winter 2013
DESCRIPTION
Gloucestershire Group of Advanced Motorists - Winter 2013 NewsletterTRANSCRIPT
The Gloucestershire Group
of Advanced Motorists
NEWSLETTER
Winter 2013
IAM Winter 2013
The Gloucestershire Group of Advanced Motorists Registered Charity 1054403
Group Web Site www.glosiam.org IAM Web Site www.IAM.org.uk
We are affiliated to The Institute of Advanced Motorists
Group President Dr. Timothy Brain, OBE, QPM, Vice Presidents: Mr. Anthony Whitehouse, MBE
Mrs. Jean Whitehouse Mr Peter Davies
Group Chairman Tony Higgs
Email: [email protected] Secretary: Rod Harrison
Email: [email protected]
Treasurer: John Seed
Email: [email protected] Chief Observer To be appointed COMMITTEE MEMBERS Membership Secretary & Associate Coordinator:
Phil Tebble Email: [email protected]
Newsletter Editor David Sheppard
Email: [email protected] Webmaster: James Thomas
Email: [email protected] Committee Members: Frances Hunter
Jean Sheraton Sue Edwards
Chairman’s notes We are beginning to see what works in encouraging people to come to the Introduction to Advanced Motoring Days presented by Mike Addis. Mike and I were very pleased that there were 24 people in attendance at the course on 7th September. There were a mix of Members, Associates and those recruited at shows etc. These sessions help us all to review our driving and I encourage all members to come to sessions on a regular basis. We have done quite well in selling Skill for Life this year and any help members can give to promote our activities, encouraging people to come to the Introduction days would be very much appreciated. Do not forget the discount being offered on the Skill for Life courses this Christmas by IAM. The promotion code you need is SFLX13C for cars and SFLX13B for bikes, when buying on line. IAM have been busy reorganising the Regions. There are now five regions consisting of slices across the country from west to east. The regions are South, below the M4; Midlands M4 to Derby area; North of Derby to the Scottish border; Scotland and Northern Ireland. We were in the South West Region but are now in the Midland Region. The other change is that the Regions will be assigned a Regional Manager who is on the IAM Staff. Ours is Andy Bolton. (Not to be confused with Andy Poulton). Those of you at the Bridgestone evening will have met him. Andy is married with three children and lives in Leicestershire. He has worked for IAM since 2006 and has been in the retail motor industry for 20 Years. We look forward to working with Andy and taking our full part in the new regional structure. At the last Committee meeting our Treasurer, John Seed said, that after five years in the post, he felt it was time to pass the job to someone else. John has done a great job and on your behalf I thank him for all that he has done. You will not be surprised to learn that we are on the look-out for a new Treasurer. If you could help
you feel moved to join the Group’s Committee or help the Group in
rman’s notes personally or know a member who might, please let me or one of the Committee so that we can talk about what is involved. We are approaching renewal of Group Membership time. Details are given elsewhere in this newsletter. I do hope everyone will decide to renew their Group membership and try to come along to some if not all the programmed evenings arranged for 2014. Please give priority to the AGM on Thursday 16th January when our speaker will be the Police and Crime Commissioner, Martin Surl. If you feel moved to join the Group’s Committee or help the Group in any way do have a word with me or one of the other members of the Committee. It would be great if we needed to have elections this year. See you at the AGM. Finally, I would like to wish you and your family a peaceful and joyful Christmas and a very happy New Year. Tony Higgs
***************************** We offer a warm welcome to new members, associates and friends to the Group. We wish you well with your preparation for the Advanced Driving Test. Remember that details of all our social events, Advanced Skills days and other items can all be found on our website; www.glosiam.org The following have recently joined as members
Thomas Carr Steve Goodwin
Julian Riseby John Turney
