forward vision 103 december13

The Newsletter of Chelmsford Advanced Motorists

www.iamchelmsford.org.uk Issue 103 December 2013 & January 2014 IAM Group 7223 Registered Charity No 1059372

Driving towards the Future?

Chelmsford Advanced Motorists Issue 103

Gordon Ross

Many sincere thanks to firstly, Roger Spall my 'observer', secondly Scott Bannister for the 'mock test' and further 'observing' and, of course, Paula Fells my examiner!

Observer Roger Spall

Congratulations

Here are some of our successful members receiving their certificate from our Chairman Scott Bannister

Matt Young

What John and IAM have done is to help me recognise hazards earlier and reduce the risk that I, or the people I care about most, will become another statistic. For that, I will always be grateful.

Observer John Tullett

Moira White

Can I say thank you to Clifford Murira for persuading me to do it and for George Locker for being very patient with me.

Observer George Locker


Associates, Full Members & Guests Welcome

Forthcoming Group Meetings These are usually held on the 2nd Monday of each month

at the Essex Police Sports and Social Club, Which is through the Police vehicle park at the very end of St. Margarets Road,

Chelmsford.

Group Meetings start promptly at 8pm, so please arrive at around 7.45pm.

Make a note in your diary and please be there!

http://www.essexexplorer.co.uk/cam.kmz

Date Topic Speaker

Monday 13th January

TBA

Monday 10th February

Transport Research Laboratory Cyclists & Cars

TBC

Disclaimer—Please note that the views and opinions expressed in this Newsletter are those of the individual writers and they do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, nor those of the Chelmsford and District Group of Advanced Motorists. Their accuracy has not been verified.

Notice—Data Protection Act: records are held of members personal details submitted on their application form. The information will be used solely for the Group’s administration purposes and will not be passed to any third party.

CM2 6DS


to our new Associate and Full Members.

We look forward to seeing and talking to them at our monthly Group nights

We are a friendly bunch, so don’t be worried about coming to our Group nights if you are on your own.

Make yourself known to John who will greet you at the desk, he will find one of us to come and talk to you. John will also try to get you to part with some money for the raffle.

There will be Senior Observers, Observers and generally an Examiner at the evening and you will be able to get answers to any questions that you have.

Please come along, we’ll even give you tea or coffee and there is a bar - for light refreshments obviously!

Terry Joyce

Paul Watkin Silver End Anne-Dore Beaton Felsted

Selvarajan Seenivasagam

Hornchurch Ray Hockley South Woodham Ferrers

Gary Wells Chelmsford Carole Hogg St Lawrence

Brian Chilton Chelmsford Anne Culverwell Ramsden Heath

Tim Wakeman Chelmsford Noel Mead Broad Green

Ken Richmond Billericay Alex Leong South Woodham Ferrers

Paul Addington Hutton


Please remember: Do telephone both your Observer and Scott Bannister ( Associates Co-ordinator ) immediately after your test.

Congratulations to these latest Members of our Group who

have Passed

‘The Test’.

To all those people who have passed their test: It would be appreciated if you could write a few words thanking your Observer and maybe something about the process and your test, to give those New Associates an insight into the process of learning Advanced Driving.

Roll No Name Test Date Observer

1003 Gordon Ross 11th October Roger Spall

1004 Ross Gale 6th November Scott Bannister

1005 Ryan Barrington 6th November Brian Williams

1006 Graham Whicker 14th November Clifford Murira


From the Chairman

Well here we are again. Christmas is around the corner and not a present bought. Feel free to have a good time yourselves, but I’ve got a bit of a downer on the commercial frenzy that is modern Christmas. Roll on January…well February actually when there is a bit more daylight. In the meantime, I can only wish for some nice snow to do some skidding in. I know most people dread it and, to be fair, if you’re trying to get to work it’s not a bundle of joy. However, if you have the time, it’s good to get some skid practice in. Those attending the recent skid pan visit are well set up. It’s all about conquering the fear and familiarising yourself with how it feels. For me though, it’s mainly about seeing the smiles on people’s faces. Since the recession kicked in, numbers of new associates coming through our doors fell off quite dramatically and as a result, I called a halt on training any new observers. Not much point in training people up if they had nobody to play with ! I don’t have a crystal ball so I can’t tell you if the recession is really over, though the TV news seems to think so but what-ever the reason, numbers have started to pick up in the last few months and the last thing I want is a long waiting list so I’ve decided to resume observer training. I’ve already got one on the list to get started and I’m will-ing to take on another three so if any of you out there want to give it a go, feel free to phone or e-mail me and I’ll tell you what’s involved. And since I seem to have turned this into a bit of an advert, I might as well continue – if anybody fancies the idea of joining our committee they would be more than welcome. It’s only six meetings a year and any role taken on is entirely voluntary. There is hardly any bullying at all……honest . Just to make it even more attractive, any new committee members will be on a far better contract than mine. In fact they will be paid double what I get paid !!

