence of being ‘drunk in charge’ – eg, being in your vehicle but not driving it, or having the keys while near it. But what about motorhome drivers? If I have a few glasses of wine while parked overnight, could I be charged?

A

Yes, you could be charged if you’re drunk ‘in charge’ of your motorhome on a road or in a public place. ‘In charge’ is complex as it’s all down to intent. If you’re asleep in the back with the curtains drawn that may be a defence. However, were you going to stay there until you were under the legal limit? To avoid any chance of breaking the law, park your vehicle so it isn’t causing an obstruction, eliminating the risk of being asked to move it when you hadn’t planned to. Remember: it’s up to you to prove that you had no intention to drive while over the limit.

Sarah Fisk (Driver Education & Development Manager)

ALAMY

HAVE A QU ESTIO N ABOUT LIFE ON THE ROAD ? OUR TE AM ARE H ERE TO HEL P

ON T HE R O A D OUR PANEL OF EXPERTS If you have a question to put to our panel of IAM RoadSmart experts, then please get in touch. We’re all ears!

@IAMRoadSmart

Richard Gladman Head of Driving and Riding Standards

Q

With reference to your article on zip merging in the Spring 2021 issue, I don’t agree that you should stay in the closing lane and merge at the last minute.

Why should anyone zoom down the closing lane then push in front of everyone else? The sooner we all get in lane, the sooner the traffic can continue to flow.

What causes stop-start bottlenecks is when half the cars have to keep stopping to let others in when they suddenly have nowhere to go. Your article states that “Queuing early causes congestion”. Where?

A

Studies conducted in Minnesota in 2008 concluded that zip merging could generate three benefits for traffic flow: as both lanes travel at around the same speed, the lane switch is safer; the overall length of the tailback is reduced, which may free up access to other exits, thus solving some of the problems; and the idea that everyone feels ‘equally disadvantaged’ reduces road rage. Two queues merging at the point where it’s required is safer, more efficient and better for the environment than one long queue.

This is also the method endorsed

by Rule 134 of the Highway Code.

What’s needed is clear signposting so drivers are left in no doubt about the best way to merge. RG

Rebecca Ashton Head of Policy and Research

QUICK FIXES Last issue you said to fit new tyres to the rear of a car. I was taught to demote older tyres to the rear and fit new ones to the front – they do all the steering, more of the braking and much of the driving.

It’s better to ensure the rear tyres have the most grip on the road. If they lose traction before the front tyres while turning or braking in slippery conditions, the rear of the car tries to overtake the front and a spin is likely. If the front tyres lose grip first, the rear tyres tend to keep the car in a straight line. TS

Tim Shallcross Head of Technical Policy

Neil Greig Director of Policy and Research

Q

It’s becoming popular for cyclists and motorcyclists to mount cameras on their helmets, often to record events to use as evidence if necessary. They may also have a use in rider training to assist an observer.

However, I’m sure that instructions on all my helmets have advised me not to fix anything to the helmet. Does affixing a camera compromise the protection offered by the helmet? Are there better places for mounting cameras on a motorcycle?

A

It’s becoming common to see cameras attached to crash helmets with mounting tape that’s designed to release the camera in case of an impact. At IAM RoadSmart we don’t advocate the fitting of any device to a helmet. A fixed mount on either the front or rear of the bike showing as close to the rider’s view as possible is what we would recommend. There are micro-cameras designed for motorsports that fit inside a helmet and mirror the rider’s-eye view and mimic head movement, but we’ve not yet trialled these products. RG

Most cars’ automatic lighting systems only illuminate the front lights, not the rears.

I wonder how many other motorists are unaware of this? I often pass cars with no rear lights in poor conditions. What’s the IAM RoadSmart view?

Daytime running lights, which come on with the ignition, don’t usually turn on the rear lights.

Automatic lights, which operate in darkness, will illuminate the rear lights but may not come on in fog or heavy rain, so turn the lights on manually in poor weather. TS

GET T Y

roadsmart@iam.org.uk

/ SUMMER 2021 / 33

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ON T HE R O A D GET THE GEAR

High-tech cleaning products

It’s never too late for a spring clean of your car or bike. Here are some of the latest hi-tech auto-cleaning products and services to help you do a thorough job. Our selection focuses on innovations in technology, materials and techniques for the best possible results.

WORDS SARAH BRADLEY

DRYING CLOTHS

OZONE CABIN CLEANSING

NANOCERAMIC COATINGS AND PPF

Even thinner than a traditional chamois, Autoglym’s ultra-absorbent InstaDry bucks the trend for ever-bulkier microfibre cloths.

Developed with Vileda, its clever, super-slim construction boasts a highly absorbent microfibre knitted base and PVA coating.

It doesn’t trap dirt, thus reducing the risk of damaging paintwork, and is super-easy to use.

Deceptively effective. £13.40; www.autoglym.com/instadry

This innovative valeting treatment sterilises surfaces and upholstery, getting rid of bacteria, mildew and odours. It’s also claimed to tackle all viruses including Covid-19. The most thorough services consist of a three-fold process using an industrial ozone generator, followed by an anti-bacterial and anti-viral wet shampoo plus a final steam. £50-£175; https://uk.trotec.com, https://dropless.co.uk/coronavirus-treatments, www.mobile-car-valeting.co.uk/ozon-treatment

Lacking the space, products or skill to effectively clean and protect your paintwork? Ceramic Pro’s professionally applied nanoceramic coatings and paint protection film are formulated to bond to surfaces at a molecular level, filling in nano-pores and creating a hydrophobic surface that repels contamination. Space-age stuff! Products are available individually, too.