The following are associates, preparing for Skill for Life Associate Observer Barry Vicary James Hayward Kevin Lewis Peter Davies Alexander Cole James Hayward Moira Bennion Sylvia Martin Robbie Newman Keith Meikle Jenny Nixon Phil Tebble Mark Ward Neil Tappin David Cairns Nigel Garbutt Malcolm Ayshford Peter Davies Congratulations to the following associates who recently passed their Advanced Driving Test and are now full members. Candidate Observer Stephen Lafferty John Kitchen Tim Dennis Peter Davies Christopher Jones (F1rst) John Kitchen George Turner Peter Davies Toni Brock (F1rst) James Hayward Alison Dugmore John Kitchen Tim Hirst James Hayward/Neil Tappin Sarah Goodwin Phil Tebble/Patrick Ward Steven Barratt Phil Tebble/Patrick Ward
***************************** Group Membership Renewal for 2014 Enclosed with this newsletter there may be a Renewal Form for the £12 subscription for group membership for 2014 which is due on 1st January 2014. The committee thanks those who supported the group last year and hope that you will continue to do so. Special
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– the Group’s bank account
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Friend please write ‘Friend’ in the space for the IAM membership
thanks to those members who, in addition to their subscription, also gave an additional donation to group funds. The £12 subscription for membership of the Gloucestershire group is entirely separate from the fee for membership of the national IAM. The IAM fee is collected directly by the IAM and may be paid by direct debit. IAM headquarters will contact IAM members when the IAM membership fee is due – please keep the IAM (and the Gloucestershire group) updated with any change of address. The group subscription is only required from full Members, i.e., those who have passed their IAM test, and group Friends. Associates are NOT required to pay until the year following the year in which the IAM test is passed. So if an Associate passed the IAM test (and hence became a full Member) during 2013 they will be asked for their first group subscription now to remain members of the group for next year (2014). Please complete the Renewal Form (if one is enclosed) and return to the address at the bottom of the subscription renewal form. If you have any queries please contact me as shown below. You may pay by cheque or by direct bank transfer – the Group’s bank account details are on the Renewal Form. However, if paying by bank transfer, our Treasurer asks that you do not do so until after 1st January 2014. To be a member of the Gloucestershire group it is necessary to also be an IAM national member. However, anyone who is not an IAM member can join the Gloucestershire group as a Friend – the annual subscription is also £12. If a Member decides not to renew their national IAM membership they can, if they so wish, retain their ties to the Gloucestershire group by becoming a group Friend. If paying your subscription as a Friend please write ‘Friend’ in the space for the IAM membership number.
NEW For couples, living at the same address, who are both Members and/or Friends there is now a discounted joint subscription of £20. Only one copy of each newsletter will be supplied to the address. Please submit a joint subscription form showing both names, email addresses and IAM membership numbers (if applicable). GIFT AID HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs) have decreed a new format for Gift Aid declarations which must be completed if you wish the group to gain from claiming the tax benefit on your subscriptions and donations. Please complete the reverse of the subscription form even if you have previously signed a Gift Aid declaration, otherwise the group will no longer be able to claim via the Gift Aid scheme. The Gift Aid scheme increases Group funds by £3 for each eligible subscription. The member earns £15, is taxed at 20% (£3) and pays the £12 subscription to the group. The Gift Aid scheme then pays to the group the £3 of tax which was paid by the member. If you are a tax payer and have not previously completed this section of the Renewal Form please consider doing so. We thank the large proportion of the members who have previously signed-up for the scheme. Phil Tebble Membership Secretary [email protected]
to experience Mike’s lecture.
