Issue 16

April 2013

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

& Drive?

Chairman Scott Mildren

Secretary Mervyn Whitney

Treasurer Alison Morris

Publicity Officer

Newsletter Editor Terry Joyce

Deputy Chairman Steve Andrews

Editorial Hello, At last the temperature is above 7°c and we’ve had glimpses of blue sky. The other weekend we went on a short trip to Mercedes-Benz World and Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. The sun shone and the M25 was flowing reasonably well. MB World was an amazing place. At weekends and dur-ing school holidays they have tours around the building looking at the fabu-lous array of cars there. Our tour guide, a young man called Tom, was very knowledgeable about the cars and their history. There were a number of Formula 1 cars there and one they have deconstructed and hung on wires. If you can afford it, various drives on their track and skid pan are available. The day we went there was a special event celebrating MG cars at Brook-lands and 60 of them drove around the MB track for everyone to see. After lunch we had a short walk over a footbridge which spans the River Wey into the admission office at Brooklands. Brooklands is an amazing place, not a big sterile museum, the odd building here and there, highlight-ing its history with cars and planes and for those enthusiasts a Bus Mu-seum. For and extra £4 you get a half hour tour around Concorde, which is well worth doing. Make sure you book it early as it is very popular. If you plan to go, be there at opening time and leave when they shut and you still won’t have seen everything. See Page 6 for more details.

Terry Joyce terry@rospa-southeastessex.org.uk

to our members who have taken a test.

To our new members: Jean Durogene and LeeWalker

Name Tutor Grade

Chris Nix Gold

This was one of the MG’s on display at Brooklands.

Do you know what it is? See Page 6.

Driving home from a few days in East Sussex we encountered a ‘car park' on the M25 six miles from Dartford. Eventually the 'car park' started to move slowly towards the tunnel. Chaos broke out occasionally when some foolhardy imbecile decided the lane next to him or her was the best one to be in and as we weren't mov-ing all that fast no indication was nec-essary and a quick lurch into that lane was fine, no matter who or what was there.

We were playing a game to see who could spot the next moron first. Getting nearer to the tunnel there was a slip road joining the 'car park'. We had the windows wound down to sample the fine Kent air and as we were moving along slowly with the joining traffic a loud crunch was heard. A women on the slip road had driven her car into the back of the one in front. Nothing remarkable you say, it happens every day. A lack of concentration is all it takes. Both parties got out of their cars and had a look. We moved on slowly, but shortly afterwards we were astonished as this lady drove along-side us eating what looked like pasta out of a pot. She obviously hadn't spilt it all when she hit the other car. They say you should learn from your mistakes, but she must have been extremely hungry. When we got home I thought I would do a little research into the legal implications of the incident and whether there was much written about it. Unlike people driving while using a mobile phone, its not something I’ve seen a great deal of, I was quite surprised by the number of articles on the subject.

Rule 148 of the Highway Code states Safe driving and riding needs concentration. Avoid distractions when driving or riding such as: loud music (this may mask other sounds), trying to read maps, inserting a cassette or CD or tuning a radio, arguing with your passengers or other road users, eating and drinking and smoking.

Drivers can be prosecuted for failing to have proper control of a vehicle if they are caught eating or drinking. If they have a crash while consuming food or drink, they can be charged with careless or dangerous driving

A nursery nurse was fined £60 for holding an apple in her hand while driving around a bend. Police used a video shot from a force aircraft and a video recording from a police car to support their case against her in court, perhaps a little over zealous by the police, but lack of concentration by drivers in these situations can lead to serious consequences.

Continued on page 5

Food for thought (continued).

In 2001 Thomas Munch- Petersen, a lecturer at University College London, was jailed for 90 days for killing three people on the M1 after swerving while searching for a mint in his jacket pocket.

In 2003 Andrew Suffolk was jailed for 30 months for killing a pregnant woman in a crash on the M1. He admitted taking his eyes off the road for a moment to drink some water.

With a compact mirror in one hand and an eye liner in the other, Donna Maddock applied her make-up. But this wasn't in her bedroom, the 22-year-old was driving at 32mph at the time. She was caught by police who filmed her on a speed camera and has been fined £200 and had six points put on her licence after pleading guilty to careless driving.

