Issue 19

January 2014

www.rospa-southeastessex.org.uk

The ‘System’ of car control

For more information see Roadcraft and our website.

The Newsletter of RoADA South East Essex Group

Chairman Scott Mildren

Secretary Merv Whitney

Treasurer Alison Morris

Publicity Officer

Newsletter Editor Terry Joyce

Deputy Chairman Steve Andrews

Editorial Happy New Year. Well we haven’t had any snow so far but we’ve had plenty of rain. Have you been affected by the flooding?

Have a look at this advice from RoSPA. http://www.rospa.com/leisuresafety/adviceandinformation/watersafety/vehicles-in-water.aspx

Don’t forget your POWDER checks. Page 256 of Roadcraft.

At the end of November we spent a weekend training three new Tutors. The group hired a car and Merv, John Ockmore and myself spent time with them. A lot of miles, training, role playing and fun was had and I am pleased to say the group has three new Approved Tutors: Clive Smith, John Tullett and Lee Walker

Scott told us at the last group night that he had applied for a position as GAP rep. I am pleased to say our Chairman is the new Groups Advisory Panel Rep for the south east region.

The dates for our group meetings in 2014 are now published, please make a note in your diaries please. They are at the back of this newsletter and on our website.

http://www.rospa-southeastessex.org.uk/

Can you have look at our Facebook page please and like the page. https://www.facebook.com/SouthEastEssexAdvancedDrivers

Terry Joyce terry@rospa-southeastessex.org.uk

to our members who have taken a test.

To our new member: Ian Bolton.

Name Grade Tutor

June Thorington Silver

Dave Naulls Silver Terry Joyce

John Ockmore Gold (retest)

John Tullett Gold (retest) Terry Joyce

Douglas Watkins Gold (retest) Merv Whitney

Mark Robertson Gold Merv Whitney

Sue McClellan Silver John Ockmore

Jill Winn Gold Phil Benson

Kevin Hyde Gold (retest)

This Newsletter will be sent to all members that have an email address.

Please let me know if you change it.

Motorway driver locator signs

On a recent test one of the highway code questions was about motorways and what to do in various situations. One of the most important points is to identify where you and or an incident took place

What do I use this sign for? If you witness an incident, debris or breakdown and need to report it, give these letters and numbers to the emergency services to tell them where you saw the incident. This helps the emergency services to get to the correct location quickly. The signs are visible from the road whilst travelling. Obviously do not use a hand held telephone.

The number on all these markers is a unique reference point which allows breakdown and emergency services to find you if you're involved in an incident.

The top line is the road identifier

The letter on the second line of the signs is called the carriage-way identifier. It tells the emergency services or the Highways Agency which direction you are travelling in. On the M11, the ‘A’ carriageway is northbound, or ‘away’ from London and the ‘B’ car-riageway is southbound, or ‘back’ to London. Drivers will also see the letters J and M on signs on the M11. These represent the spur roads on and off the carriageway.

The numbers indicate the distance from a defined point on the network, measured in kilometres.

The distance shown on a driver location sign is accurate to within 20 metres. The aim is that the driver location sign will be located as close as possible to the distance marker post and therefore the sign will show the same distance as shown on the nearby distance marker post.

Driver location signs will be located on the near side verge of the road. In certain places the spacing will be 400 metres or 300 metres to avoid locat-ing the sign where road users could not easily see it, such as beneath or after a bridge.

If you need to stop in an emergency, then you would follow the standard protocol already in existence. (See Highway Code Rule 274/5).The driver location signs are not replacing the existing distance marker posts (which are positioned every 100 metres) or the emergency telephones located every mile, that can be used for assistance. There are small markers next to the driver locator signs that show the direction and distance to the nearest emergency telephone.

Continued on Page 5

Motorway driver locator signs continued

The design of the driver location sign was agreed with the Department for Transport in 2003. The design of the signs is the same, for motorways and “A” roads, to ease driver understanding of the new signs: • Yellow legend • Blue background • White border

The Regional Control Centre staff, emergency services, vehicle rescue companies and traffic officers are briefed, so that they are aware of what the signs are and how to use the information on them to the best effect.

When a driver uses one of the motorway emergency telephones, it will be answered by an Highways Agency operator at one of seven Regional Control Centres. The operator will know the precise location of the caller. In an emergency it is important that the emergency phone is used, because the response will be quicker. However, with the increased use of mobile telephones by drivers in an emergency, police may not be able to locate the scene of an incident quickly, as drivers, particularly drivers from abroad, may not be sure of their location. This is where the driver locator signs will help.

When a call is made, the operator will take the details and give the caller safety advice and then liaise with the recovery services or if necessary the emergency services. Often the Highways Agency Patrols will get to them before any of these to see if they can help and offer advice.

