ADVANCE Winter 2008

STEERING A COURSE FOR SAFERDRIVING AND RIDING

The official magazine of Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists and Motorcyclists

Winter 2008

D N E

Servicing, Repairs, W

elding, Recovery, M

OT

for cars, motor-hom

es & com

mercials

JOHN F. BLACK

6B Catherinefield Ind Est Heathhall Dumfries DG1 3PQ Tel: 01387 267473

St. Michael’s ServicesSt. Michael ’s Street

DumfriesDG1 2QD

Tel: 01387 254304

~ BP ultimate fuels

~ BP Autogas

~ Car wash

~ Jet wash

~ MACE convenience store

~ Special offers for Dumfries Group members

more per formance , le s s po l lut ion

© Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists1

What’s on? - check for late changes at www.iamdumfries.org.uk

8 December – TABLE TOP RALLY (using OS Landranger sheet 85).

23 January (Friday) – RACE NIGHT at Dalston House Hotel. Fun night open tomembers, guests and friends - come along and support your group. Details on p17.

Monday 9 February – GARAGE VISIT TO BORDER CARS, Glasgow Street. 7pm

Monday 9 March – FUEL PRODUCTION AND PRICING. Jamie Wood from StMichaels service station.

Monday 13 April – MANOEUVRABILITY TESTS. Test your skills at the OLD TESCOCAR PARK start time from 6pm

Monday 11 May – AGM / Group Quiz

All Meetings will be held at Dalston House Hotel, Dumfries start 7:30pm unless otherwise stated.

Group Committee Members for 2008/09Group President: Tommy Jardine

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

address: [email protected]

This magazine was publishedby the Dumfries & Galloway

Group ofAdvanced Motorists &

Motorcyclists.For more details of our activities

see our web site at:

www.iamdumfries.org.ukContact the

Group Secretary:[email protected]

Magazine comments andcontributions to:

[email protected]:

The views expressed in thismagazine are those of the con-tributors and not necessarilythose of the Editor, Group or theInstitute of Advanced Motorists,to which the Group is affiliated.Reg Charity No. SC 023511

Chair,Chief m/c Obs

Graeme McColm 01387 720425

Vice Chair Jamie Wood 01683 300347Secretary Helen Cameron 07707 035518Treasurer Russell Wears 01387 263893Minute Sec Anne Lind 07877 291715Assoc Coordntr Peter Dodds 01387 261523M/c Coordntr Andrew Bird 01387 259500News Dist. Christine Donaldson 01576 202805Events Stewart Cameron 01387 264005Committee Charlie Allman

Andy CampbellNeil Martynink

01387 26375007717 79810907725 941180

Our work including this magazine issupported by Dumfries & GallowayCouncil. For a full list of our many spon-sors please visit the Sponsors Wall at:www.iamdumfries.org.uk

Supported by:


The Chairman’s comments - Graeme McColm

Welcome to the Winter edition of our Advance Magazine.

This has been a busy time for us all. Although the nights are drawing in andthe weather has not improved since we last went to print it hasn’t stopped usfrom continuing our good work. We have had numerous people taking part inboth car and bike courses and hope to continue with both throughout thewinter. Congratulations to all those who have passed their tests.

Our Observers, both car and bike have all been busy, the word is gettingaround and we are growing at quite a pace. Thankfully drivers and bikers arecoming to us for courses and information, which is a nice change, long may itcontinue.

We have been lucky enough to be allocated a place on the “Road SafetyPartnership Meeting“, which gives us an insight into road safety strategies.Jamie Wood (Vice Chairman) attended the first meeting on 6 October at Fireand Rescue headquarters in Dumfries and has reported back to us positivelyon the ideas and improvements for the region’s roads.

The winter programme of events is in full swing with lots of interesting nightsahead. Check out the “what’s on” section or visit our web site atwww.iamdumfries.org.uk for details. Sometimes circumstances force us tomake last minute changes to our programme of events but whenever possiblewe’ll endeavour to update the web site with the latest information.

We are truly into winter time now that the clocks have gone back so thespotlight is on us all to drive and ride safely, with the potential for snow and icejust around the next corner, let’s be careful out there.