Scott


Please contact me

by email at

[email protected]

~~~~~~~~ Editorial ~~~~~~~~

Terry Joyce

Hello,

It’s good to see so many new members. It has been quite a while since we

have seen this many join. Well since edition 98 in February this year.

Please check out page 15 for our group nights in 2014. There will be more

information about them and any events that we are organising in the

February edition.

It would be good to reproduce some relevant articles as Winter is on its

way but I am limited in the paper version but if you are reading the

electronic version you will see some articles that I have written before that

may be of use.

Many Thanks to Sue Sweetland for her patient and educated

assistance in producing this Newsletter.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.


Our Group Enquiry number: - 07757 399897

Chairman Associates Co-ordinator & Chief Observer

Scott Bannister

Secretary Steve Wright

Treasurer John Johnston

Membership Secretary Ken Carrington

Website Editor Jon Ward

Newsletter Editor Terry Joyce [email protected]

Events Organiser Sally Langley

Publicity John Stone

Group Contact Susan Sweetland

External Events Pat Clements

Committee Member Dr Clifford Murira

Committee Member John Ockmore

Committee Member Anthony Marchant

Committee Member Gary Silver

Committee Member Ken Howard

Committee

Honorary Life Members Mr Mike Corbett, Mr Glyn Jarrett, Mrs Ruth Jarrett, Mr Dave Travers, Mr Colin Snow.

Observer Examiner Gaynor Manthorpe

Group contact information


Roadcraft

August 2013 saw the release of the latest edition of Roadcraft, The Police Driver’s Handbook. It now has thirteen chapters, instead of ten.

Chapters 1 and 2 are the foundations for the later chapters.

At the beginning of each chapter there is a list of ‘Learning outcomes’ and at the end of the chapter a checklist of the understanding that you should acquire from the chapter.

At this stage I would like to mention another book. The Human Aspects of Police Driving by Gordon Sharp. This book was written as a reference companion to Roadcraft in 1997 and well worth a read. It is in our library.

The fact is that even highly trained and skilled police advanced drivers occasionally make mistakes leading to a collision, so what hope do we have. Well as long as we able to assess our own driving honestly it is a good start. Chapter 1 is titled ‘Becoming a better

driver’ and focuses on the personal qualities that are essential for safe and competent driving.

Chapter 1 is titled Becoming a better driver, whereas in the old version it was titled Mental skills for better driving. The aim of chapter one appears to be the same although worded differently to become better and in that context I wouldn’t throw away the older version of ‘Roadcraft’ as there is a lot of good advice. Spend some time looking at both and decide what will help you to become a better driver. I think the newer version is more concise with the explanations and I don’t necessarily mean that they have cut a lot out but presented it in a clearer manner. I wonder if this is driven by Europe as on page 9,it mentions the European Goals for Driver Education and references page 259, which is the ’GDE’ matrix. The matrix is interesting and asks lots of question which you as the driver should be asking of yourself. Self assessment is a key aspect, knowing your weaknesses, being aware what affects your driving, how traffic situations can affect you personally and knowing the capabilities of the vehicle you are driving.

Please let me know your opinion.

Roadcraft can be bought from most book or online stores, have a look at http://www.desktopdriving.co.uk/ and use police drivers handbook as the search.

Terry Joyce


This is the time of year when the present-buyers of the land start to panic at the thought of the Christmas gifts they still haven't bought/wrapped/delivered. Out to the (inevitably black) monster in the garage and off they go, completely unaware that unless they find the light switch, the vehicle is more or less invisible on winter mornings. I've learned to comfort myself with the thought that before too long, some of them will be driving brand new black Chelsea Tractors and lights will come on automatically!

Moving on, there are twenty three carol singing days to Christmas and then we start hearing about New Year Resolutions - me, I shall go on eating cake and chocolate, on doctor's orders of course! Happy Christmas,

Susan Sweetland

Our Observers Ron Adams

Scott Bannister

Pat Clements

Philip Cooper

Paul Crosby

Jamie Drummond

Max Ford

Tony Hawes

Helen Jeffries

Terry Joyce

Rob Laird

George Locker

Graham Lowe

Gaynor Manthorpe

Janet Miller

Dr Clifford Murira

John Ockmore

Roger Spall

Lawrence Tattersall

John Tullett

Mark Warbey

Brian Williams

Rob Wise


Driving towards the Future?

I saw an article in my local paper about the launch of the BMW i3 electric car. Always looking for something to write about for the newsletter, I made a phone call. I spoke to Tracey and told her of my plan to come and see the car with the intention of writing a review. She added my name to her list and told me how to get there.

I attended the launch. It was at Southend hosted by Fairfield BMW. I was made very welcome even after telling them I was not interested in buying a car only writing about it. I was offered a test drive and it would have been be rude not to take them up on their kind offer. Two days later I arrived at Fairfield BMW on the A127 at Leigh on Sea to find they were in the process of a major refurbishment programme. No matter, they were set up in the rear of the building, business as usual.