From £30; www.ceramicpro.co.uk, www.olympusdetailing.shop/ceramic-pro

WHEEL CLEANER Dirt builds up quickly on wheels, and cleaning them requires more than a quick scrub with detergent. Colour-changing sprays are the latest tech here.

These attack the metals in the grime, turning the rims a deep purple or red as they loosen the dirt, before being blasted away with a pressure washer. Try BiltHamber Auto-Wheel for a great non-acid, non-alkaline option.

From £12.95; www. bilthamber.com/auto-wheel

WATERLESS CAR WASH Who knew you didn’t need water to clean your vehicle? Waterless sprays and wipes are ideal if your valeting space lacks access to a mains supply or drainage. They restore shine and add a protective layer of hi-tech hydrophobic wax with minimal mess. Meguiar’s Ultimate Waterless Wash & Wax is our pick – simply spray on, wipe off and buff. Magic! £17; www.meguiars.co.uk

CLAY BARS Invisible contaminants and pollution such as metal particles, brake dust and tree sap can dull your paint, but the humble-looking clay bar is a perfect solution. Working one of these over the panels will prepare the surface for a wax or sealant, boosting smoothness and longevity of the finish. We like Pure Definition’s Paint Cleanser, available in various grades.

From £5; www.pure-definition.co.uk

/ SUMMER 2021 / 35

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Get ready for freedom with this ‘go-anywhere’ touch-screen tablet!

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6 IT’S YOUR FAVOURITE

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For those who bought it first time around, this touch-screen tablet now offers a lifeline in lockdown they simply couldn’t be without.

One reviewer said: “It’s my new best friend – it has set me free! Now I can watch my grandkids grow up on What’sApp and talk to them face-to-face on Zoom! At first I thought I wouldn’t be able to grasp the technology, but you really don’t have to. If you can touch the screen with your finger, you can use this tablet...it really is that easy!”

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Share, send and receive your favourite photos and videos with ease. Let them live online – only if you choose – and they’ll be there forever!

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ON T HE R O A D FACTS & STATS

In the know

Get up to speed with the strangest motoring facts

KEY DATES

1899

The first ever police vehicle, a 16mph electric wagon, hits the road in Ohio.

1180 MILES

457,000 MILES 1952 19 0.

3 BAR 10 1908

were ridden through 214 countries between 1985 and 1995 by Emilio Scotto on his Honda Goldwing, making it the longest motorcycle journey ever according to Guinness World Records.

Finnish rally sensation Kalle Rovanperä had yet to reach his eleventh birthday and could barely reach the pedals when he competed in his first rally at the age of 10.

Detroit police officers saddle up on Harley Davidson motorcycles.

UK forces adopt the Jaguar MK2.

Inspector Morse uses his until 2000.

1966

range achieved by the Japanese Toilet Bike Neo running on a tankful of bio-fuel made from waste water or animal manure.

reduction in the recommended pressure of your car’s tyres that can result in a 1.5% increase in fuel consumption. It can also cut a tyre’s 20,000-mile lifespan by 4,600 miles.

5,000 1,328% 2014 100 $3.08 MILLION increase in the number of online purchases of new and used cars in the UK in 2020.

fetched by a 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB Long Nose at Gooding & Company’s inaugural online-only auction, making it the most valuable car ever sold online.

Blue and white ‘panda’ cars appear in the UK. Today’s ‘battenburg’ design arrives in the 1990s.

Los Angeles police adopt electric Zero Motorcycles.

2017 Dubai introduces the world’s fastest police car – the 253mph Bugatti Veyron.

year-old oak, preserved in the peat of the East Anglian Fens, is used in the cabin of Bentley’s EXP 100 GT concept car.

sensors are fitted to an average car today to regulate everything from engine oil pressure to acoustic parking aids. With the rise of autonomous vehicles, the average car could require 200 sensors by 2030.

1914

Dr Eric Gardner introduces the first motorcycle helmet at Brooklands race track. / SUMMER 2021 / 37

THE MASTERS:

REACH THE TOP OF YOUR GAME

HOW TO

(AND STAY THERE)

Whatever your age, profession or vehicle, achieving the IAM RoadSmart Masters qualification will take your riding and driving to the next level. In their own words, six IAM RoadSmart Masters explain their motivation for taking the test, how it’s improved their motoring – and why you can become an IAM RoadSmart Master too…

WORDS ANGUS FRAZER PHOTOS TOM BARNES

38 /

/ SUMMER 2021

Josie Hubbard-Palmer uses her Masters skills to help save lives by driving blood cars and riding blood bikes.

/ SUMMER 2021 / 39

JOSIE HUBBARD-PALMER Masters skills can help keep you and other road users safe, but as Josie explains, they can also save the life of a stranger in a hospital bed

40 /

/ SUMMER 2021 2020

O

ver the past year, I’ve relied on my IAM RoadSmart car and bike Masters skills more than I ever dreamed possible. I’m not alone in that: every day and night, IAM RoadSmart members across the country help save lives by riding blood bikes and driving blood cars.