Finally, please remember that our aim is to reduce accidents and increaseroad safety, if you know of anybody who would benefit from a “Skill for Life”course please encourage them to get in touch. You may also be interested tohear the IAM are offering Skill for Life Christmas gift packs for drivers andriders, you can find out more details on page 13 of this magazine.

Have a safe and enjoyable Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

Safe drivers are made, not bornThe IAM Motoring Trust have recently published a report into the safety ofyoung drivers, looking at where and when they are most at risk. The report isavailable to download, free of charge from the IAM web site (www.iam.org.uk).It identifies the particular risks associated with young drivers by comparingstatistics with other age groups on the road.


Three significant factors dic-tate how people drive, andtheir likelihood of being in acrash:

Age – drivers under 25 havean exceptionally high risk;the risk is greatest for driversunder 20, who are the mostinexperienced.

Experience – the risk of be-ing in a crash peaks immedi-ately after passing thedriving test, and declines steadily over the following 12 months and beyond,as new drivers learn from their solo driving experiences.

Gender – younger male drivers are up to twice as likely to be in a crash asyounger females.

There is no typical road crash, but there are conditions in which younger driv-ers have a greater proportion of crashes than older drivers:

� Older cars with less EuroNCAP crash protection� When there are three or more casualties in the car� Friday and Saturday nights� On rural class ‘C’ or unclassified roads� Single vehicle crashes involving no other road-user� Running off the road and hitting a roadside object� Skidding and possibly overturning� In fog, mist or rain, or on wet roads in fine weather� On bends, particularly on rural roads� Young men are at significantly greater risk than young women

If you are a driver or a rider of any age we can help you make yourself saferand your driving and riding more enjoyable by, amongst other things, improv-ing awareness of risks and how to manage them safely. So why not get intouch and/or pass the message onto others? We are affiliated to the IAMwhose prime road safety role is to raise driving and riding standards. Safedrivers (and riders) are not born, they are made.

The 127,000 IAM members are among the 400,000 drivers and riders trainedand tested to advanced standards by them. Brunel University found that mostdrivers who received advanced coaching developed significantly better safetyskills, from speed management and cornering to hazard awareness andkeener anticipation.

C


What’s your take on the position of bikers?Motorcyclists are necessarily much more vulnerable on the road comparedwith drivers of any other class of vehicle, the accident statistics prove it. All toooften collisions occur between bikes and cars in which poor observation andunderstanding of just what a biker has to do on the road play a significant part.

Of course, collisions are not always the fault of just the biker or driver involvedbut we’re not concerned here in apportioning blame to either party. Rather tohighlight the essential difficulties bikers face and some of the techniques theymay use which, at first sight, might be a little difficult to understand to a driverwith no biking experience.

As a driver don’t expect a biker to just ride adopting a position to the nearsideof his lane - try looking in front of a moving biker. Things like ruts, pot-holes,debris, gratings, man-holes and the like all have a much greater potential foraffecting stability of a bike compared to the affect on a car. For this importantreason you should expect a biker to adjust his position to miss such features.

Even things like repairs to the surface can be very significant to a biker whowill want to adjust his position away from areas of variable skid resistance orsurfaces which can adversely affect his stability. White paint on the road whilstperhaps not having a great deal of significance to a driver, will often needpositive action from a biker to reduce the risks posed by the hazard. Next timeyou see a biker approach say “SLOW” painted on the road you may observethat he adjusts his position so his wheels pass over the bottom leg of the L ormaybe he’ll pass straight through the O. Certainly if he is an advanced riderhe will consider this course of action to minimise the affects on his stability.

As a driver you can do a lot to minimise the risks associated with mixing withbikes and, like all things in advanced driving, you’ll benefit if you use yourobservation and anticipation skills well. It can prove especially difficult togauge the speed of a motorcycle since they take up less of your field of vision,making depth perception more difficult. Allow plenty of room when you areovertaking, don’t just sneak by with little room to spare since the biker mayneed to adjust his position for one of the reasons above, or to get a better viewof the road ahead, which often demands use of the full width of their lane.

Wet roads and poor weather have an even greater impact on bikers, of course,so always keep plenty of distance. Junctions are the most risky areas for amotorcyclist, because of their size they can be difficult to spot. Good observa-tion and scanning will help prepare you and give you time to react.