I met Martin who according to his business card is a BMW Genius. I must say he was incredibly knowledgeable on the i3 and did let me extend the test drive to include some windier roads.

I wouldn't call it a pretty car but it is striking. There are enough angles and curves to make it interesting. I think opinion will be divided, some will love it and some will hate it.

The car that I was to drive was the REX version, the i3 with the Range Extender. This is a 647cc motorbike engine with a 9 litre petrol tank. This generates electricity and almost doubles the range of the car on one tank of fuel. Without REX it has a range of 80-100 miles thanks to the high-voltage lithium ion battery. The lights and all other ancillary items are run from a separate 12 volt battery system which is charged from the lithium ion battery. By using the system computer you can turn off certain items like electrically heated seats or air conditioning to extend the range.

With some modern cars the seat adjustment does not always allow you to get into the ideal position for driving but I was very pleased with the simple and effective adjustment in the i3. I am 5' 9" and with driver’s seat set for me there was still plenty of room in the rear seat for someone of a similar height. One of the most important items in an automatic car is a foot rest to keep your left foot out of the way. BMW have put a very comfortable footrest in the i3.

Martin went over the controls with me. There were two screens one in front of the steering wheel with driving information, speed etc and the other screen in the centre of the dashboard was for Sat Nav, entertainment and more gadgets than you can throw a stick at. The gear selector is different, though: you switch the car on and off, and move it between Drive, Reverse and Park, via a large stalk unit mounted on the right side of the steering column.

Continued on Page 12


Driving towards the Future? continued

The i3 that I drove accelerates to 62mph in 7.9 seconds; it is an ideal car for an advanced driver because by just using the accelerator pedal you can decelerate just as effectively. When you lift off the accelerator pedal the car starts to slow fairly dramatically and BMW have added a feature that is probably unique in cars; the brake lights come on to warn the cars behind that you are slowing down. Using acceleration sense will mean it is unlikely that you will ever wear out the brake pads and this antici-patory driving rewards you with an increase in range. Apart from trying out the brakes to see what they were like I only used them once to stop at traffic lights where there was a downhill incline. Not that I got anywhere near it but the i3 is limited to 93mph.

There is very little noise from the car when you are driving, it's not silent but super quiet compared to a comparable carbon fuelled car. There is tyre noise but that is more evident because of the quiet. Martin brought the REX online manually for me to hear what it was like. I had to concentrate to make it out. If you had the radio on, which I didn't, you probably wouldn't hear the tyres or REX.

The steering has a lot of feel, allowing you to place the car exactly where you want it and the low centre of gravity keeps the i3 planted firmly on the road even on the tighter bends. To help it cope with city traffic, there’s a tight 9.86-metre turning circle.

Rear passengers have to wait until the front doors are opened before they can open up their own rear-hinged doors. Once they've done so, though, access to the back seats is easy because of the lack of a central pillar. You can also fold the front seats forwards to give you more room to get in and out. It is fitted with Bridgestone Ecopia EP500 tyres which are quite narrow compared to most modern tyres. The tyres are not runflats and there is no spare wheel but you do get a

compressor and supply of gunk. The large 19 inch alloy wheels reduce rolling resistance, which, combined with numerous aerodynamic details to create the most efficient drive.

The i3 is made using two modules. The Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) passenger compartment, which is 50% lighter than steel. I asked about repairs in the event of a collision and was told that minor repairs could be repaired locally but anything major would need to go to a specialist repair unit.

The other module is the drive module which incorporates the chassis, heating/air conditioning and drive train components as well as the high voltage battery, which contributes to the optimum space in the passenger compartment.

Continued on Page 13


Driving towards the Future? continued

You can charge the battery from a socket at home (10 amps) but this could take 7 hours, which is ok if you charge it overnight. It is possibly to buy a BMW iwallbox (32Amps) for £315 which will allow you to charge it in less than 3 hours. There are some public charging points which are identified on the Sat Nav, that allow you to charge in around 30 minutes.

I was told the i3 is in insurance Group 21 and I have confirmed this online at www.parkers.co.uk Bearing in mind my Wife's Alfa 147(1.6 litre, 120bhp) is Group 24, the insurance on the i3 should be cheaper.

The BMW i3 comes with an 8 year/100,000 mile high-voltage battery warranty as standard, along with the 3 year unlimited mileage vehicle warranty.