Each year, around 25,300 drivers are convicted of 'driving without due care and attention' and punished by the courts with £60 fines and three penalty points. The Implications of this are that insurance companies are increasing premiums for drivers convicted of this offence.

The majority of food related accidents occur in the morning hours. People are more concerned about their appearance in the morning as they are heading to work, so a spill is a much bigger deal. Eating while driving also occurs more frequently when people are running late.

A survey by Kia Motors revealed that motorists munch their way through almost 4,000 calories of food and drink a week while at the wheel. As many as 56% of drivers tuck in while motoring, with chocolate and fizzy drinks the favourite fare.

38% said they had always eaten and drunk while driving, while 43% reckon snacking relieves boredom. The poll showed that 45% of motorists eat and drink on the go be-cause they do not have time at home. A total of 15% of drivers admit to drinking their morning cup of tea or coffee in the car in order to extend their lie-in, while ten per cent regularly juggle a sandwich with the steering wheel. A further ten per cent of Brits ad-mit to driving frequently with one hand inside a packet of crisps.

Kia UK Communications Director Steve Kitson said: "It is much safer either to build in time before leaving home or to take a break during your journey. Trying to concentrate on the road ahead and stay vigilant of other motorists while eating and drinking,

inevitably compromises a driver's reaction time and focus. If you feel the need to eat or drink, listen to your body – it needs a break, fluid or energy. De-hydration is very destructive - in hot weather in particular, make sure you have plenty of fluid to drink – but not while you are driving.”

Please let me know if you have any similar experiences.

Terry Joyce (sources: Various internet locations)

Mercedes-Benz World & Brooklands

The car on Page 3 is an MG SA. They were made between 1936-9. It cost £389 new. It has a six cylinder 2322cc engine although the earlier cars were 2288cc. OHV, 78bhp at 4,200 RPM. Its 0-60mph time is 22.5 seconds, with a top speed of 80mph+. There were 2,738 of them produced. There are approximately 100 of these saloons left.

There are around 3,200 parts of a Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 car hang-ing in this artwork at MB World. I’m not a big Mercedes fan but MB world is well worth a visit just to see the building.

The Brooklands Museum displays a wide range of Brooklands-related motoring and aviation exhibits ranging from giant racing cars, motorcycles and bicycles to an unpar-alleled collection of Hawker and Vickers/BAC-built aircraft. If your are a car, bus or air-craft enthusiast, the museum is a must see. Part of the track, the world’s first purpose built motor racing circuit, constructed at in 1907 is still there. An impressive structure. I was walking up towards the top of the steep bank when a whistle cut through the air and an authoritative voice told me for Health & Safety reasons I wasn’t allowed to go to the top. It didn’t spoil my fun. A wonderful place to visit, I need to go back and see some more.

The website for Brooklands http://www.brooklandsmuseum.com/

I haven’t included the website url for MB World as it is very long. Try a Google search for Mercedes-Benz World.

Terry Joyce

Concorde G-BBDG The third Concorde built in Britain. on August 17, 1974, she became the first aircraft ever to carry 100 people at Mach 2 - twice the speed of sound

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

211

Motorcyclists and cyclists

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

Link below to online Highway Code

212

It is often difficult to see motorcyclists and cyclists, especially when they are coming up from behind, coming out of junctions, at roundabouts, overtaking you or filtering through traffic. Always look out for them before you emerge from a junction; they could be approaching faster than you think. When turning right across a line of slow-moving or stationary traffic, look out for cyclists or motorcyclists on the inside of the traffic you are crossing. Be especially careful when turning, and when changing direction or lane. Be sure to check mirrors and blind spots carefully.

When passing motorcyclists and cyclists, give them plenty of room (see Rules 162 to 167). If they look over their shoulder it could mean that they intend to pull out, turn right or change direction. Give them time and space to do so.

The wording has been increased

Rule211

Look out for motorcyclists and cyclists at junctions

The wording has been increased

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

This is a picture inside Mercedes-Benz World

This is a picture of part of the original track at Brooklands

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 2013

Wednesday 31st July, Wednesday 30th October

Make a note in your diary!

www.rospa-southeastessex.org.uk