We transport blood, medication, stem cells, medication, chemotherapy drugs, samples, and breastmilk for babies, often travelling a few hundred miles in the process. And due to Covid-19, our workload has more than doubled.

I already held a Masters car qualification, but before listening to a Midland Freewheeler Blood Bikes (MFBB) talk in 2017 I’d never had any contact with the biking world. I was amazed at how friendly everyone was. They were more like a big family.

As a National Observer for IAM RoadSmart, I was invited to join the MFBB training team to help bikers become Advanced drivers. Then I started driving their Skoda Scout blood car to supply the Midlands Air Ambulance with blood several times a week, and I loved it.

Of course, the guys began badgering me to have a go on a motorbike. I said, ‘never in a million years.’ They wouldn’t let it go, and I finally caved in during the spring of 2017. I was 66, overweight and couldn’t ride a pushbike! I needed an instructor on either side to hold me and the bike upright. I fell off more times than I can count. It took me three months going five or six times a week to even get a CBT signed off. But I was determined it wouldn’t beat me, and it didn’t.

Two weeks after gaining my full licence, I began my Advanced motorcycle training and was pleased to pass in February 2018. The next week, I started training for my Masters. It was hard, but I’d packed in 20,000 miles of training in around seven months. The skills I’d gained from the car were a huge help, and many of them transferred across.

My mentor, John Lickley, worked his magic, and I passed my Masters in October 2018 in some of the worst weather I’ve ever encountered, less than a year after gaining my full bike licence. I’ve now clocked up more than 25,000 miles on the blood bike. If I can do it, you can too!

The Masters

OLLIE TATAR Ollie is the youngest person ever awarded an IAM RoadSmart Masters, having passed his test aged just 20. Living near Wells, where he’s a postman, Ollie uses his skills to stay sharp and safe on his daily round

M

y dad was a Class One police driver, and I used to love sitting behind him and watching how he read the road so far ahead and controlled the car so smoothly. I’ve always been surrounded by what I consider to be excellent drivers, and when it came to my turn to learn to drive, I wanted to do it to as high a standard as possible.

I was very fortunate because I learned with an IAM RoadSmart Observer, Andy Poulton, and he taught me the basics of Advanced driving at the same time.

After passing my test I took a break from learning. I suppose I got lazy, driving to

the standard everyone else accepts, and I could feel my roadcraft declining. That’s when I decided to do my Advanced test.

I passed my Advanced in January 2018, and Andy persuaded me to start training for the Masters, which I passed in April the same year with a distinction. The certificate isn’t terribly important to me; it’s the skills you get and the process you go through to get those skills that matter.

When you progress to the Masters, you start to think much more about road positioning and planning further ahead.

It’s a fantastic feeling when you master all the skills. They help make your driving much more fluid and help you make

progress safely. However, I have to be really disciplined in my post van when I stop and start every five minutes. Conditions like that can make it hard to maintain concentration, but after completing the Masters, the attention to every little detail comes more naturally, and you feel much more in control.

Away from work, I drive a Fiat Panda 1.3 Turbodiesel. I did all my training and testing in it. It doesn’t matter what you drive; it’s how you drive it. I want to make sure my passengers have the safest, smoothest ride possible, and the Masters has helped me achieve that.

I never take the qualification for granted, and I think it’s right and proper that you have to re-sit the Masters test every five years. I wish the same applied to the ‘normal’ DVSA driving test. I’m looking forward to re-taking my Masters because no matter how much you think you know, you never stop learning. / SUMMER 2021 / 41

The Masters

42 /

/ SUMMER 2021

VENKATRAMANAN ’PANCH’ PANCHAPAKESAN ‘Panch’ Panchapakesan passed his Masters test in his 1972 Triumph TR6, but says the skills obtained are fully transferable to any vehicle

O

ne of the reasons I joined IAM get behind the wheel of a TR6, suddenly RoadSmart was because I had a those braking distances feel very much up motorcycle accident that left me to date again! in a wheelchair for three months.

And it’s not just things such as stopping I needed to become a more distances that you have to focus on much qualified rider, so I passed my more. You have to take into account that Advanced and then my Masters you’re in quite a small car too. Of course, on a bike first. as an IAM RoadSmart driver you have With the Masters, I felt so much to think for other motorists anyway, but safer on the bike, primarily by being it’s even more critical in a car as tiny as able to anticipate things so much better.

Then I did the Advanced and the Masters in the car too. I’ve done several different riding and driving courses, but none of them takes you to the level of heightened awareness that the IAM RoadSmart Masters does.

It’s all in the little detail as well as the big picture. Like, ‘don’t change gear when you’re overtaking a vehicle; instead, keep both hands on the wheel so that you have full control, in case the vehicle you’re overtaking swerves.’ No one had taught me that before. the TR6, as it’s not always easy for HGV I was fortunate to have a choice of three drivers to spot something so small and so cars when I was doing my training: an low to the ground.

Aston Martin Vantage, a Ford Fiesta ST You have to concentrate in a different and a 1972 Triumph TR6. My mentor with way when you drive a classic car compared the High Wycombe group, Peter Gunn, with a modern car like the Aston Martin, would never know which one I was going which is much more forgiving. But no to turn up in. matter how well equipped with safety With the Triumph, you have to drive technology a vehicle is, it all comes down as you did 30 years ago. to the driver’s skill. Whatever When everyone looks at the you drive or ride, you can Highway Code, they say that complement the machine Left Panch has found the braking distances are out and make every journey so that his Masters training of date as they don’t take into much safer and smoother has been particularly account modern braking with your IAM RoadSmart useful when driving his technology. Well, when you Masters experience.