Sustainability - we hear it all the time but BMW are trying very hard to achieve this from the renewable energy sources used in the manufacture to the materials used in this car. Some of the materials used in this car, from high quality wood (Eucalyptus) to naturally-tanned leather and Kenaf on the dashboard. I hear the cogs of your brain whirring, what the hell is Kenaf? Kenaf is a fast growing plant of the hibiscus family grown in India. The fibres from this are mixed with a resin to produce the dashboard. All these highlight the importance of sustainability to BMW.

The picture to the right shows the handbrake, which is that little button bottom left and the control for operating the computer and ancillary equipment.

The car comes with a lot of equipment as standard but I was disappointed to see that the cable required to use at public charging stations was an additional £165 unless you buy one of the BMW electric packages, which incur a monthly fee.

The prices? From £29,950 including VAT but subject to eligibility you can get a £5,000 grant from HM Treasury. There is also the option to lease. You pay £2995, then £369 per month over 36 months, which covers use of up to 8000 miles a year.

The Vehicle Excise Duty (car tax) is £0.

I hope my first review isn't too fragmented and gives you the feeling that I had a wonderful time driving this innovative and interesting car.

There is a lot more to this car than written here, phone up your local BMW dealer and have a test drive. Be amazed!

Terry Joyce There are more pictures of the car on Page 23.


Notification of Events

There has been a lot of positive feedback from events organised by the Group. If you would like to be kept informed of any up and coming events please make sure that l has your current email address.

Young Driver Scheme

Do you know of anyone who is not 17 years of age, but wants to learn how to drive?

Chelmsford IAM group supports this road safety scheme to give people the opportunity to learn basic car control skills in Driving School Dual Controlled cars on pri-vate land before they go on the public Highway.

getting behind the wheel (again, or for the first time).

Full details of the scheme, a letter from Essex Police and a map may be viewed, and the application Form can be downloaded, from

www.youngdriverscheme.org

Lessons, lasting for one hour, are run on the third Sunday of most months at Earls Colne (near Coggeshall). There is an initial Registration Fee of £30 which covers registration and the first one hour lesson. Subsequent lessons cost £25. Lessons must be booked in advance.

The scheme is intended primarily for 16 year-olds but, if vacancies permit, places may be offered to 15 year-olds or even to older people who are nervous about

Alternatively, forms may be obtained from the YDS Organiser.

Nicola Hyland, 67 Main Road,

St Lawrence Bay, Southminster,

CM0 7NA

Dedicated Mobile number

07847 645632 or

[email protected]


Monday 13th January

To be confirmed

Monday 10th February

Transport Research Laboratory Cyclists & Cars

Speaker to be confirmed

Monday 10th March

Autoglym (car polish for everyone, not just Scott!!)

Grant Widdowson

Monday 7th April

Watch this space

Monday 12th May

Watch this space

Monday 9th June

Manoeuvring in the car park

Monday 14th July

Watch this space

Monday 11th August

Watch this space

Monday 8th September

Watch this space

Monday 13th October

Watch this space

Monday 10th November

Watch this space

Monday 8th December

Xmas Quiz

Group Nights & Events 2014

Please make a note in your diary


http://www.continental-tyres.co.uk/www/tyres_uk_en/themes/4x4-tyres/winter-tyres/4x4_why_winter_en.html

Winter Tyres - another update

Some of you will remember that I fitted winter tyres to my Wife’s Alfa 147 a couple of years ago. As an experiment I went against advice and only fitted them to the front driving wheels. The tyres that I fitted are Pirelli Snow Control. As a further experiment I did not change the tyres in the summer. Once the temperature increased the steer-ing did not have the same feel but that was the same with summer tyres. I did not notice any difference to braking performance although because of the skills that I have developed with the training that I’ve had through advanced driving, braking is something that I use to a minimum, always trying to anticipate situations and using acceleration sense to reduce the speed for each hazard.

There was no noticeable increase in fuel consumption or road noise. One of the downsides to winter tyres is the fact that you are supposed to change them in the summer and the you have to find somewhere to store them. The cost of changing them each time is what doesn’t make financial sense. What if the tyre manufacturer stated that you could leave them on. I had an email from Chris Nix who steered me towards the Continental Tyres Website. This is what I found:It is recommended that you switch to winter tyres in the UK between October and April.

If you are reluctant to change tyres and have nowhere to store summer tyres when they are not in use, you are better off using winter tyres all year round. Winter tyres are as quiet and comfortable as

summer tyres and, thanks to sophisticated

compound technology, do not wear any more quickly.

There is a slight trade off with stopping distances as a winter tyre does not stop as quickly in the dry as a summer tyre, however, on balance if it is not possible to switch tyres in the winter, experts say you are better off with winter tyres all year round. This is because the difference in stopping distances of summer tyres in winter is far greater than for winter tyres in the

summer.

Drivers are six times more likely to have an accident during the winter months, with the numbers rising

further when snow and ice add an extra hazard.

Nearly half of all accident claims are made during the winter months.