The Department of Transport campaigns on the subject continue to carry goodadvice - Think once, Think twice - Think bike.


Motorcycle Chief Observer’s diary - Graeme McColmThis has, as usual, been a busy time for the motorcycle section, with quite anumber of people passing their advanced bike test recently. We’ve have hada lot of ongoing interest which is quite surprising considering the time of yearand the weather we have been experiencing.

Andrew Bird and I attended the “Bike Forum” at Tulliallan police headquarters,fortunately the weather was good enough to travel to the meeting by bike.Many aspects of running the motorcycle section were covered, the detail ofwhich we were able to report back to the committee.

Recently the bike section ran a socialnight at a local Chinese restaurant,this was well attended (consideringthe short notice) with over two dozenmembers enjoying a very pleasantevening. Christine Donaldson, one ofthe committee members, is currentlymaking a contact list of all members,this should help with organisingevents in future. Please contact herwith your email address if you wish tobe notified of further social nights.Although these are bike sectionevents (and therefore not announced in the Advance Magazine), they arehowever, open to all members.

Just before we went to print, the group attended an open evening at Scot-speed Motorcycles. I was pleased that such a good number of membersturned out on what proved to be a very wet night. Grateful thanks go to IanMetcalfe and his staff for making us feel very welcome and providing food anddrink on the night. We look forward to building on our links with Scotspeed inthe future. We are also looking forward to the Table Top Rally on 8 Decemberand the Race Night on 23 January. This latter event is important for us, servingnot only as a social event for members, friends and family but also as a fundraiser to help us provide the necessary equipment to further our aims. You canfind more details on page 17 of this magazine - tickets will be galloping out thedoor so don’t get left in the stalls!

Finally, please remember that our aim is to reduce accidents and increaseroad safety, if you know of any bikers or car drivers who may benefit from a“skill for life” course please encourage them to get in touch.

Be safe, have an enjoyable Festive period and see you at the Race Night.

Members looking forward to their meals


Victim of blinkered vision.The trend over the past few years towards spectacles with wide side arms canhave serious consequences for drivers and riders. Whilst you may get goodforward vision in your new glasses, vision to the sides can be seriouslycompromised - in fact it can be like driving in blinkers.

Drivers and riders who use theirglasses on the road should choosethe frames carefully so as to allow themaximum all-round vision.

The Association of Optometrists ad-vise that frames should have slendersides set high enough so as not tointerfere with sideways vision. So itwould be safest if you want glasses with wide sidearms to get a second pair,with thin arms, for use out on the road, after all who wants to become a victimof fashion?

Would you get good peripheral vision (tothe sides) with these glasses?

Table top rallyThe December meeting will see Jim Hunter putting us through our paces in atable-top rally. Jim will no doubt have some maps to hand but please bringalong an OS Landranger sheet 85 (Carlisle and Solway Firth), if you have one.

Emergency Vehicles - IAM Driving tip

Deciding what to do when you hear an emergency vehicle approaching can bea dilemma. Do you stay where you are and potentially block the progress of anemergency vehicle? Or do you move into a position that may put you or otherroad users at risk?Unfortunately, some drivers over-react to emergency service vehicles travel-ling on “blues and twos” (blue lights and two-tone horns). This is often becausethey don’t hear or see the emergency vehicle until it’s too close, and then takedrastic action to get out of the way.The Institute of Advanced Motorists says that good driving practice will alertyou early to emergency vehicles: regular mirror checks (side and rear) forexample, and keeping the windows slightly down around town, so you canhear sirens approaching.Don’t panic and just brake. It’s natural to want to react. But instinctivelyputting your brakes on immediately in front of an emergency vehicle doesn’thelp: it slows the progress of the emergency vehicle and jeopardises otherroad users.