50-year-old Triumph.

“NO OTHER COURSE TAKES YOU TO THE LEVEL OF HEIGHTENED AWARENESS THAT THE IAM ROADSMART MASTERS DOES”

/ SUMMER 2021 / 43

TOM BEESTON Whether on his way to Edinburgh University Animal Hospital or a remote farm in the dead of night, vet Tom relies on his Masters skills to get there safely

W

e can all raise our driving Of course, thinking about what you’re and riding skills on a going to, rather than how you’ll get medium or long journey, there, is dangerous. I’d never compare but sometimes it’s hard to what I do with police riding or driving, muster that level of focus which is obviously far more dangerous when you’re just popping and stressful, but one rule is the same: down to the shop. That’s the whatever you’re driving or riding to, position I found myself in, even though you must put it out of your mind and I already held IAM RoadSmart Advanced concentrate fully on the journey, so you riding and driving qualifications. I knew arrive safely and in a calm state of mind to I wasn’t concentrating as fully as I should deal with whatever you find. on those shorter journeys. I also wanted to become a blood biker but wanted my riding to be as good as it could be.

So to take my roadcraft skills up to the level where I wanted them to be, and to keep them there, no matter how long or short the journey, I decided to take the motorcycle Masters on my Honda CBR 650F in September 2019, which I happily passed with a distinction.

I specialise in veterinary anaesthesia at Edinburgh University and can be on call for emergencies at all hours. One of the most stressful cases you can be called The Masters raises your riding to is equine colic, which is very painful to another level and enables you to for horses and can be fatal if not treated concentrate, observe, plan and control to promptly. When I was younger and less an even more intense level. I can rely on experienced as a vet, and in cases like that, those skills to progress safely, particularly I might have found myself thinking more when I know time is of the essence. And about the animal I was going to assist than passing the course has helped me with the journey. That was always a pointless those little trips to the shops too. I’m not exercise because no case was saying everything is perfect, but ever as the owner described it.

I make fewer mistakes, which A farmer might tell you a sheep doesn’t just make each journey Right On an emergency had fallen off a cliff, and when smoother and more enjoyable; call-out, Tom knows his you arrived you’d find it had that feeling stays with you after Masters skills will help just tumbled off something no him focus on his riding you park the bike – it can make and stay calm. higher than a step! your day better too.

“THE MASTERS SKILLS ENABLE YOU TO CONCENTRATE, OBSERVE, PLAN AND CONTROL TO AN EVEN MORE INTENSE LEVEL”

44 /

/ SUMMER 2021

xxThe Masters Masters xx

/ SUMMER 2021 / 45

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The Masters

STEPHANIE EVANS Chief Observer Stephanie mentors riders for their Masters test and believes that with perseverance and patience, any Advanced driver or rider can pass

W

e all learn things at different speeds, and we all need a little bit of encouragement.

Sometimes, when I think back to the Puch Maxi moped I had when I was 16, and then when I look at the BMW 1250 GSA I ride now, I can scarcely believe it.

I had a break from motorcycling when I had a family, and when my children started taking my car I got back on two wheels and fell in love with it all over again. I passed my Advanced test with Herts & Beds Advanced Motorcyclists but never thought I’d be able to ride a bike like

the BMW. My friends in the group said, ‘Yes, you can’. So, I took a test ride, found that ‘Yes, I could!’ – and I bought the bike.

I thought there’d be no way I could do the Masters either. But again, the group encouraged me. With their support and mentoring, I was blessed to pass with a distinction. I’ve also been privileged to have become an IAM mentor and National Observer, and now have the pleasure of helping others obtain their Masters.

If you already have a green badge, there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t begin working towards your Masters right now, no matter how nervous you are. And

however daunting it seems, obtaining the qualification is achievable.

Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

You have to build a good relationship with your mentor and work hard. You have to develop higher concentration levels and be able to maintain them for extended periods. But we’ll also teach you about human factors so that you can manage your ride better, recognise your limitations and know when to take a break.

If you believe in yourself, you can get there. And when you do achieve your Masters, obtaining that higher plane of awareness, observation and anticipation will become second nature, unlocking a new level of freedom on every ride. For me, the biggest thrill is seeing someone go from lacking a little in skills and confidence, to obtaining their Masters and experiencing exceptional performance. / SUMMER 2021 / 47

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PHOTOGRAPHY CHRIS SANDERS

PHOTOGRAPHY JEAN M BRUCE

PHOTOGRAPHY COLIN JONES

Great escapes IAM RoadSmart members share their photos of the open road

PHOTOGRAPHY SALLY WEIGHILL

/ SUMMER 2021 / 49

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IN S IDE R

PHOTOGRAPHY MOTHBALLS

PHOTOGRAPHY ALISTAIR MACLEAN

PHOTOGRAPHY RICHARD HARDESTY

PHOTOGRAPHY ALAN CARPENTER

AS SUMMER brings the prospect of a respite from the pandemic, thoughts turn to day trips, holidays and a break from some of the necessary restrictions that have defined our lives since last spring.

