OTish: Thoughts on Speed

You're a natrul guv...

Although I may suggest something like:

"Left, woman with pram, left again into Church Drive, old lady on the left may step into road... accelerating to 50mph checking for speed camera... straight through the hydrangeas, slowing so as not to skid if emergency braking needed, and right - dog on lead pulling child into road, right again into Glebe Crescent - watching pub on right, closing time... b*gger, I'm lost now - YOU READ THE BLOODY MAP"

Martyn

They do on the M62 after midnight!

Richard

or "Left here, oh come on get out of the effing way, oh jeesus cant you see I'm far more importanat than you, oh for gods sake, what a stupid place to put a Zebra crossing, on a road I ask you. Ok look I've done it 30 secs faster that yesterday! Is that a hydrangea in the wiper - hey, whats that red stuff all over my nice shiney paintwork"

extract from the German Manufactured Car owners manual

Richard

Next time back from Eastbourne I'll try that. It is, sadly, becoming a regular trip.

Tim Hobbs

'58 Series 2 '77 101FC Ambulance '95 Discovery V8i

Not just the M23 IME! Just as bad on the M4 and the roads leading up to it. Right from the ports. They do the run from Ireland to the Continent through the UK for some funny reason - it must be those who are doing a pickup in the UK someplace. Seems to be a lot of Eastern European registered vehicles doing the same run nowadays too - during my recent visit to Dublin last weekend I noted several examples coming off the ferry at Holyhead (blasted weather had cancelled the local boats and the HSS!).

Having been here for some 18 months now I can really see and feel the vast difference in quality of the road surfaces between the UK and Ireland! Most of my route last weekend on the other side of the Irish Sea seemed to be very bouncy indeed!

SG: Roadcraft is the police drivers handbook - written by and for police drivers and used by both the IAM and RoSPA as the basis for their advanced driving techniques. There's also an extremely good video to go with it - both occupy space on my book shelf.

SG: Making appropriate progress, within the speed limit, is one of the techniques described in roadcraft.

SG: I'll second that ... an excellent book.

Regards Steve G

David, I can recommend the IAM course - being a member myself. It changed my perception of driving skills and my own ability quite dramatically and may well have saved my life (and others) in the process.

Regards Steve G

I've been an IAM member since 1983 (a year after passing my Ministry test) and I'm about to start the course for the ROSPA test.

Lost my nerve slightly after an accident last November - 4 car pile up involving flying LandRovers (not mine) and me aquaplaning into the third car. I know I did all the right things and took the best possible route given the circumstances (stone wall immediately on LHS, flying LandRover on off-side of road, and fast flowing river down bank on far right made the option of straight on into the back of a HiLux look like a good option) BUT I still didn't manage to avoid the accident. I know I'm beating myself up totally over it - I just want to tighten the edges of my driving up.

I can totally recommend either group (IAM or ROSPA) as a brilliant idea and well worth doing. IAM you pass your test and you're a member as long as you keep paying the £15 sub. ROSPA you have to re-take your test (free) every 3 years. All I have to decide now is whether to take just the car test (in the Landy) or the LGV one (in the Merc truck) or both.

Amanda

On or around Wed, 19 Nov 2003 18:40:02 +0000, Mother enlightened us thusly:

's what I've maintained for years. I'm not averse to those variable limit things that change according to conditions - you could have a 20mph limit, zero tolerance, outside your school, with the proviso that it's only thus at times when the extra risk is present: morning pre-school, afternoon school leaving and probably lunchtime. Not needed all night, nor at weekends nor in the holidays.

Actually, I've not got a problem with the 30 limit as applied to genuine urban areas (not "closed"[1] urban dual carriageways...) - almost never "safe" to be doing more'n 30 in a built-up area, and at the few times like 3 ack emma when it is vaguely "safe", it doesn;t hurt to still be doing 30.

[1] by which I mean restricted access, either by fences or by being elevated. Such things as the Westway/Western Avenue.

On or around Wed, 19 Nov 2003 21:13:47 GMT, SteveG enlightened us thusly:

quite right. and remember that on roads narrower than 2 vehicles, this distance gets halved... 'cos the bit that you can see clear to stop on is the same bit that the bloke coming the other way is trying to stop on. This one caught me (who should know better) a bit back.