as ‘one liners’ such as ‘far more view mirrors than of the speedometer’
were also one or two ‘lively discussions’ as Mike was challenged from the floor on issues such as the ‘where, when and why, of
acting on the vehicle. ‘Deal with stuff in a straight line’. Discussion of
‘’An excellent day. I felt welcomed and incluforward to continuing with IAM’
HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs) have decreed a new
A Day with Mike Addis. Saturday 7th September saw a healthy audience of more than twenty members, associates, friends and other guests congregated, waiting to experience Mike’s lecture. Mike was introduced by Group Chairman Tony Higgs and in the first session he covered the System of car control (IPSGA) and Observation. There were new images and video clips to illustrate various points Mike made, as well as ‘one-liners’ such as ‘far more checks of the rear-view mirrors than of the speedometer’. There were also one or two ‘lively discussions’ as Mike was challenged from the floor on issues such as the ‘where, when and why, of changing gear. After a break for a cuppa, Mike went on to discuss steering, gears, acceleration and braking. He highlighted the importance of tyres, being the only contact with road surface, as well as the other forces acting on the vehicle. ‘Deal with stuff in a straight line’. Discussion of signals (including arm signals), indicating and use of the horn took us up to lunch. The afternoon session saw the consideration of skidding, cornering, overtaking and motorway driving. One useful tip which was suggested was to wind the window down when leaving the motorway, in order to acclimatize oneself to a much slower speed limit. Mike also gave us details of the marking scheme used on tests. 27 points are observed on his mark sheet, each one being marked out of 5 levels Excellent, Good, Competent, Unsatisfactory and Poor. He explained what is required for a test pass or for the award of a F1rst. All in all, an enjoyable day, with Mike delivering with his usual mix of enthusiasm, humour, expertise, anecdotes etc. The following comment was made to me afterwards by one of the guests; ‘’An excellent day. I felt welcomed and included, and I am looking forward to continuing with IAM’
‘’How about experiencing and IAM assessment?’’ says Hillary Valance. I recently took my second assessment and found it to be very encouraging. I have been driving since 1960. I attained the IAM standard in 1996. I then took a reassessment in 2006 and a second one In August 2013. Why? Because I am required to renew my license in December and I wanted to know how I drove. Well, I was thrilled. There were, of course a few ‘minor’ errors but again, I attained the IAM standard and I have a lovely certificate. It was a very pleasant two hours with an external examiner. My previous examiner was Mike Addis. Don’t be afraid! Try it, take it as a challenge and be assured that you are driving at a recognized level.
************************* The following item, sent in by Mike is difficult to believe but...... 42 points and still allowed to drive A woman from Isleworth, West London, accumulated FORTY TWO licence penalty points last year, according to the latest figures from the DVLA. The points were all for failing to disclose the identity of the driver between 26 May and 21 December 2012. The second-highest points total, 36, went to a man from Warrington, Cheshire, who was caught driving without insurance six times in less than two weeks, between 20 February and 2 March 2012. Other notable offenders include:
A man from Southend-on-Sea with 30 points, who was caught speeding ten times between 14 March 2011 and 3 August 2012.
aid: “It’s really disappointing to see that
points means a ban or the whole system falls into disrepute.”
‘’How about experiencing and IAM assessment?’’ says Hillary
course a few ‘minor’ errors
Don’t be afraid! Try it, take it as a challenge and be assured that you
A man from Blackburn with 29 points, who was caught speeding eight times in two months, between 29 September 2011 and 29 November 2011.
A man from Pevensey, East Sussex, with 24 points who was caught speeding six times in just two weeks, between 30 September and 13 October 2012.
Failing to give the identity of the owner, speeding, and driving uninsured are the most common reasons for points. Of the top twenty licence-points holders, only two are women. IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “It’s really disappointing to see that this issue has not yet been resolved. DVLA and the Courts Service are upgrading their computer systems to ensure that offence information is shared more efficiently, but this is not due to be in place until October. When drivers with ten speeding offences are getting away with holding a license, these improvements cannot come quickly enough. The IAM has no sympathy for owners who refuse to reveal the identity of the driver, and we would welcome an urgent consultation on new ways to deal with this problem. Drivers must expect that 12 points means a ban or the whole system falls into disrepute.” Information published at http://data.gov.uk/dataset/driving-licence-data. Offence details from a freedom of information request.
