advance autumn 2014

Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists and Motorcyclists

www.iamdumfries.org.uk

www.iam.org.uk

JOHN F. BLACKMOTOR ENGINEERS

~Air Con ~Diesel Tuning ~Servicing ~Repairs ~Diagnostics ~Exhausts

~Tyres ~Motorhomes ~MOT testing for classes 3,4,5 & 7

6B Catherinefield Ind Estate,Heathhall, Dumfries DG1 3PQTel: 01387 267473

The weather is changing, are your skills upto the more challenging conditions that

autumn and winter may bring?

See page 16 for tips on how to deal with wet conditions andalso page 8 to find out how we may be able to help.

© Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists

Group Committee Members for 2014/15

To e-mail any member of the committee, please inthe first instance, use the group contact e-mail

address: [email protected]

1

What’s on?: check out events at www.iamdumfries.org.uk

8 September: Visit to the Inshore Lifeboat Station at Glencaple 6:30 pm.

Venue for meetings: Aberdour Hotel, 16 Newall Terrace, Dumfries, DG11LW starting7:30pm except where otherwise stated.

This magazine waspublished by:

Dumfries & Galloway Groupof

Advanced Motorists &Motorcyclists.

For more details of our activitiessee our web site at:

www.iamdumfries.org.uk

Contact theGroup Secretary:

[email protected]

Facebook: Dumfries & GallowayIAM (Motorcycles) Group

Magazine contributions to:[email protected]

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this magazine are those of the contributors and notnecessarily those of the Editor, Group or the Institute of Advanced Motorists, to which theGroup is affiliated. Reg Charity No. SC 023511

For membership and all other enquiries call: 07707 035518or e-mail: [email protected]

Photography notice: Occasionally we may take photos during meetings, guidance ses-sions or at other events in order to promote the Group and its activities. Photos may bereproduced in our web sites, our magazine or through other promotions. If you wish towithhold your permission for your image to be used please contact the Group Secretary.

Copy date: Latest article submission date for the Winter 14 issue: 06 November

Advertise in ADVANCEADVANCE is published three times per year. The cost of an advert per issueis £50 full page, £30 half page. Discount is available for annual adverts.Adverts will appear in both the print and online versions of the magazine.Advertisers can also have a thumbnail icon on the group web sitewww.iamdumfries.org.uk. Contact the Editor: [email protected]

Chair,Chief Obs

Graeme McColm 01387 720425

Vice Chair Jamie Wood 07759 260621Secretary Helen Cameron 07707 035518Treasurer Russell Wears 01387 263893M/c Coordntr Andrew Bird 07919 128305Car Coordntr Stewart Cameron 01387 264005Committee Andy Campbell

Bob SloanNeil MartyniukClint SmithChris WilsonKaren Court

07717 79810907764 34945907725 94178007952 75143307935 381722

tba

© Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists2

A message from the ChairmanWelcome to the Autumn edition of our Advance magazine.

This year the summer month’s weather has been great.The sun has been shining and the roads have been busywith both cars and bikes.

On 9 June we held our group annual treasure hunt.Despite it being very wet most of the day, the sun came out and we had alovely evening. This year took us out past Lincluden Abbey then on toDunscore/Morrington before heading back towards Irongray and finishingback at The Five Arches. Many thanks to Russell Wears for organising theevent again which was open to bikes and cars. It is a good way of finding outabout the local area.

For the second year in a row, Lesley and I won, and this year the prize was anovernight stay courtesy of the biker friendly website “MotoGoLoco”. Thank youto the committee for organising the prize, it was very much appreciated - moreabout this later in the magazine. The website has been set up by Clint Smithand James Miodonski who have personally viewed and endorsed all hotelsand B&Bs on the website. Several committee members, observers and IAMmembers have visited accommodation listed on the site and can also recom-mend the listings. Check out www.motogoloco.com for further details.

The Barony Open day was well attended. Thanks to all observers for manningthe stand and everyone who helped out on the day.

The Moffat Show is on 30 August and once again we are attending with theIAM stand. Please do come along and show your support.

There has been a steady stream of drivers and riders taking part in theadvanced training, congratulations to those who have already passed theiradvanced tests. Well done to all.