© Dumfries & Galloway Group of Advanced Motorists & Motorcyclists

Think about where you are on the road.You should deal with the problem in thesame way that you deal with any otherpotentially hazardous driving situation.What is the safest option available to you?Don’t cross red traffic lights or speed toget out of the way. The emergency driverhas training and legal exemptions that youdon’t have. Bus lanes and box junctionscan be problems too, but let them resolvethe problem of breaking the rules – not you.If you are moving it may well be that you can continue at a reasonable paceand the emergency vehicle can follow you out of a pocket of congestion (suchas a blocked one way system). In that scenario, attempting to pull over toosoon, or slow down, might just cause a needless obstruction and so hamperthe progress of the emergency vehicle.Indicate your intentions clearly Don’t pull in opposite other obstructions,such as centre bollards. If you are thinking about pulling over across anentrance to a school or factory, you may be unwittingly preventing the emer-gency vehicle reaching its destination. And do think about where you areasking the emergency driver to overtake you – on the brow of a hill or a blindbend can be placing him or her in a very difficult position.Get out of the way as soon as you can do so in safety.

Making improvements to this driving malarkey - Richard Ross

Well I have always been interested in driving and eventually passed my test in2007. I looked into doing Pass Plus but it just didn't seem very good. When Iheard about advanced driving and the Dumfries Group of the IAM I jumped atthe chance. Naturally once it came nearer to the time of my first drive, I startedgetting a little worried ......... silly me because it was really interesting.

The good thing about only driving for a year is that I didn't really have a chanceto build up bad habits. I guess like a lot of younger drivers though you do startto think “well I've passed my test so I must be pretty good at this drivingmalarkey”. After a few drives, it became clear that I had a lot to learn and myobserver did an excellent job of setting the pace.

One thing I did notice that was creeping into my driving was a tendency foreverything to be far too hurried. Gear changes and clutch control were anabsolute nightmare and now with a little tlc my car loves me for not being quiteso brutal. Smooth and fluid have replaced jerky and rushed. Another thing to

7


note is that with practise and a little time my reversing is so much moreconfident that I can now do it efficiently and accurately all the time. Fantastic.

In a nutshell the IAM got me more interested in driving. It has shown me howto be a better and safer driver. I also have more knowledge about the world ofdriving which I can retain for the future. The people that give up their time forthis are brilliant and want to make a difference. I can but try and do the same.You would be mad to pass this kind of opportunity up.

Dumfries Group and the IAM, I salute you!

Off Road Skills DayA very wet Sunday in August saw our intrepid band of motorcycle Observersheading up to Moffat for an afternoon of trials riding, and burger eating!

With help from members of Moffat Motor Club motorcyclists, the event’s aimwas to help improve slow speed manoeuvring, balance and to ride a trials bikeon some tricky off-road sections, but most of all to have a really fun time.

The motorcycle Observers arrived from Dumfries rather wet and in need of awarming cup of tea and a rock bun which was duly provided at the cafeteria(Jamie’s garage).

Once everyone had warmed up and after a few pointers on some of the basicskills required for riding a trials bike over the rough stuff, we were off to thesections which had been painstakingly prepared by Jim Ballantyne and AlanPoynton of Moffat MC, both expert off-road riders. Jim and Eamonn Long(Moffat MC) were on hand to give demonstrations and lots of helpful, andmuch needed, advice on how to tackle steep up and down hill sections, jumpover logs, ride over rocky outcrops and drop into a stream, ride along thestream bed, then climb out the other end! Not as easy as it all sounds.

Slow speed, balance, and a deft throttle control was the order of the day, whichproved to be a little tricky for everyone at the start. At first many times aYamaha was seen on its side when the rider had to step off at the last minutebut after a bit of practice and some helpful tips from Jim everyone made hugestrides in skill and confidence. By the end all were starting to look quitecompetent and comfortable astride the strange machines.

To everyone’s delight no injuries were sustained to either body or bike, andapart from some aching muscles and bruised egos, all were intact at the end.

A big thanks to Andrew who selflessly manned the BBQ and kettle, a hot drinkand burger or bacon roll was a very welcome sight after getting wet and dirtyat the throttle of a Yamaha.


A relaxing break with burger andcoffee was had, and storiesswapped in the relative comfort(and dry) of Jamie’s garage. Theposse agreed that it had been agreat learning and fun experience,before heading back to Dumfries.

Huge thanks are due to Jim & Alanfrom Moffat Motor Club who pro-

vided the bikes and made thewhole event possible, and whose expertise was invaluable.