Highways Agency Traffic Officers (HATOs) can direct traffic, quickly set up diversions and move debris or immobilised vehicles from the road. This helps free up traffic police officers to concentrate on law enforcement and driver education. To Report: Road Traffic Incidents / Collisions, contact 999 or 112 For Debris, contact Highways Agency Information Line 0300 123 5000 Has anyone broken down on a Motorway? Let us know how you got on. Whilst researching this article I came across a very interesting map. It is an underground style map of the Motorway Network. See http://www.motorwaymap.co.uk

Terry Joyce

Roadcraft

For me Chapter one has the same message as the old Roadcraft but written in a different way. How do we become a better driver? The key for me is on page 9, it is a short paragraph titled Develop Aware-ness of your personal vulnerability. What does that mean?

For me it means we are human, we all react to situations but we don’t all react in the same way. For instance when someone is tailgating you, do you slow down or speed up? Do you make sure that you are safe as you can be in the situation by allowing for their driving or do you allow them to pressure you. This means that your personal characteristics can increase or reduce your risk of a collision. You need to embrace the ‘system of driv-ing’ to allow you to overcome these vulnerabilities.

I consider myself as a improving driver. Before I started on my journey into advanced driving I was aggressive and frustrated, I always wanted to get wherever I was going as fast as possible. With the condition on the roads today that often isn’t possible, the result in my case was frustration, which led to a dislike of driving.

I started driving to the ‘System’ and things started to fall into place once I had discovered ‘acceleration sense’ and restraint, making driving a pleas-ure. I believe showing restraint is the key to being a better driver.

Roadcraft goes on to describe the four levels set out in the European Goals for Driver Education. Firstly these human factors that affect our driving, secondly the purpose and context of your journey. Obviously a relaxed weekend drive is very different say from a commute where there is a deadline to meet in busy rush hour traffic. Thirdly traffic situations. For me this is about applying the ‘system’ with the knowledge and skills that you develop. Lastly your vehicle and your ability to control it. We could talk about this forever but it is your responsibility to try and learn as much as you can about your car, what it can and more importantly what it can’t do.

Page 259 has a matrix which will help you to understand the four levels of competency. More next time.

Terry Joyce

Changes in The Official Highway Code (Revised 2007) © Crown copyright 2007

227

Driving in adverse weather conditions

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_069858

Link below to online Highway Code

228

Wet weather. In wet weather, stopping distances will be at least double those required for stopping on dry roads. This is because your tyres have less grip on the road. In wet weather

♦ you should keep well back from the vehicle in front. This will increase your ability to see and plan ahead

♦ if the steering becomes unresponsive, it probably means that water is preventing the tyres from gripping the road. Ease off the accelerator and slow down gradually

♦ the rain and spray from vehicles may make it difficult to see and be seen

♦ be aware of the dangers of spilt diesel that will make the surface very slippery (see Annex 6: Vehicle maintenance, safety and security on page 128)

♦ take extra care around pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and horse riders.

There are additional bullet points. Annex 6 has been expanded, please read.

Icy and snowy weather

In winter check the local weather forecast for warnings of icy or snowy weather. DO NOT drive in these conditions unless your journey is essential. If it is, take great care and allow more time for your journey. Take an emergency kit of de-icer and ice scraper, torch, warm clothing and boots, first aid kit, jump leads and a shovel, together with a warm drink and emergency food in case you get stuck or your vehicle breaks down.

Additional items have been added to the list of emergency kit.

Also read Rule 229

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.

Internet Links

Highway Code online

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

Winter Driving Tips

http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/adviceandinformation/driving/winter-driving-tips.aspx

Our Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/SouthEastEssexAdvancedDrivers

This is a picture that I took, showing the A12 at Witham.

Extra bits With this the electronic version of In4mation 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.

Driving towards the Future?

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 BMW i3

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 Extra 2

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 compres-

sor 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 Extra 3

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

See our website for links to Google Earth and Streetmap.

Bedloes Corner is the junction on the A1245 with Rawreth Lane and Church Road. It is controlled by traffic lights.

From the North: You cannot turn right. See the arrows on the diagram. You turn left just before the lights and then turn right. You can then enter Church Road by going straight on at the lights.

From the south: A1245 turn left at traffic lights

For anyone approaching from the Wickford/Shotgate direction the hall can be reached via the A129, turn left into the old London road, passing The Chichester. There is a width restriction when you enter Church Road.

Our Group meetings are held in the Village Hall at Rawreth Located in Church Road, the post code is SS11 8SH.

Group Nights 2014

Wednesday 30th April

Wednesday 30th July Wednesday 29th October

Make a note in your diary!

www.rospa-southeastessex.org.uk