If you know anybody who would benefit from a “Skill for Life“ course and helpto make our roads safer then now would be a great time to put their namesforward.

Once again the syllabus has been developed and at the time of writing isshortly due to be issued. Please check the magazine and website for details.

Thanks again to everyone who has helped.

Hopefully we will still have a couple of months of sunshine left before wintersets in so lets get out and about and enjoy ourselves. Safe driving


IAM Treasurer’s Report 2013 – 2014 - Russell Wears

Summary

The starting balance was £13807 and the end balance was £13933 – asurplus of £126. The key aspects of the last year’s income are:

● £970 in membership fees● £567 in newsletter advertising● £208 from skill for life returns

The key aspects of expenditure are:

● £525 on newsletter printing meaning a profit of £42 was made● £942 on stamps and stationary● £240 on conference expenses● £20 on mobile phone charges● £111 on room rents and catering● £95 contributions to the IAM stand at the Scottish bike Show.

The year past has been very quiet and although the accounts show a surplusit is because of the level of activity is very small and covered mainly by themembership fees and the skill for life returns.

The balance at nearly £14000 arises from a combination of income fromCOPFS drive checks and fundraising during 08/09 and 09/10 added to thesurpluses in the previous years. Since 2010 the annual surplus has been smallor negative and so has risen from around £13,000 in 2010 to the present value.

We should consider placing some of this capital in an interest bearing account.

We are behind in HMRC gift aid reclaims due to changes in the way the claimsare made and the lengthy process it involves. But we are well within the timelimit for claims.

IAM - Practical Skills VideosHave you watched any of the videoson the IAM’s YouTube channel?

There are a series of ones showingIPSGA riding skills which may be ofinterest, as well as many others.

You can find them here:https://www.youtube.com/user/RoadSkillsUK. Extract from: IPSGA with the IAM - Position

3

Enter SC No.below

SC023511

Section A Statement of receipts and paymentsUnrestricted

fundsRestricted

funds

Expendableendowment

funds

Permanentendowment

funds

Total fundscurrent period

Total funds lastperiod

to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £

A1 ReceiptsDonations 970 - 970 1,155

Legacies -

Grants -

Receipts from fundraising activities - - -

Gross trading receipts 747 747 685Income from investments other than landand buildings 5 5 5

Rents from land & buildings -Gross receipts from other charitableactivities 504 504 667

- -A1 Sub total 2,226 - - - 2,226 2,512

A2 Receipts from asset & investmentsales

Proceeds from sale of fixed assets - -

Proceeds from sale of investments - -A2 Sub total - - - - - -

Total receipts 2,226 - - - 2,226 2,512

A3 PaymentsExpenses for fundraising activities - - 48Gross trading payments - - -Investment management costs - -Payments relating directly to charitableactivities 1,648 387 2,035 1,909Grants and donations 65 65 21Governance costs: - - 60

Audit / independent examination - -Preparation of annual accounts - -

Legal costs - -Other - -

- -A3 Sub total 1,713 387 - - 2,100 2,039

error

A4 Payments relating to asset andinvestment movementsPurchases of fixed assets - - 47Purchase of investments - -

A4 Sub total - - - - - 47

Total payments 1,713 387 - - 2,100 2,085

Net receipts / (payments) 513 (387) - - 126 427

A5 Transfers to / (from) funds -

Surplus / (deficit) for year513 (387) - - 126 427

Enter charity name below

Dumfries and Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists andMotorcyclists

Receipts and payments accountsFor the

period from

Period start date

toPeriod end date

1 April 2013Day Month Year Day Month Year

31 Mar 2014


The Secretary Reports - Helen Cameron

I would like to welcome two new committee members, in post since the AGMin May: Christopher Wilson and Karen Court. I also thank the retiring membersfor their support over the last 3 years. The commitment for committee mem-bers is not onerous but it is needed to support the group and the club.

The start of our new season is fast approaching and I look forward to a variedprogramme of monthly meetings. At the time of writing the committee isworking hard to finalise the syllabus, but please keep checking the web site forup to date information. Your syllabus will be sent out with the renewal noticesin September, which will give you key information on all events.

