Dates For Your Diary
Group Meeting
AGM 11 Oct Lydington VIllage Hall - 1930
Group Meeting 8 Nov - Speaker Rob Braybrook RoSPA examiner
First Aid course
Being planned for 24 Oct and full (Tutors have priority). Peter Genet will take names of interested parties for a rerun in March 22
Skillshare
2 October at The Haven Salisbury
Bike Ride-Outs on the 3rd Saturday of every even numbered month and the 3rd Sunday of every odd numbered Month. Email will be sent out to Bikers and added to the Forum.
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Do you have a topic you would like discussed, or know of an interesting speaker? Please contact Les Brown at speakers@wiltshireroadar.co.uk |
Congratulations
Congratulations to the following members who have passed their Advanced Tests recently:
Angus McAfee - Bike - Gold
Welcome
Please welcome the following to the Group:
Tom Eatough -Bike
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Don’t forget that we have a range of clothing available to purchase. We also offer a range of books, such as Roadcraft, Motorcycle Roadcraft and the Highway Code, and these are available at discounted prices.
For more information visit the Merchandise page of our web site at www.wiltshireroadar.co.uk. |
We are always looking for more articles, ideas and news for the newsletter. Have you been somewhere interesting recently that would make a good story? If you attend any group events then take a camera and send us your pictures!
Please forward all contributions to newsletter@wiltshireroadar.co.uk |
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We're now on
Facebook
AND
Twitter! |
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We had a great meeting at Phoenix UAV Centre courtesy of Peter Milner (and we were royally looked after by his Mum as well). It was good to finally meet some other members face to face, albeit a small select band. We all seem to be getting a bit busier whilst being careful and I trust you are all avoiding the dreaded COVID (I know of 2 members who have caught it and fortunately their symptoms have been mild so it seems the jabs are doing their job). Please be careful and stay healthy.
Please do come and support the AGM on Monday Oct 11. We will make it as safe as possible by opening windows (bring a jumper and a coat!) and spacing out seats. I would be grateful if those of you attending take a lateral flow test no sooner than 2 days prior to the event to reduce the risk of any infection. Whilst we will not mandate the wearing of masks if you feel more comfortable doing so please do wear one; it is your choice. If you cannot attend, regardless of reason, please let the Secretary know and give him, or another committee member your proxy vote. We need to have a quorum of 20% of the membership and I sense we will need the proxies to get us there.
4 tutors (a mix of car and Bike) attended a Road Safety event at MOD Lyneham on 27 Sep. Nearly 1000 soldiers paraded (voluntold to be there) for a demonstration on distraction for drivers given by the Under 17 Car club and a talk on the advantages of advanced training given by IAM RoadSmart members and Wiltshire RoADAR. It will take a while but we may well start to see some of the young soldiers come to us or some training. More in the short article below.
Bob |
Chris Gleed Remembered
A few of us attended the long-delayed wake for one of our founder members Chris Gleed. I have to admit as I parked my motorbike, I felt a little nervous as a gentleman alighted his car wearing a rather smart linen suit and tie; I had chosen my Wiltshire RoADAR polo shirt. Thankfully I was not underdressed!
Carole Gleed made a lovely speech and there were examples of Chris’ achievements on display. I only know Chris through the Group and knew of his Karate expertise but had no idea of his achievements in darts, photography and singing (he met Carole at the RWB Light Opera Society). The display included his RoSPA and IAM test reports but I did not look at them as I suspect they were better than mine.
A great send off with a mix of friends from all Chris’s interests and it was nice to pay proper condolences to Carole who misses Chris the most.
Bob Fram
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Help - we need a new Membership Secretary
Gary Franks needs to relinquish his role as Membership Secretary; his work is taking him away from home much more than expected. Please consider taking on this role to help the Group prosper. It is not too onerous ( Gary has streamlined the process to make it very straight forward) and he is willing to offer all traiing and suprevision.
Please if you can provide a few hours per month do volunteer and do not leave the running of the Group to the same old faces. If you want to find out more please do get in touch with Gary ( he promised not to talk exclusively about Driven Ohm racing!).
Gary is the only car member on the Committee so here is a chance to influence how we operate as well.
Regards
Bob Fram
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AGM - Monday 11 Oct - have your say
Our AGM is scheduled for 7:30 pm Monday October 11.