On or around Wed, 19 Nov 2003 23:23:26 +0000, richard.watson enlightened us thusly:

you forgot "come on, fer chrissakes, the limit's 40 here, not bleedin' 25... 'IT'S THE PEDAL ON THE RIGHT, MATE!!'... I dunno some people, I could go faster on a ruddy pushbike."

For £80 or so, if it saves me 1 slight ding over a lifetime, it's paid for itself. Let alone a major accident. Quite apart from that it sounds a worthwhile, responsible thing to do.

I'll keep the group posted in how I get on - shame there's a big waiting list!

D

On or around Thu, 20 Nov 2003 00:36:54 GMT, SteveG enlightened us thusly:

overall, I prefer the RoSPA thing, which IIRC, is a continuous assessment stylee thing. Granted the IAM thing is not easy to pass or anything, and teaches you a lot in the process, but I see people around proudly displaying their IAM badge on the front of the car, and driving worse than me... I don't doubt they were good at the time they passed the test.

Just a thought - anybody have any particular thoughts on the benefits of the RoSPA version over the IAM version? Only there's not such a waiting list with RoSPA...

D.

Sorry to hear about your little moment. These things do happen and are not always avoidable, you shouldn't beat yourself up about it.

Why not just do a refresher with the IAM and another test or take the first part of the observer course? RoSPA have areputation of being tougher than the IAM to pass but I didn't think it was really. Their grading system is a good idea though.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do anyway.

LOL Steve G

On or around Thu, 20 Nov 2003 00:34:58 GMT, SteveG enlightened us thusly:

arwell, there I have a difference of opinion with 'em. My theory is that you should make appropriate progress, based on the road and conditions[1] and irrespective of the speed limit.

now that I might find interesting, will have a look for it.

[1] including the presence or otherwise of speed traps. Obviously, appropriate progress when passing speed traps is below the limit.

The reason they go from Ireland to mainland Europe via the UK is that it's quicker ... and time is money ... plus the overall costs are less than the direct ferry routes.

Regards Steve G

Austin> 's what I've maintained for years. I'm not averse to Austin> those variable limit things that change according to Austin> conditions - you could have a 20mph limit, zero tolerance, Austin> outside your school, with the proviso that it's only thus Austin> at times when the extra risk is present: morning Austin> pre-school, afternoon school leaving and probably Austin> lunchtime. Not needed all night, nor at weekends nor in Austin> the holidays.

Hear hear!

Austin> Actually, I've not got a problem with the 30 limit as Austin> applied to genuine urban areas (not "closed"[1] urban dual Austin> carriageways...) - almost never "safe" to be doing more'n Austin> 30 in a built-up area, and at the few times like 3 ack Austin> emma when it is vaguely "safe", it doesn;t hurt to still Austin> be doing 30.

I had an interesting conversation earlier this year with the lady who'd led a successful campaign to have a road near my house covered with speed bumps and a 20mph limit some years ago. The limits were there when I moved in, and I do drive part of this road to get in and out of my street. There is a blind bend with a school's back entrance on the bend, and houses and driveways both sides. I do the Police driving/IAM advanced motoring thing of "can I stop within the distance to be clear" on the sharp corner, and I've come to the conclusion that actually 20mph is still too fast approaching the apex of the bend.

I asked her how much difference the changes had made. "None at all", she said, rather unhappily.

"I rather thought so", I replied.

AndyC

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David, they are both excellent courses and passing either of them is an achievement to be proud of. The RoSPA course has a reputation for being harder than the IAM one, but I don't personally subscribe to that view. They both follow the same basic programme, which is based on Roadcraft. One area of the IAM training that has been allowed to slide IMHO is giving a running commentary - it's no longer a compulsary element of the test. With RoSPA you will have to give a VERY detailed one to have any chance of passing.

Here in Bristol we run 4 courses per year currently and this is likely to go up to 6 soon. The reason for the long waiting time in some areas (not all I hasten to add) is the lack of observers, which is parly due to a new(ish) formalised training course and qualification exam set in place with the approval of the DSA. If you have more than one local group close to you check out the waiting times for them all and go to the one that offers the shortest time.

If I can offer any other advice then please feel free to ask.

HTH Steve G