The first meeting will be on 8 September at the the In-Shore Lifeboat StationGlencaple at 6:30pm. The committee works very hard on your behalf to bringinteresting and varied subjects. We appreciate your support for these events- it can be embarrassing if we invite a speaker but only half a dozen peopleturn up. Thanks to all those who do attend, I hope like me you always have agood evening. Any suggestions for speakers are always welcome.

Last winter we tried out curling in Dumfries for the first time and it was sosuccessful we are planning another event later in the year. We will also bearranging a 10 pin bowling event in Carlisle at the beginning of 2015 so pleaselet a committee member know if you are interested.

We have had 3 motorcycle passes this summer. Congratulations to: JackEdens, Giovanni Mezzullo and Alastair Kean. We have a few car tests pending.

We have a slot at the Moffat Agricultural Show on Saturday 30 August topromote the IAM ‘Skill for Life’ package and the new modular assessments. Ifyou can spare an hour to help out please let a committee member or me know.You can e-mail or use the group mobile, see page 1.

Hope to see lots of you at the September meeting, do come along.MotoGoLoco trip July 2014 - Lesley & Graeme McColm

Firstly may I take this opportunity to thank D & G Group of Advanced Motorists& Motorcyclists for running the Treasure Hunt in June and James and Clintfrom MotoGoLoco for the prize of an overnight stay in one of the hotels.

We travelled from Balmaha, where we had stayed the previous night toInveraray for ice cream, fuel and whisky, (all the essentials). Continued toLochgilphead then stopped for lunch at Crinan. The scenery was spectacularand the temperature was, at times, 30degC. After lunch we made the fatalmistake of not putting the GPS back on the bike. Saw the sign for Ardfern andturned left. After following the road for quite a few miles we stopped, I got off


and retrieved the GPS from top box. Once it was plugged in and destinationset we realised we were on the wrong road so turned round and headed back.Ardfern was lovely if quiet. GPS told us to turn left just after Ardfern, unfortu-nately it was a B road which turned into a dirt track with passing places.Stopped to ask directions only to be told that yes we could get to Corrie Houseif we continued along the track for a couple of miles till we hit tarred road again,only 2 miles, he said. Luckily for me I had unplugged the intercom while askingfor directions so thankfully was unable to hear Graeme moaning about theroad. To say I felt like Ewen McGregor in the Long Way Down was anunderstatement. Clint and James you were not popular.

Arrived at Corrie House only to be told that if we had continued on A816 wewould have avoided the dirt road. The comment was “Toddlers could hide inthe pot holes” GREAT!

Corrie House 5*+ was fabulous, we had the Mullroom which looked out over Loch Melfort. Julie,who was looking after B & B for Barry & Joanbrought us a beer each and after changing intoour cossies we headed down to hot tub to enjoythe sun and the views. Basil, Brock and Bonniethe resident dogs were very friendly and wereonly brought out after I said I loved dogs. Julietold us about Barry’s boat on which we could take a trip and also the Cookschool which is set in the grounds of Corrie House. We agreed to attend theSpanish Cookery on the Saturday and were also looking forward to going outon the boat on Saturday morning. Barry phoned the local pub for us andbooked a table. This was just a short walk along the edge of the loch.

As the weather was spectacular we sat outside to eat. Thefood was good and Barry also worked in the kitchen thereso we guessed breakfast was going to be good. Eating ourmeal watching the boats in the marina and a seal playing inthe harbour was very enjoyable. After eating we had a quickwalk around Craobh Haven before heading back along theloch to B & B. The lounge had leather couches and reclinerchairs so we sat there for a while reading and enjoying thepeace and quiet.

Our room was amazing with nothing spared to make ourstay comfortable. Home made shortbread was hanging onour door handle when we got upstairs. Yummy.

Saturday dawned overcast with rain forecast. After a great night’s sleep in aking size bed we headed down for breakfast where we shared a table with

View from Corrie House deck

Dinner with a view


another couple who had arrived after us the night before and were in the pubwell after us, by the look of them anyway. As they were too hungover to do theboat trip Graeme and I agreed not to go as it wasn’t fair to expect Barry to takejust us out. Good reason to return was my thinking.