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The group has recently enjoyed talks given by people from different aspects of the motor industry. Firstly from Tony....
Bridgestone Tyres I am not quite sure what I was expecting when I settled down to listen to Steve Booth from Bridgestone Tyres. He talked to us at our meeting held on 27th September 2013. He had just come back from Italy where the firm has a test facility. He had taken some of his customers there to experience what it is like to drive on competitors tyres. They managed to damage several cars and on one occasion the application of the brakes did not have any effective result! As the largest supplier of tyres world-wide he was clearly biased but equally there appears to be quite a lot of collaboration between the main tyre manufactures. Bridgestone left F1 because it was not cost effective. What did I learn? I learnt how many components it takes to make a tyre. Steve had a case which contained all the different components from the chemicals used to make the rubber compound to the wire used for the rim and the inner lining. The tyre compound contains a lot more silica these days to aid wear. Tyres hold a motor vehicle up and have to be strong enough to withstand the forces applied when the vehicle is driven. Tyre manufactures are moving away from wide fat tyres to tall thin ones. Tyres are made for vehicle manufactures and to their specification. There is a European standard for tyres which is very limited when compared to the standards used to test tyres by the manufactures. Peter Davies asked if a ‘drive flat’ tyre can be repaired. The answer was yes and no. It rather depends on the distance driven while flat but tyre retailers are reluctant to repair such tyres because, if they fail after the repair, the liability rest with the tyre fitter/repairer! I left realising that my car’s tyres are vital to my car remaining safe to drive and that when it comes to changing tyres it is not worth compromising safety for a few pounds. And then......
Cirencester (John Seed’s dog was there as well)
A discussion followed as to what ‘system’
drivers’ rate of change of direction and rate of change of speed.
ever recorded. He commented that even in ‘horse and cart’ days the
due to different interpretations of ‘seriously injured’
improved medical treatment. He suggested that the UK’s roads might
Mr Rodger’s next topic centred
Peter Davies asked if a ‘drive flat’ tyre can be repaired. The answer
I left realising that my car’s tyres are vital to my car remaining safe to
Talk given by Mr Peter Rodger, Chief Examiner, IAM. Earlier this year, Peter Rodger, Chief Examiner of the IAM gave a talk to 30 GlosIAM members, associates, friends and visitors from Cirencester (John Seed’s dog was there as well) Having been introduced by Tony, Peter Rodger began his talk by showing a video of a road junction, in full use, somewhere in India. Vehicles of all different shapes, sizes and speeds converged on to the junction, approaching and quitting the junction in all directions, with apparent chaos, yet there were no collisions and only one instance of a vehicle having to reverse out of an awkward situation. A discussion followed as to what ‘system’ the drivers used in order to avoid collisions. It appeared that all drivers were aware of other drivers’ rate of change of direction and rate of change of speed. Peter Rodger went on to discuss the 2012 UK road casualty figures. 1754 people were killed. A very accurate figure and the lowest figure ever recorded. He commented that even in ‘horse and cart’ days the figure was higher. 23,039 people were seriously injured. This figure was more vague, due to different interpretations of ‘seriously injured’ Car occupants are now at less risk of serious injury or death, due partly to improved safety features e.g. air bags, and partly due to improved medical treatment. He suggested that the UK’s roads might be the safest country in the world. Mr Rodger’s next topic centred on the typical IAM member, who, he said, is male, aged between 55-70. We all had a quick look around the room to see how accurate that generalisation might be. He presented a number of graphs, detailing SfL purchases, test passes over the past few years etc by age and gender.
process, ensuring a ‘level playing field’. He referred to this as a ‘system of verification’.
To discover who was worst, Google ‘best and worst motor insurers’
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This led on to a lengthy discussion of the new Observer Qualifications at local and National level. Again, statistics were presented, detailing numbers of those who took, passed or were awaiting the Observer test. He also detailed the standardisation process, ensuring a ‘level playing field’. He referred to this as a ‘system of verification’. The talk ended with a wide ranging Q&A session. A number of questions inevitably centred on the cost of motor insurance. The final photograph Peter showed was from www.strangevehicles.com It might be worth taking a look. An entertaining evening all round.