Motorists are unprepared for the wintry conditions when driving, and many are

unaware that they can improve safety by switching to winter tyres.

Terry Joyce


Changes in the New Highway Code (2007)

© Crown copyright 2007

Highway Code

The other bits

Annexes

1. You and your bicycle Make sure that you feel confident of your ability to ride safely on the road. Be sure that:

You choose the right size and type of cycle for comfort and safety

Lights and reflectors are kept clean and in good working order

Tyres are in good condition and inflated to the pressure shown on the tyre

Gears are working correctly

The chain is properly adjusted and oiled

The saddle and handlebars are adjusted to the correct height.

It is recommended that you fit a bell to your cycle.

You MUST Ensure your brakes are efficient At night, use lit front and rear lights and have a red rear reflector.

Laws PCUR regs 6 & 10 & RVLR reg 18

Cycle training can help both children and adults, especially those adults returning to cycling to develop the skills needed to cycle safely on today’s roads. A new national cycle training standard has been developed which the Government is promoting and making funding available for delivery in schools. All cyclists should consider the benefits of undertaking cycle training. For information, contact your local authority.

This annexe has been modified, reg 10 has been added and the last paragraph is new.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1983/1176/pdfs/uksi_19831176_en.pdf


Driver Experience Day

Last month saw the latest in what is now quite a long line of Driver Experience Days held at Ford’s test track at Dunton. Mostly attended by our own members, but with a few ‘tourists ‘ from the South London Group. Anybody with half a brain cell would have cancelled the event with a weather forecast of heavy rain and wind all day but our observers are made of stronger stuff – or just aren’t bright enough to realise the folly! It was OK for the participants in their nice warm cars, but as anybody who has attended one of these will know, the observers/marshals spend most of their time on an open track with not even a tree for shelter. I think it is fair to say that we all suffered dampness in places we didn’t even know we had, but the day was successful and whilst we might not have been smiling much, the participants were. Also on the positive side, that’s another £290 winging its way towards Essex Air Ambulance who are on the receiving end of anything we can raise. We are grateful to Total Waste Management for lending us an 18 ton truck and driver for the day and everybody had a go at driving the beast. I’ve never been that keen on cars having more than 5 gears so you can imagine my attitude to having 8 – with 4 being in exactly the same place as the other 4 – adjustable by switch. Made me yearn for an automatic – and it’s not often I say that!! So thanks to the truck supplier and Gary, the driver. Thanks also to Graham, Helen and Jamie for their marshalling work. By the time we hold the next one we will all have forgotten about the discomfort of this one and doubtless be stupid enough to do it all again. I’m trying to line up another truck for next year but in the meantime if anybody has access to any large vehicles – or knows a man who does – please let me know and I will pester them until they let me borrow it. I’d really like a fire engine, but no reasonable offer refused. If you have-n’t already been to one of these – and even if you have, just let me know if you want your name put on the list for next year. Date not yet agreed, but might try for September – not quite so wet then – I hope!! Scott Bannister


Mrs Gaynor Manthorpe Chelmsford Group of Advanced Motorists

Dear Mrs Manthorpe,

Thank You!

We were delighted to receive your kind donation of £290 raised by those taking part in your Driver Experience Day at Ford’s Dunton.

On behalf of all the people who we have assisted, we would like to say a big and heartfelt thank your- your support is very much appreciated.

The Essex Air Ambulance is a vital life-saving Helicopter Emergency Medical Service for the County. It costs in the region of £250,000 per month to cover all charitable costs and aircraft operations. In this current economic climate when fundraising contributions have declined, it makes it even more difficult for us to reach this essential monthly figure.

Every day, volunteers, the public and local businesses work tirelessly to help raise the required amount to keep your lifesaving helicopter flying seven days a week.

The introduction of Doctors on board means that we can now provide enhanced critical care at the scene, The doctors work along-side the Paramedics bringing two sets of skills to the benefit of patients, enabling lifesaving procedures to be carried out which would not otherwise be possible so early in the treatment process.

For all our latest news, please visit www.essexairambulance.uk.com - it’s a great way to keep in touch and to find out about our new and exciting plans for the future.

If you would like to receive our twice yearly newsletter or would welcome news of events via text or email, please check our website.

Once again, on behalf of us all, a very sincere thank you. We hope you will continue to support us.

Yours sincerely Helena Morgan

Trust Fundraising Manager On behalf of the Aircrew and Fundraising Team.


Letters & emails On all matters relating to motoring and the Chelmsford Group, this newsletter or your experiences in preparing for or taking your test are most welcome.