Joan and Barry servedus a delicious break-fast with everythingyou could possibly askfor. Graeme hadscrambled eggs andsmoked salmon and Ihad a full Scottish.Nothing was too muchtrouble. Barry stayedto talk to us afterbreakfast and welearned about CorrieHouse and how itcame to be. A very in-teresting couple andwe were made very welcome. I felt like we had known them for years. As wewere returning to the Cook School later on Joan offered to keep our gear andalso said we could have a shower if we wanted. Reluctantly we left CorrieHouse.

Arrived at Corrie Cook School to meet John the chefand his wife Jean who showed us how to makeGazpacho Soup, Paella and Catalan Custard withPlums. After cooking we all sat down with a glass ofwine or two and ate our delicious meal. Thanks toJulie who organised everything, you can view thephoto’s on her Facebook page: Corrie Cook School.

Thanks again we had a blast.

Corrie House

The cookery school

Chef John

7

Registered Charity in Scotland No. SC 023511

DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY GROUP OF ADVANCEDMOTORISTS & MOTORCYCLISTS

Invite you to get a ‘Skill for Life’ and become an

We have helped hundreds of people hone their abilities to make their driving or ridingmore skillful, more enjoyable and safer. Our passion is to help you improve your drivingand riding standards leaving you with the ability to make good progress whilst maintain-ing the highest standards of skill, safety and responsibility... it really is a ‘skill for life’.Interested in improving your skills? Get in touch, find out more. Visit our web site,e-mail or call us on 07707 035518 - see page 1 for our contact details.

Consulting hours:Weekdays9:00am - 9:30am By Appointment3:30pm - 6:00pm Open SurgerySaturday9:00am - 10:30am - Open Surgery

24hour emergency cover

Call us on01387 259111

Bridge Veterinary Clinic51 Glasgow Street,

Dumfries,DG2 9AG

01387 [email protected]

We are a friendly, local practice offering acontinuity of case management from ourexperienced principal Veterinary Surgeon.

We offer a wide range of services, usingmodern diagnostic aids which allow afocused approach to the healthcare of your pet.

We also have a special interest in helpingbeekeepers successfully control Varroa Mite [email protected]

ADVANCED RIDERADVANCED DRIVER/groups/dgiam/IAMDumfriesandGallowayCars

http://www.bridgevets.com

mailto:[email protected]

B R A I D W O O D SSOLICITORS

Property and Estate Agency

Wills and Estates

Commercial Practice

Family Law

www.braidwoods.com1 Charlotte Street, Dumfries DG1 2AG

Telephone: (01387) 257272E-mail: [email protected]

http://www.braidwoods.com

· Discounts available for IAM and Curvy Riders· We have an outdoor seated area and arelaxing indoor seated area with Sky TV

· Refreshments available

· MOT’s · Servicing · Repairs· Parts · Accessories · & More

We offer the following services for your motorcycle needs:

· Fully trained mechanics· MOT’s · Servicing

· Repairs · Diagnostic testing· Van available for collection/delivery

or recovery of your motorcycle· Parts · Tyres· Accessories

· Helmets · Clothing

www.dngmotorcycles.comTel: 01387 320312

[email protected]

From the Edinburgh Road roundabout /A75 Dumfries bypasstake A701 north. After 0.5 miles take 2nd exit at the round-about (by Esso/Tesco Express) onto Tinwald Downs Road. In0.4 miles take left into Downsway Industrial Est. then firstright behind Downsway Garage - we are at the end on the left.

DownswayGarage

A75

A75

A701

A701 TESCO

EXPRESS Tinwald

Downs Rd

TownCentre

How to find us


Membership RenewalIt’s that time of the year again when membership subscriptions are due. Againwe have held the annual fee at £10 which is a small sum and good value forall the Group has to offer.

Everyone needs to complete a Membership (Renewal) Form which will be sentout or can be downloaded from the group web site. Please complete this formeven if you are paying by standing order as this ensures we have the latestdetails for you - often people change their phone number/address and/ore-mail address and this can make it difficult for us to keep track of membersand ensure that we can communicate effectively.