As we have just mentioned Motor Insurance, this might be a good place to highlight the following item.
Auto Express has put together a countdown of the best and worst car insurers in its latest Driver Power Survey that might steer you in the right direction.
Over 46,000 motorists were asked to judge car insurers and brokers on five areas: communication, speed of settling a claim, helpfulness, value for money and the overall service.
NFU Mutual, originally set up by farmers for farmers, came top of the Driver Power Survey, retaining its 2012 ranking.
Second was specialist insurer for organisations and trade unions LV= Frizzell. Adelaide IAM Surety (3rd), Royal & Sun Alliance (4th) and SAGA (5th) followed.
To discover who was worst, Google ‘best and worst motor insurers’
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Report of the IAM annual conference 2013 attended by Tony Higgs and Rod Harrison 0n 5th October 2013
At this year’s conference there were stalls set up by some of the companies offering benefits to members. If you have not looked lately at these, log on to the IAM web site and click on Benefits. (The following is an attempt to give a flavour of a whole day.) The conference was well attended with 50 more attendees than in 2012. Alistair Cheyne OBE, the IAM Council chairman, opened the conference, setting the themes that would be reflected throughout the day in the workshops, namely that IAM needs to change or it will stagnate. There must be consistency of standards across the organisation. IAM is being listened to; therefore, we must all give the same message, that IAM saves lives and can be a greater force in life. Simon Best (Chief Executive) spoke next, reminding delegates that IAM Tests have been delivered for over 50 years. He was proud of IAM’s charitable status and he was equally keen to maximise the commercial opportunities. The conference was to look at the way forward to 2020. The need was for the IAM to speak with a single voice in meeting its customers’ needs. He recognised that to achieve this Chiswick will need to work harder at keeping the Groups informed and that the Groups will need to equip themselves for the new challenges ahead. A significant change was that Chiswick is looking at having the Skill for Life test certified, as is the National Observer qualification. To succeed in these things we need to care for each other and say thank you more often for all that is achieved. He wanted all involved to feel proud of our achievements and of being members of IAM.
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IAM’s charitable status and he was equally keen to maximise the
voice in meeting its customers’
We then heard from the Chairman of a new Group in the south east which had been formed from several groups to form a larger area group. This is being considered where groups are finding it difficult to survive, in an attempt to continue to provide and service Skill for Life over a larger area but with one administration team, as well as offering the other products available from IAM. This is the way things will go in the future but it is all to be done through consultation and negotiation. This first group is working well. The rest of the day was spent in the eight workshops we had each chosen (four each) from the nine possibilities. The four workshops Tony attended were Role of the NRG, IAM Future Territory Strategy, Expertise and Standards and the Membership Challenge. Role of the NRG The NRG stands for National Representatives Group and its membership is drawn from the Regional Forums. (We were in Region 1 which was the South West. We are now in Region 2 which is the Midlands groups including Wales and stretching right across to East Anglia. The new area consists of 65 groups (at present). I have set this out as the discussion in the Workshop was somewhat confusing as they were talking about the old structure and not the new! I came away feeling a lot more work needed doing to make the structures work and wondering if there are too many levels of consultation. IAM Future Territory Strategy This workshop dealt with how the new regions might be divided into Territories. It gave more detail of how the new larger Groups might work and explained that Territories may be decided on external criteria like where local authorities are working together to deliver Road Safety. Any further changes will be managed by the Area Manager - in our case that is Andy Bolton, who joined us at our meeting in September. The future looks exciting as long as we remain open to change and see it as a challenge and not something to be resisted.