We asked IAM RoadSmart members to send in their photos of what the freedom of the road looks like. And it’s clear from these snaps that the ability to escape to the mountains, the coast or the countryside, whether in the UK or abroad, brings a great deal of pleasure. Indeed, the need to use your Advanced driving or riding skills on narrow, twisting or unfamiliar roads can induce the level of concentration that allows you to forget everyday worries and simply focus on the satisfaction of a safe journey in beautiful surroundings.

PHOTOGRAPHY AUDREY JESTIN

PHOTOGRAPHY ALISON REDHEAD

/ SUMMER 2021 / 51

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IN S IDE R VIEWPOINT

Tony Greenidge

A

t IAMRoadSmart, our policy and research division was founded in 2007 when the then IAM took over the AA Motoring Trust to form the IAM Motoring Trust. We quickly built on a legacy of authoritative road safety research, producing a wide variety of reports on relevant topics. Highlights include early work on safer crash barrier design for motorcyclists, which led to design guidelines being published and endorsed by the IHIE, DfT and IAM. Simulator-based projects on distraction issues have been the backbone of our most influential work and this has attracted funding from the FIA, DfT and Rees Jeffreys Fund. These projects have included analysis of the distraction potential of using smartphones while driving, and most recently the risks of using built-in systems such as Apple Car Play and Android Auto. The latter report led to questions being asked in Parliament and the findings have been widely used around the world to influence the design of human-machine interfaces in vehicles.

IAM RoadSmart research received the accolade of a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award in 2010. Our research pedigree is widely acknowledged and often leads to further invitations to take part in research project advisory boards. We currently serve as Vice Chair of the Parliamentary Association for Transport Safety (PACTS) Road User Behaviour Working Party.

On the policy front, we’re invited to serve on the most influential road safety committees and working parties across the UK. These include the Motorists Forum that reports straight to the Transport

DID YOU KNOW?

William Rees Jeffreys (1872–1954), who set up the road fund that bears his name, was an early promoter of road users’ interests. The Rees Jeffreys Fund supports education and research to carry on his work.

“AS THE TRANSPORT DEBATE MOVES INTO A NEW PHASE DOMINATED BY TECHNOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, WE’LL CONTINUE TO SEEK YOUR VIEWS TO ENSURE THEY’RE NOT IGNORED”

Secretary. We’re also active contributors to DfT Road Safety Committees and the Scottish government Road Safety Operations Board. In recent years our counsel has been sought by new monitoring bodies such as Transport Focus and the Office of Road and Rail, both of whom have statutory responsibility to evaluate the performance of Highways England.

One notable and very recent success has been as a founding member of the new National Motorcyclists Council, which will lobby key government decisionmakers to ensure the benefits of powered twowheeled travel are considered as we return to normal after the pandemic. A meeting with the DfT in March this year has created an invitation for us to submit a proposal for a new UK motorcycling strategy.

Definitely a case of ‘watch this space’!

The final important area of policy and research work we do is as the public face of IAM RoadSmart in the media. As well as researching and developing our media content we also present it via hundreds of press cuttings and radio and TV interviews, helping to keep IAM RoadSmart’s ‘name in the frame’ and underlining our ability to influence and spark interest in the wider aspects of our organisation.

Our speakers are also in constant demand for seminars and conferences, presenting our research findings or commenting on expert panels.

As the transport debate moves into a new phase dominated by technology and the environment, IAM RoadSmart will, through the ongoing and proactive use of surveys, continue to seek the views of our members to ensure that these aren’t ignored.

We won’t always achieve universal agreement, but sharing our survey results and presenting them in a way that positively contributes to the debate is where we want to be. / SUMMER 2021 / 53

ILLUSTRATION DAVID MAHONEY

“Our research will drive the transport revolution” says IAM RoadSmart’s CEO

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IN S IDE R

I A M ROA DSM A R T NE W S The latest updates, initiatives and information from IAM RoadSmart

PCC partnerships boost road safety

Stuart has been an IAM RoadSmart member for over 30 years and is a road safety consultant.

Introducing your new IAM RoadSmart Chairman STUART DONALD QPM has taken over the role of Chairman of IAM RoadSmart, following Derek McMullan’s retirement.

Stuart brings a wealth of road safety experience. A former Class 1 police advanced driver and a holder of the Queen’s Police Medal for distinguished service, Stuart is a sought-after road safety consultant for projects worldwide. His 30year career in the police took him to Assistant Chief Constable at Humberside Police, a position from which he retired in 2015.

“I’m delighted to become Chairman of IAM RoadSmart,” said Stuart. “These are unprecedented times but I’ve seen an excellent response from local groups, doing things differently to maintain a

focus on making road use safer.

The energy and enthusiasm of our headquarters team assures me I’m Chair of a professional organisation that’s positioned the charity as a leader in road safety as we overcome post-pandemic challenges.”

Due to retire last year, Derek remained as Chairman to support us throughout the pandemic. “It has been a privilege to serve as Chair for IAM RoadSmart, the pinnacle of my time with the charity,” said Derek. “I’m very proud of the work my fellow council members and the charity’s staff and volunteers have delivered during my term in office.”

Derek will continue to support IAM RoadSmart through his role as a volunteer Masters mentor and observer within his local area.