If you have already completed a standing order form in the past then yourpayment will occur automatically on 16 November - thank you. If not thenplease consider doing so this year, it greatly helps with the group accounting.Please check your bank statements if you are unsure whether or not you havecreated a standing order already to avoid paying twice!

The standing order form (and membership renewal form) will be available todownload from the group web site. If you prefer other methods of paymentthen please do so but avoid sending cash through the post. The Treasurer,Russell Wears attends most group meetings and usually has copies of theforms with him if you want to pay him directly.

If you signed the Gift Aid declaration on the membership form last year youdon’t need to do it again but if you signed it some time ago or now wish to GiftAid membership then please sign the declaration so our records are up to date.Winter tyres – the motor insurance commitmentThose of you who fit winter tyres or who may be thinking of doing so in thefuture might like to know that the Association of British Insurers have soughtto clarify the situation with regard to insurance.

They say in the past there has been some uncertainty for insured customersabout the insurance premium implications of fitting winter tyres to their cars.

To assist in reducing this potential uncertainty, the ABI has produced a ‘Commit-ment’ which names insurers who do not require the payment of any additionalpremium if customers decide to fit winter tyres to their cars, provided that thetyres meet, and are fitted in accordance with, the relevant vehicle manufactur-ers’ specifications and are in a roadworthy condition whilst in use.

You can view the ‘Commitment’ by going to: https://www.abi.org.uk/ andsearching for winter tyres. The list covers the period Sep to Sep so is due to bere-issued this September.


Observation is the key to safetyIt’s a good discipline to ensure your observation skills are up to standard, quitesimply they can get you out of trouble in many circumstances. Even if you can’textend your vision up and out to any extent you could do no better than toremember to take into account ‘what you can see, what you can’t see andwhat you may reasonably expect to happen’, add this to ensuring you canstop, safely and comfortably on your side of the road in the distance you cansee to be clear (half the distance for narrow roads) then you are in with afighting chance of avoiding getting into too many sticky situations.

Circumstances where active observation and planning is certainly beneficialare corners. Quite when something falls under the definition of ‘what you mayreasonably expect to happen’ may be open for debate, although should younot anticipate that any ‘oncomer’ could be poorly positioned on a bend?

Could you anticipate this scenario? This should be readily anticipated

Don’t forget to observe your mirrors too, close follower? Maybe anticipate their over-take, drop back to give them room to pull in before the junction - or not?


How things have changedThe Dumfries group was set up in 1976. Here’s a few milestones reached inthe history of road use since then up to the modern day.

1976: 6570 road deaths recorded.Full driving licences valid until 70yrs.First Golf GTi introduced.Petrol price equivalent today £0.89/Ltr1977: Speed limit on single carriage-way roads reduced to 60mph.Marc Bolan killed in car crash.1978: Motability scheme introduced.Mercedes Benz first car with ABS.1979: Rolls Royce celebrates 75yrs1980: Audi Quattro introduce first carwith permanent 4-wheel drive.1981: Max size of learner m/c now125ccc. Motorcycle test now two part.Highway Code is 50 years old.Production of DeLorean cars starts.Speed bumps first introduced,1982: Provisional driving licence ex-tended until age of 70.British Leyland became Austin Rover,Triumph and Morris names dropped.1983: Use of front seat belts mandatory.Top selling cars: Escort, Sierra, MetroPetrol: £0.37/Ltr (=£1.11/Ltr today).1984: Jaguar floated on Stock Market.1985: 50 years of driving tests.Sinclair C5 introduced.1986: 5382 road deaths recorded.Unleaded petrol introduced.1987: Rear seat belts in all new carsbecame compulsory.1988: All new petrol cars required torun on unleaded petrol.PanAm flight 103 crashes in Lockerbie.1989: Rear seat belts compulsory forchildren under 14.New accompanied motorcycle ‘pursuittest’ test introduced.Ford buys Jaguar.