Expertise and Standards The workshop discussed how continuity can be delivered across IAM. We were reminded of the organisation’s diversity and saw that it can be difficult to deliver the same standards through the Fleet work and Skill for Life. However, this is considered to be the challenge which needs to be met. Clearly the external accreditation of the various elements helps this but it will need to be supplemented by auditing of all elements. There must also be consistency by those examining the various tests. Standards and the Membership Challenge The analysis of membership data, which is more readily available, is showing that the IAM membership is static or dropping slightly year on year. In other words the numbers of members not renewing their membership is equal to or slightly more than the new members. The challenge here is how we maintain membership. How do we keep members interested after they have completed Skill for Life over and above the core group? There are no easy answers. What is being looked at is how better value or rewards might be given to members. If you have any ideas let us know and we will pass them on. The four workshops Rod attended were: IMI National and Local Observer Qualifications; IAM Masters; Test Standards and Common Confusions; Informing and Influencing. IMI National and Local Observer Qualifications The application process for National Observer had been streamlined. The candidate should now submit the application form, which is available on the IAM website, to the IAM. Chiswick would then ask the Group Chairman and Secretary to authorise the application. The IMI National Observers qualifications were progressing well. The process is now in hand to qualify some as Assessors for the IMI Local Observer qualification. Assessors would not be able to qualify Local Observers within their own group. The Local Observer qualification would be rolled out in April 2014. All new Observers should now be trained to the IMI standards.
IAM is now the ‘GoTo’ organisation on driving and rid
Local Radio “Drive time”
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IAM Masters The Masters scheme is now in operation. The award is set to a higher standard than RoSPA Gold or any other equivalent awards in the UK driving industry. The test costs £129 for an IAM member. Mentoring is available for a total cost of £249 including the test. The Pass Mark is 70% which requires a maximum of 38 points on the standard SFL assessment form. A distinction requires 80%. National Observers who were also Masters could qualify as Mentors. Test Standards and Common Confusions This workshop concentrated on some of the common confusions often displayed during SFL tests. The complete document is available to download on the IAM website and is updated. It should be mandatory reading for all Observers. All examiners were now standardised in their approach to the Advanced Driving Test. Informing and Influencing Neil Greig, Director of Research and Policy spoke of the direct influence that IAM is bringing to bear in Government and the media. IAM is now the ‘GoTo’ organisation on driving and riding safety. Fatal accidents had continued to decline on UK roads, except for two categories; Drunk adult pedestrians and Cyclists. Both of these categories had shown a significant increase in fatalities. A Green Paper on young drivers had been delayed in the Summer, but was expected to be published in the Autumn. Local Radio “Drive-time” shows were being targeted by the IAM, as well as direct approaches to all MPs involved in Transport. Ben Schofield, Director of Communications then spoke of a new website to be launched shortly that would provide Blogs and conversations about Advanced Driving and Riding. Watch out for www.aboutmotoring.org. Ben had also produced a new website template for Groups and was employing a specialist who would be responsible for all Social Media input. A Group guide to use of Social Media would also be issued. Thanks Rod.
Group Displays in 2013
The Gloucestershire group will have exhibited at a number of displays and shows this year. Our season kicked off in March at Hartpury College, near Gloucester where we participated in the College Road Safety Day. In June we then joined the Under 17 Car Club at Throckmorton Airfield, near Pershore for the day, where our Gazebo made its first appearance of the season. We elected not to attend the Gloucester Motor show this year, but had an excellent day at the Tewkesbury Classic Car show on 18th August.