If you cannot attend - for any reason - please do let us know and give your proxy vote to the Secretary
Following several years in position doing sterling work for the group, a number of committee members will be standing down from key positions.
Whilst Bob Fram is happy to continue it may be time for another to take the helm as Chair by all means plot a coup but there will not be much of a rear guard action from Bob so give him a call!
Please consider if you would like to contribute to the running of the group by volunteering a couple of hours a month.
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Tow a Trailer? - the Rules are Changing
What you can do now (more detials here)
Licences issued before 1 January 1997
You will not be affected by the changes if you passed your car driving test before 1 January 1997.
You are usually allowed to drive a vehicle and trailer combination of up to 8,250kg maximum authoirsed mass (MAM). You will need to view your driving licence information to check.
You are also allowed to drive a minibus with a trainer over 750kg MAM
Licences issued from 1 January 1997 to 18 January 2013
If you passed your car driving test from 1 January 1997 to 18 January 2013, you can currently drive either of the following:
• a car or van up to 3,500kg MAM towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM (up to 4,250kg in total)
• a trailer over 750kg MAM, as long as it is no more than the unladen weight of the towing vehicle (up to 3,500kg in total)
You’ve had to pass a car and trailer driving test if you want to tow anything heavier.
Licences issued from 19 January 2013
If you passed your car driving test from 19 January 2013, you can currently drive either of the following:
• a car or van up to 3,500kg MAM towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM (up to 4,250kg in total)
• a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined MAM of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg
The future
If you passed your car driving test from 1 January 1997, you’ll be allowed to tow trailers up to 3,500kg MAM when the law changes.
DVLA will update your driving licence record to show that you’re allowed to tow trailers. You’ll get category BE added to your driving licence when you get a new photocard driving licence.
You do not need to contact DVLA for this to happen. It will be done automatically.
Car and trailer driving tests stopping from 20 September 2021; tests are stopping before the law changes.
You can no longer book or take a car and trailer driving test from 20 September 2021. However, the law will not change until later in 2021.
What you can do until the law changes
Until the law changes later in autumn 2021, you must continue to follow the current rules about what you’re allowed to tow based on when you passed your car driving test.
You can be fined up to £1,000, be banned from driving and get up to 6 penalty points on your driving licence if you tow anything heavier before the law changes you’re only allowed to tow anything heavier if you’re being supervised. When you’re being supervised, you must:
• display L plates to the front of the car and the rear of the trailer
• be accompanied by a person who’s at least 21 years old and has had category BE on their driving licence for at least 3 years.
I f you want to keep up to date with Highway Code changes then you can register for email alerts here
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Travelling in the EU ? you need a new nationality sticker
From 28 Sep 21 if you are travelling in the EU please be aware of the following:
If your number plate includes the UK identifier with the Union flag (also known as the Union Jack), you do not need a UK sticker.
However, you will need to display a UK sticker clearly on the rear of your vehicle if your number plate has any of the following:
- a GB identifier with the Union flag
- a Euro symbol
- a national flag of England, Scotland or Wales
- numbers and letters only – no flag or identifier
If you’re in Spain, Cyprus or Malta, you must display a UK sticker no matter what is on your number plate.
You do not need a UK number plate or sticker to drive in Ireland
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200 Mile Wiltshire Challeng to raise money for Blood Bikes
(Open to car drivers aswell)
A 200 mile circular ride on scenic tarmac roads around the County boundary of Wiltshire in aid of Freewheelers’
Wiltshire & Bath Advanced Motorcyclists is extending an invitation to Members, Associates and friends to participate in the 2021 Wiltshire 200 Challenge in aid of the Freewheelers blood bike charity. https://www.freewheelers.org.uk
The Challenge is a circular route of up to 200 miles, which follows on tarmac roads, the county boundary of Wiltshire. The route takes in the New Forest, Cranborne Chase, the Fosseway, the Cotswolds, the Cotswold Water Park, Lambourn Downs and the Wallops, using a mix of A, B and minor roads.
Participants will be sent a google maps link and electronic copy of the road book on Friday 22nd October. The link/road book will provide turn by turn instruction for self guidance or can be used to help plot a route on a sat nav or phone. Participants can join & leave the route at any point of their choice.
There is no set date for the Challenge, although we anticipate that most participants will do the challenge over the weekend of 23rd/24th October, the challenge can be attempted on any date after 22nd October.