1990: Compulsory Basic Training formotorcyclists introduced.Driving Standards Agency formed.New law; must be 21+ to accompanya learner plus held licence for 3 years.World Wide Web invented.1991: Rear seat belts, if fitted nowcompulsory for all.White chevrons painted on m/ways tohelp motorists to keep their distance.MOT test revised to include petrolemissions and anti-lock brakes.1992: Minimum tyre depth require-ment of 1.6mm introduced.First fixed speed camera set up atTwickenham Bridge in Surrey.First text message on a mobile phone.1993: Fitting of catalytic converterson all new cars compulsory.Top selling cars: Escort, Fiesta, Cavalier.Petrol: £0.46/Ltr. (= £0.82/Ltr today).1994: Rover Group sold to BMW.Aston Martin bought by Ford.Channel Tunnel opens.First draw of the National Lottery1995: PassPlus introduced.Variable motorway speed limits start.Road safety charity “Brake” founded.1996: 3598 road deaths recordedTheory test introduced.1997: Driving licence categorieschanged and new driver 6 points andlicence lost introduced.Motorcycle Direct Access Scheme starts1998: Road deaths on Britain's roadsbetween 1945-1998 total 311,0001999: Photocard driving licence intro-duced, replaces paper licence.


Vehicle registration plate numbersnow change twice yearly.Local authorities given power to in-troduce 20mph speed limits.2000: Touch screen theory test.BMW sell Rover Cars to AlchemyConcorde crashes in Paris.Fuel cost protests (reaches £0.80/Ltr).2001: Theory test can now bebooked on internet.Foot and mouth outbreak costs £8bn2002: Hazard perception test intro-duced.Ford, Dagenham - vehicle assemblyends after 71 years, Vauxhall, Lutoncar production ends after 97 years.AA decommission its roadsidephones due to use of mobile phones.2003: ‘Show me tell me’ introducedto driving test. Practical test can nowbe booked on internet.London; congestion charges introducedUse of hand-held mobile phonesmade an offence.Top selling cars: Focus, Corsa, Astra.Petrol: £0.78/Ltr (=£1.07/Ltr today)2004: Car production at Jaguar, Cov-entry ends after 70 years and movesto Castle Bromwich.2005: Road speed limiter becamecompulsory on all new buses and3.5+ tonne goods vehicles.MG Rover liquidated and sold toNanjing Automobiles, China.Bugatti Veyron became the World’sfastest production car at 253.8mph.2006: Road Safety Act 2006 - points(or disqualification) for use of mobilephones. New offence of death bycareless, or inconsiderate, driving.Enhanced rider scheme introduced.IAM Motoring Trust set up.

2007: More questions in theory test,raised from 35 to 50.Ford sell off 90% of their stake in AstonMartin.2008: Eco driving assessment added todriving test.Ford sell Jaguar and Land Rover toTata Motors, India2009: Driving test pass rate now 45%2-part modular motorcycle test introduced2010: ‘Independent driving’ becomespart of the practical driving test.Driving test candidates encouraged totake their instructor with them on theirtest.The British driving test reaches 75 yearmilestone2011: All registered keepers of vehiclesto keep them insured unless declaredoff the road (SORN).All new car models are required to befitted with Electronic Stability Control aspart of EU safety regulations.Top selling cars: Fiesta, Focus, Corsa.Average price of petrol: £1.30 a litre.2012: 1754 road deaths recorded.Ford announced plans to cease vehicleproduction in UK.The EU Gender Directive meant thatinsurance companies can no longer usea driver’s gender as a factor when cal-culating their annual premium.2013: New rules for m/cyclists includingchanges to motorcycles you can rideand the age you have to be to ride.100th anniversary of Aston Martin.2014: Around 28 million cars on ourroads, 34+ million vehicles total.DSA and the Vehicle and OperatorServices Agency (VOSA) merged tocreate the Driver and Vehicle StandardsAgency (DVSA)


Motorcycle Chief Observer’s Diary - Graeme McColm

Well summer has been in full swing and I am pleased to say that the weatherhas been fantastic. Fingers crossed that the sun keeps shining throughoutAugust/September and further into Autumn.

On 7-8 June a small group of bikers went away overnight to North Yorkshire.The weekend was a total success, the weather was good and the companywas great. See our Facebook pages for the photo’s.