AS PART of its ‘Keep Kids Safe’ initiative, York Advanced Drivers is to offer 100 free Advanced Driver courses to parents and families to improve safety on the school run and other journeys.

The courses, due to begin in July, will be funded by the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner with proceeds from the sale of ‘AJ1’, a well-known North Yorkshire police numberplate.

The AJ1 Road Safety Fund will also support dozens of projects focused on improving road safety for young people and children, as well as cyclists, motorcyclists and older road users across North Yorkshire and York.

Julia Mulligan, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said: “Although the AJ1 number plate will always have a historical connection to North Yorkshire Police, I strongly believe that it was right to use the value of the registration mark to make a real impact on peoples’ lives today, and I am confident these projects will do that.”

Meanwhile, IAM Lincolnshire is to extend its partnership with Lincolnshire PCC to offer a further 100 Advanced Driver courses to 17–24-year-olds in the county, adding to the 50 young drivers who’ve completed their course as part of The Young Advanced Driver project.

Applications for the Lincolnshire and York courses are open now. Learn more at www.iamroadsmart.com/groups.

/ SPRING 2021 / 55

REWARDS

Great deals just for you Your membership of IAM RoadSmart not only gives you the information and support you need to become the best driver or rider possible, but it also offers some exceptional benefits – including exclusive member rewards.

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HAVEYOURSAY

S H A R E YOU R THOUGHTS ON THE DR IVI NG AND R IDING ISSUES THAT MAT TER

STAR LETTER Share the road responsibly I read with dismay the letter from Keith MacNamara suggesting legislation to protect motorists from the actions of inept cyclists (RoadSmart, Spring 2021). I’m a retired police traffic patrol officer so feel qualified to comment on this. I’m also a lifelong cyclist, covering 150-plus miles every week. I accept that some cyclists are inept and inconsiderate, and they annoy me as much as anyone else.

However, in any conflict between motor vehicle and cyclist, the cyclist will always fare worst. Poor driving, particularly close overtaking, is a potentially life-threatening feature of virtually every ride I undertake.

IAM RoadSmart should not become involved in widening the gulf between motor vehicle users and cyclists, but use education and skill development to protect all road users and narrow that gap. Advanced drivers shouldn’t feel ire towards other road users, merely treat each situation as just another hazard to negotiate and an opportunity to demonstrate their superior skills.

The bike is a freedom-enabling mode of transport for all ages and must not be subject to regulation and licensing constraints. There is ample legislation in place already to enforce careless or dangerous cycle use.

Michael Dunn

WIN £100 60 /

Our Star Letter wins a £100 voucher to spend on IAM RoadSmart merchandise and courses

/ SUMMER 2021

Below Will a lack of charging infrastructure hamper the roll-out of electric vehicles?

Or might there be more fundamental problems in terms of generating enough electricty?

Reading about electric vehicles (RoadSmart, Spring 2021), I wonder if it’s viable to buy one at the moment – or at all. The cost difference between an electric and internal combustion (IC) engine car doesn’t make economical sense.

And electric car drivers often seem to experience considerable stress with respect to charging facilities when driving long distances. It seems they’re overcomplicated, with so many companies involved, and often out of service.

I also feel the environmental credibility is suspect when you consider the materials used in their batteries and the human element involved with mining these materials. Equally, I’ve read about the potential problems regarding sufficient generation of electricity should everyone drive electric cars.

In my opinion, there’s also been a serious knock-on effect for the motor industry due to the haste of banning sales of all IC vehicles by 2030. Normally, I’d change cars every few years but it simply doesn’t make sense to spend so much money with so much uncertainty.

A simple question: are we sure that electric cars are the right way to improve the environment? Are there alternatives,

GET T Y

ALAMY STOCK IMAGE

Electric uncertainty

IN S IDE R

GET IN TOUCH

RoadSmart Magazine, 1 Albany Place, Hyde Way, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire AL7 3BT 0300 303 1134

roadsmart@iam.org.uk

@IAMRoadSmart

GET T Y

Left With growing numbers of cyclists on the road, what’s the best way to manage their relationship with motorists?

“IAM ROADSMART SHOULD NOT BECOME INVOLVED IN WIDENING THE GULF BETWEEN MOTOR VEHICLE USERS AND CYCLISTS, BUT USE EDUCATION TO NARROW THAT GAP” such as hydrogen? A few years ago we were told by politicians that diesel was the way to go but now they’re wagging their fingers at people for driving them.

Clyde Brown

Making the right choice for everyone As I read the latest edition of RoadSmart a thought occurred to me: the main articles were all about behaviour – speeding, drink-driving and the change to the Highway Code. As well as being an Advanced driver, I’m a safety manager in construction and try to effect behavioural change in everything I do, because safety improves when people behave with safety in mind.

Behaviour is a function of the outcome. People speed because they get where they’re going faster, or think they do.

The behaviours in your three articles all have an outcome, and that can be a benefit or a drawback, it’s just a matter of seeing what those are and being able to choose the right one, not necessarily the one you think is best for you.

In order to get a benefit for everyone, you have to take responsibility for your actions. Speed is good as long as it’s the correct speed for the conditions; the change in the Highway Code is good as long as all road users are responsible; and having a drink is good, if that’s what you want to do, but being responsible makes you stay away from your car. Behaviour is

IN BRIEF Petrol in perpetuity The purchase price of electric vehicles is at least 25% higher than the equivalent petrol car. For the 95% of the population for whom cost is a major factor, diesel and petrol power will be around for many years to come.