The road book will contain details of cafes and main petrol stations on the route to enable planning.
Participation is by registration and the payment of a suggested donation of £10 per participant. Registration closes at noon on Wednesday 20th October.
The Registration form can be accessed on the WaBAM website in the Events area at https://www.wabam.org.uk/news
Keith Johnston
Event Organiser
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Have you been up to anything to do with Riding or Driving lately? If so, then please let us know as we would love to include it here; photos would be great too!
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Driven Ohm Racing - a spectator's view
I arrived at Castle Combe to see Gary and his team mate Steve flying around the circuit in their qualifying session. They get 20 minutes practice to sort out their set up and get a qualifying time; all very frantic. When I got to the pits I expected Gary to be up to his arm pits in Mini but he was sat very comfortably in a camping chair as the mechanic sorted the car out for him, chasing a vibration which had not slowed him down but was creating a bit of a mystery (turned out to be a failed wheel bearing which snapped the driveshaft!)
Gary is out of picture watching the mechaninc!
So all very calm and fascinating to be able to chat to Gary and Steve about the racing, how they prepare and what to expect whilst also being able to talk to formula Ford drivers from TM Racing about their efforts and experiences.
So off to find a good place from which to watch the racing. Between Quarry bends and the Esses was my viewpoint of choice and exciting it proved to be. The formula Ford race was a belter with Felix Fisher (TM Racing) being pipped to the win on the last lap – an interesting discussion in the pits later about how he could avoid the same in race 2. Whilst I did not see it he managed the win in race 2 by 8 hundredths of a second. The old school minis were next (or proper Minis if you prefer!) and boy were these thrashed and it was exciting racing. Sadly, a bad crash at the Esses stopped the race and it took the circuit staff 30 minutes to extract the driver and sort the circuit safety. A reminder, as if we needed it, of how dangerous motor racing can be.
So a long wait for Gary and Steve in the pit lane prior to the race and to cap it all it started to rain – not heavy but what they were calling “mental rain” in the pits. It did affect the adhesion though and sure enough there was a red flag within 2 laps as a prang left a car stranded in the circuit. More waiting in the hot car until the restart and me in the wet rain (my jacket sat on Gary’s chair in the pits!).
It made such a difference to know people who were racing, even more so when Gary went round the outside of 2 other cars on Quarry bends (who knew 3 abreast would work) and managed to get the better of the other 2 into the Esses. He was driving well and made it to the front of his class; here comes the win. But then the bittersweet aspect of racing as Gary did not appear round the next lap. Having seen the aftermath of the previous race crash my heart was in my mouth but fortunately the commentator mentioned he had rolled to a stop safety and had not crashed.
Gary going round the outside - unilt the car stopped!
Gary was suitably miffed but Steve had had a good race and was content with his performance (another finish and therefore a signature on his license). An exciting and interesting day and I encourage members to go and see Gary in action. We are sponsors so he will be able to give you tickets and we should try and use the opportunity to talk to a few petrol heads (there were plenty about) and recruit for the Group.
Bob Fram
Follow progress on Facebook @Driven.Ohm.Racing.
Looking forward to the dates for next year
Please let us know of any plans you may have; any road trips, any places
to drive/ride to; maybe you have plans to unicycle the length of the UK
- if you are planning this, please let us know as this would be great
to read about!
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Books! Updates to Roadcraft are here!
Bikes
Motorcycle Roadcraft is the police handbook for rider training. It’s used by all the emergency services and forms a key reference for riding instructors.
Updates for this new edition include a new overtaking chapter with separate sections on passing stationary vehicles, single stage overtakes, and multi-stage overtakes and new explanations of advanced concepts, such as limit points on left-hand bends. Guided by a working group of experienced instructors, Motorcycle Roadcraft is essential learning for police officers preparing for the demands of operational riding.
Cars
Roadcraft is the police handbook for driver training. It's used by all the emergency services and forms reference for driving instructors.
Updates for this new edition include a new overtaking chapter with separate sections on passing stationary vehicles, single stage overtakes, and multi-stage overtakes and new explanations of advanced concepts, such as limit points on left-hand bends.
Guided by a working group of experienced instructors, Roadcraft is essential learning for police officers preparing for the demands of operational driving.