The intrepid riders in the ‘cafeteria’

Visit to ScotspeedMonday 10 November saw a good turn-out for the visit to Dumfries Suzuki SolusDealer, Scotspeed. Managing director,Ian Metcalfe introduced the changes hehas made since taking over the businessand also spoke of his plans for the futureof the dealership.

Good news too for our members as Ianannounced that he is offering a 10%discount on sales of helmets, clothing,spares and accessories. All you have todo to take advantage of this offer is toproduce your membership card at the time of purchase.

Ian Metcalfe (second from right) withjust a few of the members who attend-

ed the event.

Dumfries regain the bowling cup from Carlisle Group

Dumfries Group Chairman raises the cup aloft

B R A I D W O O D SS O L I C I T O R S, E S T A T E A G E N T S &

I N D E P E N D E N T F I N A N C I A L A D V I S E R S

Property and Estate Agency

Wills and Estates

Independent FinancialAdvice

Commercial Practice

Family Law

www.braidwoods.com49 Newal l Terrace, Dumfr ies DG1 1LL

Telephone: (01387) 257272E-mai l : in [email protected]


In case of fireAs many as 100 people die each year as a result of a car fire, in fact there aretens of thousands of car fires every year.Some fires are deliberate and relate tovehicle thefts but about a third are acciden-tal, sometimes caused by poor mainte-nance.

Just what should you do if a fire does startwhilst you are driving?

� Stop straight away but do try keep clearof high risk locations, for example don’tpull into a petrol station!� Switch on your hazard lights - they may

work for a while� Switch off the engine.

12

Spotted on M6 northboundSeptember 2008!

Everyone out and leave thisfor the professionals!


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.

Give a Skill for Life this ChristmasAre you struggling to think of a gift idea that is extra special? Why not givesomebody special an experience they’ll never forget with an IAM advanceddriving or motorcycling Skill for Life programme. The IAM Skill for Life Christ-mas gift pack wraps up the Christmas gift and New Year’s resolution in one.

This original gift idea gives a loved one an experience they’ll never forget andcontains everything they will need in order to prepare for and pass the IAMadvanced driving or riding test. The IAM gift pack is presented in a specialChristmas gift box.

By giving an IAM Skill for Life gift pack, you are helping set somebody on theroad to advanced driving – with all the subsequent benefits, including a safer,smoother drive – plus reduced fuel bills and car insurance.

The pack is available for car drivers (£99) and motorcyclists (£109).

More details can be found on the Group’s web site (see p1) or the IAM website at: www.iam.org.uk/christmas

� Pull the bonnet release, inside the vehicle, if you have time - but do notopen the bonnet.� Get yourself and your passengers out of the vehicle immediately and get

everyone well away from the vehicle and stay away, keeping onlookersand others away. Don’t go back to rescue possessions.� Ring 999 and call the fire brigade, or make sure someone has done so.� Warn approaching traffic and pedestrians, if safe to do so - don’t put

yourself in more danger.� If, but only if, the fire is small you could attempt attempt to tackle it with a

dry powder or foam extinguisher. If the fire is in the engine compartment,do not open the bonnet but aim the extinguisher through the radiator grilleor under the edge of the bonnet.� If the fire is large like the one in the photograph above don’t attempt to put

out the fire, just stay well away and wait for the professionals.� Never use water on an engine fire - it can short out wiring and spread

burning petrol with disastrous effect.


Sorry mate - I didn't see you…. IAM driving tip

The joys of motorcycling - including more predictable journey times and betterfuel consumption - have encouraged a recent revival in biking, especially inurban areas.

But commuters on two wheels have to cope with a host of hazards - not least,car drivers who for various reasons fail to see the motorcycle coming towardsthem. In the jargon, too often car drivers look, but fail to see, motorcycles.

This problem is particularly acute at junctions and that is why it is the subjectof an advertising campaign. "Sorry mate I didn't see you" is for too many bikersthe last phrase they hear before they are put in the ambulance. Don’t forget tocheck carefully at junctions when you are emerging. An older slogan had thesame affect: "Think once, think twice ... think bike".

Apart from giving bikers a "second glance", there are other things that driverscan do to ease the passage of motorcycles, particularly in heavy congestion,that in turn will mean a safer journey foreverybody.