In fact, my prediction is that we could very easily end up like another Cuba, with diesel and petrol cars being kept on the road with loving care for the next 50 years.

Paul Milner Change the slogan While I recognise that the law needs to be obeyed, the simplistic mantra that ‘speed kills’ is irritating to any Advanced motorist and contradicts the statement that speed cameras and speed limits encourage the idea that you can’t kill someone at 28mph.

Which is safer: driving badly at 29mph or driving well and concentrating on the road at 31mph?

John Horsley

IAMRoadSmart

about understanding the consequences and acting accordingly.

John Searl

Smart solution I write in response to the letter from David Smith on the subject of ‘smart’ motorways (RoadSmart, Spring 2021).

The concept of a motorway without a hard shoulder is flawed. They never should have been built, and there is certainly nothing ‘smart’ about them, as they’re a serious accident waiting to happen.

There is, however, a very simple solution to the problem: indicate on the overhead gantry that lane one (hard shoulder) is closed. Job done at almost no cost! This will probably never happen as it would require lateral thinking and common sense – the latter being the rarest commodity on the planet Douglas Wragg

Keep testing and training I can’t help feeling that any revision to the Highway Code (RoadSmart, Spring 2021) will be a waste of time, because drivers, once qualified, never read it. I suspect that most don’t own a copy, and never will.

It may be true to say that the consequences of accidents involving large vehicles are more serious, but I feel that if the ‘hierarchy’ discussed were to be implemented, the majority of dangerous drivers of cars, motorcycles and smaller commercial vehicles would simply believe they were immune from accidents, and from any consequences if they were to cause one.

In my view, the only way to ‘retrain’ drivers is exactly that: retraining and regular retesting. Yes, people will complain about the cost, but will it exceed the cost of dealing with accidents by that much? Maybe it will – but wouldn’t it be worth it?

Pamela Austin

Speed inconsistencies I refer to your entertaining article categorising speeders in the Spring issue of RoadSmart. As an ex-Senior Observer / SUMMER 2021 / 61

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IN S IDE R

GET IN TOUCH

RoadSmart Magazine, 1 Albany Place, Hyde Way, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire AL7 3BT 0300 303 1134

roadsmart@iam.org.uk

@IAMRoadSmart

Left Do we need to rethink car park layouts or dictate the way people park in order to improve efficiency?

IAMRoadSmart

in turn causes holdups with incoming traffic.

I think many of the problems are caused by drivers who insist on driving into a parking space, rather than reversing, and having difficulty with the British-style straight-on parking spaces.

I’m strongly of the opinion that if we used herringbone parking most drivers would find it easier and there would be less hassle in and around car parks. I’d be interested to learn why we don’t currently use herringbone parking slots.

Roger Rurdam

GET T Y

Public service broadcasting

“TO VICTIMISE MOTORISTS WITH LOCALLY SET SPEED LIMITS, WHICH IN MANY CASES ARE MOTIVATED BY POLITICS RATHER THAN SAFETY, IS STUPID” for IAM RoadSmart I feel there are some key points missing, although I agree inappropriate speed isn’t welcome.

The elephant in the room is the random setting of inconsistent speed limits by local authorities, caused by residents pressurising local elected representatives to do so. When drivers identify such inconsistencies, the meaning of the speed limit becomes completely devalued and ignored.

I’m tired of people saying that speeding is the problem when the problem is that limits have been set artificially low. I gave up being a Senior Observer for IAM RoadSmart because of the continual lowering of speed limits where there was no real safety case for the majority of the public.

Of course, I don’t condone people driving at inappropriate speeds that put other road users at risk. But to victimise the majority of motorists with locally set limits, which in many cases are motivated by politics rather than safety, is stupid.

Stuart Hood

Driving into car park problems I’m a car park marshal at a Covid vaccination centre, and this is the first time I’ve seriously observed other people’s parking – and I have to say I’m shocked at the terrible standards. The majority of people drive into a parking space then have to try and reverse out into oncoming traffic. Many have difficulty reversing, which

IN BRIEF Nautical lessons Re your article about the hierarchy of road users (RoadSmart, Spring 2021): in boating, those under sail have right of way ahead of power boats, but it’s a different matter when a small sailing boat encounters a massive vessel.

Following this logic on the road, although large vehicles can do more harm, smaller ones can respond more quickly to a dangerous situation.

Therefore, I am against the new proposals.

Christine Kneeshaw Read with ease I love RoadSmart magazine, but I found your ‘Science of Speeding’ article (Spring 2021) hard to read because of its white text on a black background.

The excellent message of the article may be overlooked because of difficulties in readability.

Kathleen Foster Update: Thank you, Kathleen. These pages will now have black text on light backgrounds.

I noticed your article on zip merging (RoadSmart, Spring 2021). During my time in the services in Germany in the early ’70s, the TV stations used to insert, between the adverts, a public broadcast on road safety. This covered a variety of short clips giving advice on driving on autobahns, one of which was using the zip system.

How about IAM getting involved with TV companies in the UK and producing short road safety clips on zip merging, smart motorways, driving on country roads with respect to farm vehicles and so on. This would surely reach a larger audience and improve road safety.