On Saturday 5 July we ran a charity event on behalf of Nith Inshore Lifeboatand Canine Defence. This event was well attended with over 80 bikes takingpart. Two groups from Moffat and Thornhill made their way along the DalveenPass before congregating at the Old Tesco Car Park. From there the bikesheaded into Dumfries Town centre to promote both charities and the IAM.From the town centre some of the bikes continued to the Nith Inshore Lifeboatto hand over the raised funds and stayed for a BBQ and a chat. Andrew Birdhanded over more then £250 to each charity. Well done to Andrew fororganising the event and to all who attended on the day.

A new initiative in the region is being launched very soon. “Blood BikesCumbria & South West Scotland” this involves taking blood from hospital tohospital. The group is looking for keen, safe and reliable riders to help run thisworthwhile service. If you are interested please contact them direct throughFacebook. It was agreed at the last committee meeting we would give them adonation to help with start up costs.

Throughout the last few months we have had a steady stream of riders takingadvanced training. Congratulations to all who have passed their tests.

Every club has a need for new members and we are no different. In order tokeep the club running in years to come we need people joining all the time soif you know anybody who would benefit from a “Skill for Life” course now is thetime to put their names forward. If every member signed up just one personwe could double the club and make the roads of Dumfries & Galloway safer.

Lets all be careful out there and stay safe.

Group Members and Associates can get a free basic car wash, or two jet washtokens when you fill up. Just show your membership card, or for Associates your IAMconfirmation letter. Let the staff know you would like the free bike/car wash beforeyou pay for your fuel. This offer may be withdrawn at any time.


Take a rain check: The IAM’s Chief Examiner, Peter Rodger advises

The IAM offers motoring tips from Britain’s top advanced driver, Peter Rodger.Here, he advises on preparing yourself and your car for the rain.

· Before you set off, set your heater controls – rain can make thewindows mist up in seconds. You don’t want to be fiddling withcontrols when you should be concentrating on the road.

· See and be seen. Put your lights on – as a rule of thumb, wheneveryou need to use your wipers you should also turn your dipped head-lights on, before overtaking put your wipers on their fastest setting.

· Keep your eyes on the road ahead and plan your driving so that youcan brake, accelerate and steer smoothly – harsh manoeuvres willunbalance the car.

· Slow down. In the rain stopping distance is at least doubled. Givingyourself more space also helps to avoid spray, especially whenfollowing a large vehicle.

· If you have cruise control, avoid using it on wet roads – you need topay more attention to the road surface conditions and alter your speedgently.

· Strong winds can also unsettle your car and even change yourdirection of travel. Grip your steering wheel firmly and also be readyfor the effects of the wind on other road users, particularly motorcy-clists and flat-sided vehicles like lorries.

A very wet road surface increases the chances of slipping when braking orsteering, which is a problem not just for motorists, but for the cyclists andmotorcyclists in among them too.

Not an advanced biker or driver? Try polishing up your skills with a ‘Skill forLife’ course. See the centre-fold (page 8), for details of how we can help.

In wet conditions remember that stopping distances will increase and visibility willbe reduced so drop your speed - and give yourself more time to slow down.

St. Michael’s ServicesSt. Michael ’s StreetDumfries, DG1 2QDTel: 01387 254304

more performance, less pollution

Wigtown Road ServicesWigtown Road

Newton Stewart , DG8 6JZTel: 01671 403157

~ BP ultimate fuels & BP Autogas

~ Jet wash ~ Snack bar/ coffee machine

~ Large Mace convenience shop

~ Air/Screenwash/Vacuum/fragrance machine ~ Nectar Points

~ Special offers for Dumfries Group Members

~ BP ultimate fuels & BP Autogas

~ Car wash ~ Jet wash

~ MACE convenience store

~ Nectar Points


Benmar GarageStat ion Road

Moffat , DG10 9ELTel: 01683 220010

~ Esso Energy and Energy Supreme Fuels

~ Jet wash

~ Mace convenience shop

~ Air/Screenwash/Vacuum ~ Cash point


CrossflagsAt Crossflags we strive to create the best customer experience in the area.Please come and see us when you are considering your next vehiclepurchase.

York House, Annan Road, Dumfries DG1 3AW01387 253473 Fax: 01387 253472www.crossflags.co.uk

advance autumn 2014

Documents

group web

dumfries dg1

group contact emailaddress

group annual treasure

advance magazine

thegroup secretary

half page

wet conditions andalso