Barracks “Fresher’s Fair” on
The August Bank Holiday Saturday was spent at Waitrose in Cheltenham where our Gazebo was erected outside the entrance in the top car park. This day, together with the Tewkesbury event were very successful and between them we recruited over 30 people for our September and November "Introduction to Advanced Driving" courses with Mike Addis. We have also since received a number of applicants for "Skill for Life" courses. Our next invitation was to the Innsworth Barracks “Fresher’s Fair” on 4th September. By the time this Newsletter goes to press we will have exhibited at the GCHQ Road Safety Day, The Pathfinders at Cheltenham Racecourse in October, and the EDF Health and Safety days in Gloucester. Next year we already have a booking in April at Asda in Cheltenham. Many of these events reflect the closer association we have developed with the Gloucestershire Road Safety department and the Under 17 Car Club. My thanks go to Tony Higgs, Peter Davies, Phil Tebble, Sylvia Martin, Keith Meikle and James Thomas for giving up their time to support these events. If you would like to help us at any of our events, all of which are listed on our website, please contact me. Rod Harrison Secretary
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Notes from the Region 1 Forum Meeting held on 7/9/2013 Phil Tebble and I attended the Region 1 Forum at Weston Super Mare on 7th September. Mark Trimmer, the new Regional Manager spoke about the reorganisation of the regions within IAM. There have been seven regions until now, but these are being reduced to four within UK mainland and another covering Northern Ireland. Each region will now be administered by a full time Regional Manager. The regions will be comprised as follows:
1. Southern England. 63 Groups south of the M4 from Essex
to Cornwall, administered by Mark Trimmer.
2. Midlands. 65 Groups from Wales to Norfolk, administered by
Andy Bolton. The Gloucestershire Group now falls into this
region.
3. Northern England. 58 Groups
4. Scotland. 26 Groups
5. Northern Ireland. 7 Groups
In the Southern England region, one “Super Group” has been formed from 3 former groups, where 2 of the groups were finding it difficult to recruit a full committee. It is intended that the individual identity of each group will be maintained, but they will be administered by a single committee. It is possible that more of these Super Groups may be formed where similar circumstances prevail. Mark Trimmer also mentioned that Skill for Life sales have improved by 8% this year, which is very encouraging.
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driving, and a section on “blue light” driving.
In the Southern England region, one “Super Group” has been formed
Modular Courses. The IAM has conducted a pilot launch of a series of modular courses, and these are now being rolled out across the country. These courses are independent of Skill for Life, and do not count towards membership of the IAM. They are designed to assist motorists who require guidance on a particular aspect of their driving, such as Motorway Driving, Night Driving, Parking and Manoeuvring, Country driving and managing distractions. There was much discussion at the forum on the changes that are taking place within IAM and the possible consequences. Finally, Staff examiner Andy Poulton spoke about the Masters’ Scheme. National Observers around the country are being qualified as mentors for the scheme. It is possible to take the Masters’ test without mentoring at a cost of £129. With mentoring the cost becomes £249. Andy also mentioned that the National Observer qualification scheme is progressing steadily, and recommended that Observers wishing to qualify should obtain mentoring from already qualified National Observers. And as a final note, the new version of Roadcraft is now in print and can be obtained from stationers, Amazon etc. There are a number of additions in the new book, including a section on attitude to driving, and a section on “blue light” driving. This will be the last time that we attend this regional forum. We shall look forward to the opportunity to meet groups in our Midlands region in the future. Meanwhile Tony Higgs and I will be attending the National Conference on 5th October.
The Grand old Duke of York. Half way up, neither Up nor down….. by Peter C Wood JP On occasion we all do silly things in our daily lives. A while ago the sun was out and the birds were singing in our settlement “here in The Forest”. I decided that I would give the car a really good clean and reach parts that other cleans had not reached; this included body panels, paint and metal work normally hidden by the hydraulic roof and boot lifting mechanism of my blue Peugeot 308 CC. So, towards the end of my cleaning quest I half lowered the roof to a suitable height and turned off the engine and removed the ignition key. In retrospect and we all have 20-20 hindsight, turning off the ignition, stopping the engine and removing the key was the worst thing that I could have done. Leaving the roof half up and half down for more than two minutes completed my bout of foolishness. Happily I completed the cleaning process and as the weather had started to cloud over from the West, thought about closing the roof and boot lid down. I turned on the ignition, started the engine, closed the driver’s door (all good things to do with a 308 CC) and depressed the up/down switch to closed the roof & boot. I was greeted with silence from the rear of the car and an electronic message appeared on the central dashboard information area, “Complete roof manoeuvre immediately’’. But it wouldn’t. So I lifted the up/down switch and still silence from the rear and a different helpful message on the dashboard, “Roof mechanism faulty”. I tried both actions several times. Then I used some of the magic words Jeremy Clarkson uses to various vehicles, to no avail, before I realised that my 308 CC was in a deep sulk.