"I decided to take 'the test' for a number of reasons; for the challenge, to have fun, and having bought a new car, hopefully get cheaper car insurance - because at 24, any help will be taken! But above all, being a young driver, and a professional HGV driver by trade, I wanted to get some recognition that I know what I am on about, and not to be tarnished with the same 'boy racer' brush as every other young person. For me, the IAM achieved that. I display my badge with pride and encourage my friends to take the challenge too. My thanks go to my Observer Terry, who was patient, clear and polite in all our observed drives. And also to Scott for my mock test with some great feedback for me. Thank you!" Also, I went to the Dunton driver experience day and can report I had a great time! Putting the anchors on at 70mph is certainly an experience! James Stretch

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To become a member of the IAM has been a desire of mine since I was in my early twenties. It was then I was working with a chap who, I discovered, had passed his 'advanced driving test': he happened to have two copies of 'Roadcraft' and gave me one of them! This Police Drivers Handbook really opened my eyes as to how we should all behave on our roads. Now I have, more or less, retired, this has given me the time to achieve one of my goals in life to also pass the advanced driving test. This I have now successfully achieved, but could not have done so without IAM people! Many sincere thanks to firstly, Roger Spall my 'Observer', secondly Scott Bannister for the 'mock test' and further 'observing' and, of course, Paula Fells my examiner! I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and have managed to persuade two others to become associates, so our membership of Chelmsford branch is growing further." Gordon Ross

More on page 21


I AM a safer driver than I was 4 months ago. I know this because tonight some bloke with a funny accent gave me a certificate that says I AM. Not that I was a terrible driver before. As my observer John put it after my first assessed drive, my driving “didn’t make him feel totally scared”. That wasn’t the compliment I was after when you realise I’ve been doing this car-on-the-road thing for 15 years and “never” had an accident. A few bad habits have somehow crept into my driving and I’ve seen the devastation road accidents cause. I never want my family to suffer like that. So when I heard about IAM’s ‘skills for life’ course it seemed worth a go. Completing this course has been the best investment of time and money I have ever made. It seems crazy that a skill as important and dangerous as driving can be learnt to basic test standard in weeks and then forgotten about. Over several sessions John patiently helped to identify and correct my bad habits and introduce me to the IPSGA system. After each drive, we discussed every aspect in John’s menagerie house whilst drinking cups of perfect tea (Thanks Kay!). Most of my bad habits are now gone: late braking, keeping one hand on the gearstick for no real reason, random round-abouting, self-help speed limits, etc. I can spot other motorists’ bad driving earlier and make allowances for it. If this sounds like it’s taken the fun out of driving, it’s the opposite. Even long motorway drives can now be exhilarating and challenging. Commentary driving is a surprisingly useful and amusing activity. The final assessment showed how far I’ve come – and how much more there is to learn. So am I a better driver? Undoubtedly. But I AM just as vulnerable as any other road user. Today, like every day, 5 people will die on UK roads. One of the most experienced members of our local group was recently injured by a driver swerving right across his path. Sadly, IAM doesn’t make you invincible or drive like Bond. What John and IAM have done is to help me recognise hazards earlier and reduce the risk that I, or the people I care about most, will become another statistic. For that, I will always be grateful. Kind Regards, Matt Young

Letters & emails continued


CHELMSFORD ADVANCED MOTORISTS

LIBRARY LIST

DVDs

Drive Smarter, Essential know-how for your driving career (2 copies) By Gem Motoring Assist

Roadcraft, The Police Driver’s Course on Advanced Driving By The Police Foundation

PC CD-ROMs

The Interactive Highway Code HMSO/ Interactive Driving Systems

Hazard Perception Test HMSO/Oasis

BOOKS

Roadcraft TSO Human Aspects of Police Driving Scottish Police College The Tyre Digest (2 copies) Michelin

Driving Abroad Robert Davies

The Official Highway Code Rev. 2007 Edition HMSO

The Official Guide to Accompanying L-Drivers DSA

Sideways to Victory Roger Clark

The Myway Code Ian Vince/Dan Kieran

Paul Ripley’s Expert Driving Daily Telegraph

The Inner Game of Tennis W Timothy Gallwey

Mind Driving Stephen Haley

Older Drivers – Safe or Unsafe? IAM Traffic– Why we drive the way we do Tom Vanderbilt Boreham, A History of the Racing Circuit Bryan Jones & John Frankland

CDs

Awake, Driver Reviver THINK

Advanced Road Craft Bespoke Driving Training

The Driving Test – Your Licence to Drive IAM/Safety on the Move

If you have any books etc from the Library can you please contact Scott Bannister


The BMW i3

This is the version with the range extender, a 647cc motorbike engine.

The only obvious difference was the petrol filling flap on the offside wing.

The links below are to websites that you may have an interest in. Please let me know if

any of them are not working. Email me if you think of any websites that may be of interest.

IAM DrivingAdvice & Tips

http://www.iam.org.uk/media-and-research/media-centre/driving-and-riding-tips