If you are stuck in dense traffic, keepchecking your mirrors for bikes. Thesedays they nearly all have their headlighton to make them easier to see. If thebiker is trying to "filter" - make his waythrough the traffic by riding slowly be-tween stationary vehicles, or riding onthe white line in the middle of the road -make a point of creating space for themif you can do so in safety.

By pulling over slightly, to one side or the other, you can make the differencebetween letting the biker past, or adding to the congestion. Remember tocheck all your mirrors first: you don't want to compromise the bicycle makingits way along the nearside in order to allow passage to a biker.Never be tempted to vent your frustration with the traffic by getting in the wayof a motorcycle on purpose. You won't go any faster and you may justcontribute to a collision which of course will add to congestion rather thanalleviate it.If you are the biker – don’t be aggressive, the car driver you upset today won’tbe inclined to help tomorrow. And all this applies for pedal cyclists as well –both from car and cyclists point of view.



The Secretary Reports - Helen Cameron

Firstly I can report that in October the 10 Pin Bowling match was won byDumfries Group and we even had a bigger team than Carlisle. After the defeatlast year once again the cup is back in our hands. As usual a good night washad by all and it was good to see new faces coming along as well as the loyaltrusty support.

The inter group quiz has been set for Thursday 19 February 2009. It will beheld at the Dalston House Hotel so I’m inviting your support for this event aswell, either as a cheer leader or as a member of the team.

Thank you for all the group questionnaires that have been returned to me butI would be happy to include more in report to the next committee so there isstill time to return them.

In the winter the pass rate slows down but we have had a few passes sinceour last magazine. Congratulations to all those who have been successful intheir test.

Associate Observer

Since August 2008

Fiona Caldwell Anne Lind

Billy Anderson Stuart Murray

Craig Bryson Peter Dodds

Kevin McCutcheon Helen Cameron

Jamie Learmont Ryan Fingland

Nick Gough-Young MotorcycleTeam

David Hewitt MotorcycleTeam

David Moyes MotorcycleTeam

Steven McColm MotorcycleTeam

Terence McCloskey MotorcycleTeam

Associate Observer

Rodney Walker MotorcycleTeam

Clint Smith MotorcycleTeam

Maureen Hewitt MotorcycleTeam

Clare Willets MotorcycleTeam

Cris Bardsley MotorcycleTeam

Harry Belford MotorcycleTeam

Frank Mulraney MotorcycleTeam

Claire Mulraney MotorcycleTeam

John Geddes MotorcycleTeam

Vicky Halliday MotorcycleTeam

James Millward MotorcycleTeam

16

RACE NIGHTFRIDAY 23 JANUARY 2009

SOCIAL NIGHT AND FUND RAISER FOR IAM MEMBERSAND THEIR GUESTS AT:

DALSTON HOTEL, LAURIEKNOWE, DUMFRIES.

SIX RACES PLUS AN EXTRA AUCTION RACE & RAFFLETicket price £8.00, includes buffet.

PROCEEDS FOR THE BENEFIT OF DGGAMM TO GOTOWARDS THE PURCHASE OF NEW EQUIPMENT.

Why not come along, bring some friends with you, have aflutter and support your group at the same time.

The event is restricted to a maximum of 100 people andtickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis.

Please contact Stewart Cameron to reserve your tickets.

Tel: 01387 264005 Mobile: 07707 035518

Or email – [email protected] (use ‘RACENIGHT’ as the message header)

17


O B S E R V E R’ S C O R N E R

This section is intended to help when considering the best course ofaction. It is up to every driver to actively assess each scenario.

Are crashes preventable?It is said that 95% of crashes on our roads are caused by human error and assuch they are all largely preventable. If we were to study some of the mostcommon causes of crashes we could assess just how helpful using advanceddriving/riding techniques could be in preventing such incidents. Some of thecommon causes are:

(a) Loss of control(b) Looked but did not see.(c) Inappropriate use of speed(d) Poor judgement of own vehicle’s path(e) Failure to look(f) Failure to give way

(g) Failure to avoid vehicle or object in carriageway(h) Inattention or distraction(i) Poor turn or manouevre(j) Careless, thoughtless or reckless driving

(Source: ROSPA/ DfT)

So could employing advanced techniques help a driver or rider to avoidbecoming involved in a collision any of the above circumstances?