–‘puter and have good look through the various forums. Quickly I
–
down…..
sun was out and the birds were singing in our settlement “here in The Forest”.
the driver’s door (all
on the central dashboard information area, “Compltely’’. But it wouldn’t.
on the dashboard, “Roof mechanism faulty”.
Car in Deep sulk mode Perhaps Mr Google would help – off into the house, fired up my ‘puter and have good look through the various forums. Quickly I found out how to remove a 207CC from deep sulk mode – but the same multiple button pressing procedure does not work on a 308CC, at all. My wife found an explanation, on U-Tube, of how to drop the roof by releasing the hydraulic pressure, manually releasing two sets of wire catches to enable the boot lid to be dropped. Evidently this then
needs a Peugeot dealer to re-boot the car’s software and that can cost £150 plus recovery fee to the nearest authorised service point. Many people on-line had commented on the foolishness of turning off the ignition, removing the key and leaving the car for more than two minutes when raising or lowering the roof – great!! Then it started to rain, gently. I looked but could not find the release points, nor could I find the hydraulic pressure release thingy in my limited access. I now had the roof and boot lid half open, half closed. With lunch nearly ready and the rain just holding off I did the smartest thing that I have done all that day – I called the AA. Luckily I have ‘Home Start’ as a free bonus for a long service customer with the AA. Within 20 minutes a large AA yellow van had arrived with a very nice chap. We gave Nice Chap a big mug of tea and left him to it. Nice Chap quickly found the 6mm allen key (hex wrench) hole and with a long key released the hydraulic pressure and dropped the roof into the closed position while we were having lunch. This left just the boot lid sticking up in the air like a huge air brake. After a big thank you to Nice Chap and a discussion we found the wire loops either side of the boot space and pulled gently on them together. We still couldn’t move the lid but we did try the up/down button. Nothing happened when pressed but something did happen when lifted. Happy whirring noises came from the boot area and the lid completed its up movement and stopped. Then we pressed the up/down button down and everything came together, roof up and boot lid down - perfect. We tried a full raise and lower several times – it was and still is well. No expensive software re-load required! Moral of this story? Don’t try and clean bits of a motorcar that don’t want to be cleaned as this will only bring on the sulks. And a big thank you to the AA.
Seasons’ greetings to all our readers
boot the car’s software and that can
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–I have ‘Home Start’ as a free bonu
We still couldn’t move the lid but we did try the up/down button.
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? Don’t try and clean bits of a motorcar that don’t
C.O.A.S.T. quiz from the last newsletter issue Prize winners of the competition in the last issue have been drawn out of the hat. Winners were Virginia Pawlyn, Jenny Nixon and Arabella Risbey. C.O.A.S.T could stand for; Concentration Observation Anticipation Space Time Other relevant answers were accepted. Congratulations to the winners who have received their prizes. Dates for your diary. Details of all forthcoming events, dates and venues etc can be found on our website www.glosiam.org Directions to Churchdown; All meetings take place at Churchdown Community Centre, Parton Road, Churchdown GL3 2JH. Advanced Skills days run from 10am to 4pm. All other meetings start at 7.30pm. Meetings are free. Visitors are always welcome. Refreshments are provided. Thanks to all contributors to this issue. Please keep your items, adventures, pictures etc coming. Send them to me at [email protected] Seasons’ greetings to all our readers See you next time!