Online Highway Code

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/index.htm

Know your traffic signs

http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/@motor/documents/digitalasset/dg_191955.pdf

Tyresafe

http://www.tyresafe.org

Drive Alive

http://www.drive-alive.co.uk

Heritage Motor Centre http://www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk/

London Cyclist http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/

IAM Skills Days 2014

Skills days offer stimulating learning experiences on well known, challenging circuits with IAM Instructor guidance throughout. You will enjoy at least six separate 'on-track' sessions in your own vehicle/bike with the focus on anticipation, cornering, planning, smoothness and understanding how your vehicle performs in a variety of situations. These skills days offer outstanding value for money compared to many other track experiences, with MORE on-track time and MORE instructor guidance

than you will find elsewhere.

http://www.iam.org.uk/drivers/motorists-courses/driving-assessment/skills-days

www.iamchelmsford.org.uk

Extra Chelmsford Advanced Motorists Issue 103

Extra bits With this the electronic version of Forward Vision I am not limited by the amount of pages that there are in the paper one, so I am taking this opportunity to add an extra section.

On this page are a couple of snippets from the motoring world.

The McLaren P1 Joins the exclusive sub 7 minute club at the Nürburgring.

An average speed in excess of 178 km/h (111 mph) was nec-essary to achieve the required lap time around the 20.8km (13 mile) circuit. A short film celebrating the team’s achievement at the Nürburgring is available to view at: http://youtu.be/E9IWiTpWeiM

The 20.8 kilometres was driven at an average speed in excess of 178 km/h, which sounds easy, until you add in more than 150 corners, 300 metres of elevation changes and cornering forces of up to 2g. All in less than seven minutes.

Commenting on the sub-seven achievement by the McLaren, McLaren Formula 1 driver and 2009 world champion Jenson Button said:”The fact that the McLaren P1 has posted a sub-seven-minute lap at the Nürburgring is unbelievably impressive.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Essential Driver’s Handbook wins award

Bruce Grant-Braham has won the IAM Safety Award for his book The Essential Driver’s Handbook, at the prestigious Guild of Motoring Writers awards presented at the RAC Club in Pall Mall, London on December 5th 2013.

The award was presented to Bruce by the Institute of Advanced Motorists as the Guild Member who has made the most significant contribution to the promotion of road safety during the year. The Essential Driver’s Handbook shows you what to do in the event of an accident, whatever the severity.

Practical roadside first aid basics are addressed, as are the practical and legal obligations for all those who may be involved, and explanations of what the emergency services will do, and why.

Other situations addressed include how to avoid problems as a lone driver, as well as situations such as car-jacking. Finally, car parks, and their own specific security problems, are discussed.

Bruce, previously known for his motorsport and F1 books, was commissioned by Veloce Publishing for this valuable addition to the company’s range of RAC advice handbooks.

Bruce said, “I hope the RAC Essential Driver’s Handbook will provide some ways of avoiding or minimising the effects of such stressful motoring situations, I am extremely grateful for the professional advice I received during my research. I am pleased to say that we can be reassured that we have some nationally recognised experts in our Country and I am indebted to those individuals from Dorset Police, Dorset Fire and Rescue and South

West Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust who willingly offered advice to make sure that the final manuscript is as accurate and up-to-date as possible.”

Bruce Grant-Braham is Director of the Motor Sport Research Group at Bournemouth University, possesses a PhD and is a former Mayor of Poole. He is a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers.

Extra 1 Chelmsford Advanced Motorists Issue 103

Microclimates A microclimate is a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. Microclimates exist, for example, near bodies of water which may cool the local atmosphere. Microclimates can cause frost, ice and wet patches to linger in some areas after they have disappeared elsewhere.

As I write this the snow is falling and there is a thick blanket over the car. Microclimates can still be observed during snowy conditions. We usually associate a microclimate with patches of ice but the opposite can be the case. In heavily urban areas where brick, concrete, and asphalt absorb the sun's energy, heat up, and reradiate that heat to the ambient air, the result is what is known as an urban heat island. As advanced drivers, we are looking at microclimates which can possibly affect our driving, so as a general rule any road that has areas of shadow caused by trees or any other objects will generally be colder than the surrounding area. Another contributing factor to microclimate is the slope or aspect of an area. South facing slopes are warmer for longer. North facing banks, slopes and hedges are the most susceptible to patches of ice, frost and wetness that can surprise you if you are not paying attention. I'm not saying that you need to have a compass in the car, although I have seen one or two cars with them in. It does help if you have an idea of where north is. What direction is the sun coming from? Where is the shade? All these factors will help in determining whether there might be an ice patch around that next corner. The road surface on bridges is always likely to be affected as they are more often than not exposed on all sides and are almost certainly colder than the surrounding roads. When considering microclimates we don't often consider wind. Bridges and tall buildings create their own microclimate, both by overshadowing large areas and by channelling strong winds.