Attitude of mind is obviously important in most if not all of these scenarios notjust in the obvious one (j). However simply using the planned System ofDriving (Information, Position, Speed, Gear, Acceleration), including efficientuse of observation, planning and anticipation will have a significant impact onall the areas of concern above.Add to this the art of commentary (whether out loud or in your head) and youwill be well on the way to minimising your risks as far as possible.

Obviously being an advanced driver or rider will not save you from becominga victim of a collision, after all we are all human so can make errors or you mayget involved in a situation of someone else's making. Although if, after passingyour advanced test, you carry on practising and learning the art you will find


there is a surprising amount that you can do to protect yourself from theactions of others.

The only way we could gain any degree of comfort that by using advancedtechniques we could remove all risks of a collision would be if everyonebecame, and practised the art of advanced driving and riding. However byusing the techniques yourself you can cut the risks considerably, the reducedaccident rate for advanced drivers proves it.

Screen Test .... IAM driving tip

There’s no doubt that modern cars are structurally far superior to modelswidely available in years gone by. One of the recent trends in structural safetyhas had a possible downside in terms of driver vision – the growth of the Apillar.

The A pillar is the engineering term for the area dividing the windscreen andthe windows. In recent years the A pillars have become sturdier in a bid toimprove the structure of the car as a whole.

In response, car designers have made them thicker. But the A pillar hascreated a blind spot which campaigners have pointed out obstructs the visionof thousands of drivers.

A study commissioned by the Department for Transport (DfT) from the Trans-port Research Laboratory (TRL) found that, while the A pillar can obscurevision, there is rarely only one factor that contributes to an accident.

The study therefore found that there was not enough evidence to suggest thatchanges to current legislation regarding A pillar design would be of benefit.That means the onus is on drivers to cater for possible A pillar restriction. Sowhat should we do?

Drivers should check the visi-bility before they buy just asyou would check other featuresin the car. More than 90 percent of the information from thecar’s external environment isviewed by the driver throughthe windscreen and windows.

Firstly, you should be aware ofthe potential restriction the Apillar may cause in your abilityto scan the road ahead. It is

Scanning by moving your eyes andhead can help you see ‘around’ theblind spot caused by the pillars.


Quick driving tips

- Only give a signal if another road user could benefit - look for a reason not tosignal but if in doubt give a signal.

- Actively consider your position, take care to keep a safe following distanceand maintain good lane discipline. The gap between you and the car in front,or behind, is shared safety space.

- When steering start with a 'pull' from the top not a 'push' from the bottom.

- When you are braking aim to have both hands on the steering wheel.

- Keep both your hands on the wheel when actively steering, the time for gearchanging is after braking but before you start turning into the hazard (e.g. abend).

- Always lose your speed, then change gear, before you reach the hazard -brakes are for slowing, gears for going.

- Make sure you can always stop comfortably, on your own side of the road,in the distance that you can see to be clear, except on a single track roadwhere you must be able to stop in half the distance that you can see to beclear!

- Overtaking - if in doubt hang about, don’t do it if it can’t be done withmaximum safety.

- If you're stopping to stop, handbrake up. If you're stopping to go, notnecessarily so.

- Leave the problem behind (when accelerating away from a hazard).

- Use a commentary to stay alert and maximise your concentration, observa-tion and anticipation.

vital to check that nothing is hidden from view by the A pillar before making amanoeuvre. Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists are easy to “lose” in thespace behind a pillar. Make sure you take time to look around the pillar, notjust take a quick “snap-shot” look which could result in a cyclist to be hiddenfrom view.

As you are driving in a straight line on approach to a junction, look furtherahead, and scan to the left and right on your approach That way you will seethings through the windscreens before they become “lost” behind the pillars.

Remember – good, all round vision is vital. The onus is on you, as the driver,to see what is there.

CrossflagsAt Crossflags we strive to create the best customer expe-rience in the area.Please come and see us when you are considering yournext vehiclepurchase.

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

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ADVANCE Winter 2008

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