Bill Deacon

Wrong for right-handers?

Our UK cars (right-hand drive) are designed left-handed. Can you think of any other products designed solely for the left-hander? It would suggest that righthand drive cars would be easier to drive if you’re left-handed. A right-handed person needs to learn a new set of skills, plus train their brain to think left-handed.

Do right-handers fail their driving test more often than left-handers? Do lefthand drive cars driven in the EU, US and other countries have fewer accidents, as 90% of the population are predominately right-handed? Car design is one area of life where left-handers have the ‘upper hand’.

Just an observation!

Nick Carter / SUMMER 2021 / 63

IN S IDE R MEMBER PROFILE

“I LOVE TO RIDE FOR FUN, ON AN OPEN ROAD WITH LOTS OF SWEEPING BENDS” What do stunt riders and Advanced motorcyclists have in common? It’s not a question we often ask, but it’s top of the list when talking to IAM RoadSmart member Sarah Richardson…

F

abulous anticipation skills and machine control. That, according to Sarah Richardson, is what links daredevil stunt riders and Advanced roadcraft.

Sarah should know – her journey to IAM RoadSmart membership included a stint in the Auto Angels all-female bike display team.

Sarah, now an ICT auditor living in Frome in Somerset, had her first taste of riding in the early 1980s when, aged 17, she took a cue from her motorcyclist father and bought a Yamaha RD250B. Getting her licence opened up an exciting new life, as she and her friend Clare could finally explore further afield than their home town of Bath.

“We were the only women we knew who liked motorbikes, so we encouraged each other,” Sarah recalls.

Several years later, she spotted an advert looking for young women to join the Auto Angels. The Bodmin-based display team was run by Tina ‘Firebird International’ Roberts, and was involved with film and TV stunts as well as performing at shows around the UK. After one day’s try-out on lightweight trials bikes, Sarah was signed up. Kitted out in spandex, tulle and wellies – but sans helmet and gloves – she was soon travelling to displays across England in the team’s converted bus.

“Our routines were effectively freeform,” she recalls. “We’d circuit the 64 /

/ SUMMER 2021

showfield standing on the saddle with one leg in the air, putting our feet over the handlebars, swapping riding positions with the pillion, jumping over a ramp, criss-crossing en masse, riding in a pyramid… whatever looked good. It was all surprisingly easy if you knew what you were doing.”

After a season of such antics, Sarah bowed out gracefully and found a more conventional way to earn a living. But bikes have remained a constant in her life.

She has owned various machines, and travelled around the UK and abroad.

She completed an Avon and Somerset Police Ride to Arrive course some years

ago, but it wasn’t until her teenage daughters were learning to drive that she considered training more seriously.

“With the goal of making the girls better drivers I wanted them to know what it’s like to be on two wheels too, so I thought it’d be wise for them to do their CBT,” she explains. “I was considering becoming a CBT instructor, so I went along too. However, their instructor’s casual misogyny really bothered me, and I quickly discovered there’s definitely scope for more females in the learner-training field, especially with motorcycling growing so quickly among women.”

Discovering that an Advanced qualification would be useful as an instructor, Sarah signed up with IAM RoadSmart at Motorcycle Live 2019 and has since passed her test.

“After 38 years, it’s great to have learned how to ride better and safer,” she says. She’s looking forward to honing her skills, particularly in bends, where her confidence has really improved.

“I love to ride for fun, on an open road with lots of sweeping bends,” she says.

“The freedom is the nearest thing I’ve experienced to flying – and now I’ve given up flying for the planet, it’s the nearest I’ll ever get again. It’s the harmony of woman and machine; being a biker is part of who I am.”

Catch the Auto Angels on film – several years before Sarah joined – at https://bit.ly/3pix7io

Auto Angels image: SWFTA Collection at The Box, Plymouth

WORDS SARAH BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPHS JOBY SESSIONS

/ SUMMER 2021 / 65

IN S IDE R

MY OTHER CAR IS…

…a Meyers Manx

The iconic buggy was designed for fun in the sun. Ian Gill tells us how he’s lovingly restored his ready for summer adventures PHOTOGRAPHS JOBY SESSIONS

T

he Meyers Manx was the original beach buggy, created by Californian artist, engineer and surfer Bruce Meyers in the ’60s. He passed away recently, so it’s apt to feature it now.

His idea was to fit a fibreglass tub on a Volkswagen Beetle floorpan, using the Beetle’s engine and gearbox too. It’s lightweight, rear-wheel drive and the engine is over the rear wheels to give them traction on the sand.

Mine is a replica, based on a 1972 Beetle but with a 1600cc engine. I’ve restored and modified it extensively myself – I’m a trained mechanic and in the ’80s I owned several Beetles and kit cars. With the work I’ve done it’s now worth about £9,000.

Mostly I use it locally, but I’d really love to take it along the French Riviera and 66 /

/ SUMMER 2021

into Italy. Sun, sea and, of course, sand.

That would be amazing, one day…

Driving an older vehicle without servo brakes, or indeed any modern driver aids, means you have to read the road and anticipate a lot more, so my IAM RoadSmart training is very useful.

Ian’s not sure where or when his buggy was originally built, but the left-hand-drive set-up suggests it’s an import.

Independent rear suspension gives the buggy good roadholding, even if the beach is its natural home!

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