We do have a few of the old Roadcraft books for both Cars and Bikes - if you would like one, please get in touch with the membership secretary. For these books we would appreciate a donation of £5 to the group which is less than half price.
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The Results of Advanced Training - research results
Transport behaviour and safety consultants Agilysis were commissioned by IAM RoadSmart to investigate the benefits of advanced training for motorcyclist. Given the results I think it is safe to say the same would be true of car training as well as it refers to the attitude mainly as opposed to just the skill increase. In short, although not completely conclusive, advanced motorcyclist:
Have fewer collisions per mile.
Are less hostile to other road users.
More likely to stick to a posted speed limit.
less likely to approach a bend too quickly.
They ride faster and have better judgement on appropriate speed- may be due to more confidence.
Are more likely to be involved with their local community.
Are less likely to be involved in right turn “loss of control” and rear end collisions
But:
They have more single vehicle collisions although the reasons for this were inconclusive..
Please see the report here
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Promotional activities
Wiltshire Police have proposed dates or BikeSafe:
We
will be supporting Wiltshire Police with BikeSafe both with
tutors to make up the instructor numbers and to help promote the Group.
We do this in conjunction with WABAM so it is a great way to reinforce
advanced riding and to gather new members.
MOD Lyneham Road Safety Event - 27 September
Wiltshire RoADAR were approached by MOD Lyneham to support a road safety event to encourage the young soldiers to take up some advanced driving and riding training. An officer newly posted in is an observer for WABAM and used his position on the camp and his contacts to start this initiative. There will be more over the next 2 years or so and hopefully long into the future.
Planning was swiftly completed due to the short notice (they wanted to catch the light as it had to be in the evening after the soldiers had competed their engineering training).
The event saw nearly 1000 soldiers split into 2 groups. One being shown a practical demonstration on distractions (using a mobile phone, setting sat nav etc) given by the U17 car club under the direction of Andy Stagg.
The Soldiers are briefed
The other half were split into smaller groups and given a presentation on the benefits of advanced training. These were given by IAM RoadSmart central staff, the event organiser and yours truly. The presentation outline was developed by the IAM RoadSmart central marketing team (oh how I wish RoADAR had such a thing). It included a practical excercise where soldiers did some drill under the control of a NCO and then were asked to repeat the exercise without any orders just using their own observation. Thankfully the second attempt was not as successful as the first one and this was related to observation anticipation and planning – a little insight into advanced training.
Our briefing position
We may get some recruits but at least we are getting the message out and improving road safety. There will be more events in the future (with more planning time!) and I am in touch with the Officer in charge so we will be involved.
I want to thank Ed Deacon, Les Brown and Phill Coulbourne for their support on the evening.
Bob Fram.
We will plan our promotional events at the committee meeting immediately following the AGM
If you have any ideas for events, then please get in touch with the committee using the committee email address :
Look forward to hearing and discussing your ideas.
Presentation material
A generic set of slides has been created for use if you are asked about Wiltshire RoADAR and have the opportunity to present. This could be at a local club, workplace etc. Please send a mail to committee@wiltshireroadar.co.uk and the slides will be sent over to you.
We also have flyers and business cards so ask for these via the same means
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First Aid Training
This will be held on 24 Oct and is full - we havei given priorituy to Tutors.
There will be a re-run of the course next March so if you are keen to attend please register your interest with Peter Genet. Tthis does not commit you to attending but gives us an idea of the numbers for which we may be organising the course.
Media coordinator - Help us to broaden our reach
To help promote the group we have a variety of online media platforms, FaceBook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. To help make the most out of the opportunities that these outlets provide, we could use some help from someone who has experience of using such tools. Drop me a line at secretary@wiltshireroadar.co.uk if you would be interested in helping promote our group.
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Committee minutes
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These are available from the Group Secretary if any member wishes to see them. If you are interested in reading the minutes, then please send a mail to the Group Secretary whom will promptly forward them onto you.
Forum
Please could all Members use the Forum on the Website which can be used for any purpose but particularly coordinating events, hints, tips and general conversation. It is easy to register on the website so please do log on and chat away.
Test results
Reminder to let the Membership Secretary and your tutor know when you have taken your Advanced Driving/Riding Test and result. This is so our database is kept up to date; there is no need or pressure at all to have the result published on the website or in this newsletter if you wish to keep your result confidential.
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