Fog is the most frightening type of microclimate as it cuts off the thing we most need as drivers: information/visibility. Fog is made up of condensed water droplets which are the result of the air being cooled to the point where it can no longer hold all of the water vapour it contains. The problem with humans is when we stare into the mist or fog our eyes get tired and we only focus a short distance in front of us. You must keep those eyes moving, looking for those little clues: cats eyes, kerbs, cars in front and behind. Remember that horn-it's there to let other drivers and pedestrians know we are there. Use all your senses, wind that window down a little and listen.

Terry Joyce


Hooray, Snow!

As recorded in the last edition I had some winter tyres fitted to the front driving wheels on my Wife’s car (not me personally but some nice men at Jet Tyres in Rayleigh).

Motoring experts recommend that winter tyres are fitted to all the wheels of your vehicle and not mixed with non-winter tyres.

They say it can actually be more dangerous as it can lead to unbalanced and there-fore unsafe handling. I thought for a long while about this and could see perhaps, at faster speeds and in extreme braking and steering situations, this may have some impact on the handling of the car but in snow and ice drivers with experience of the conditions and in particular advanced drivers won’t get in those situations (hopefully).

When the tyres were first fitted the temperature was 11°C; I took it for a drive and there seemed little difference from the original tyres. Several days later the tempera-

ture dropped to below 6°C and it was like driving a different car. There was so much feel to the steering and the grip seemed much better. My wife com-mented on this too, after she had driven it .

The snow has arrived at last. Generally I dread its arrival, as it makes life more difficult and far more dangerous. Even a small journey can become fraught because of the lack of expertise of most drivers; wheels spinning, cars going along sideways, drivers still driving far

to close.

This year I couldn’t wait for the snow. After spending some time clearing the snow from the car and topping up the washer bottle it was time to try out the tyres. My driveway has a slope and in previous years it was difficult to get off of the drive with-out spinning the wheels. I put the car in first and with no throttle at all lifted the clutch - no drama, the car started to move forward.

The road was clear so I went straight out. My road also has an upward slope and there was a car having difficulty in getting onto the main road. The road surface was a mixture of snow and slush. I had to stop briefly until the road cleared. There is very little vision at the junction till you arrive at the give way lines, laying beneath a deep pile of slush. Again in first, this time using a few revs, off I went. The main roads were fairly clear and not a real challenge, so I headed for some quiet country lanes nearby .

Continued on extra 3


Hooray, Snow continued

The following tests which I carried out were without any scientific basis and purely

what I thought would reasonably test the tyres. No Animals were harmed during the

tests.

On the first section of the country lane the snow had been driven on and was fairly

well packed down. On the first bend, I had a complete view of the road ahead and it

was empty. I approached it slightly too fast, braked quite hard and added excessive

steering, there was a slight movement of the back end as the non winter tyres started

to lose traction but a small reduction of steering and the car was stable again.

The next section was fairly long, straight and downhill. I got up to 20mph and tried an

emergency stop; the ABS kicked in and the car stopped remarkably quickly in a

straight line. I tried out more brake tests at various speeds using three stage braking

and the car and tyres performed exceptionally well. The next section of the road, seen

in the picture on the previous page was soft snow 4” - 6” deep.

I tried stopping and starting a lot of times and the grip was brilliant even in the thick

snow. The tyres are phenomenal; unlike previous years I felt in total control of the car.

The only time there was a slight problem was

when I drove the car into a deeper drift of

around 8” and stopped for a while. There

was a lot of resistance to get the car going,

so I rocked it backwards and forwards a

couple of times and off it went.

These tests, although not at all scientific,

made me feel extremely comfortable driving

in the conditions presented by the snow. I

shall try more testing throughout the winter

and let you know of the outcome.

Winter tyres remain flexible and grip better

when temperatures drop below 7°c because

they contain a greater amount of natural

rubber and silicone. Sipes (small slits) are

the little brick like sections on this winter tyre

which give it more traction in snow and icy

conditions. You can see how they have

pushed into the snow.

Terry Joyce

forward vision 103 december13

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