Tips and Blogs

Car washing seems to be one of those Marmite topics; some enjoy the simplicity of the task and the instant improvement it produces. Others detest the chore with a vengeance, says Tim Shallcross, IAM RoadSmart head of technical policy.

Months of air conditioning and dust builds up a grimy layer on the inside of the windscreen, so spend a couple of minutes getting it really clean. Use a window cleaning fluid, newspaper or a microfibre cloth. A squeaky clean surface will eliminate glare from the low autumn sun and greatly reduce the likelihood of the screen misting up. Carefully clean the rear screen so that you don’t damage the heater elements and you’ll save having to put the heated rear window on so much, which can cost two or three mpg while it’s on, says Tim Shallcross, IAM RoadSmart head of technical policy.

With summer well and truly over and the clocks now reverting to GMT, the nights will be well and truly drawing in. During the period of shorter daylight hours (October to March) we statistically see more incidents involving pedestrians and vulnerable road users than during other months.

It’s that time of year. Too late for holiday advice, too early to panic about blizzards or shortage of road salt, so every motoring organisation and journal will be dusting off the “Prepare your car for winter” press release.

Holidays are over, Christmas is not yet on the horizon and forecourts are full of pre-owned cars which have been traded in to get the latest “67” plate. For lots of us, now is the time we think about trading up to a newer model.

I took my first advanced driving test in September 1976 at the age of 30. I had thought about doing this for so long as I was a professional driver at the time but like so many people I thought: “Why should I volunteer for this when I have a license to drive?” I did however want to prove that I could drive better than. Mr. Average and be able to discuss the finer points of driving with at least some authority.

If you didn’t already know, I really love cars. There is a picture of me age three at my parents’ house taken by a professional photographer where I am pointing at something off camera. Years later when I asked them what I was pointing at, they said: “You were pointing at a toy car on the window sill,” – and I wouldn’t stop pointing at it. Eventually the photographer gave me the car!

When individuals purchase psychoactive substances, there is usually little or no information at all provided about what the ‘high’ contains. In fact many cases present in A&E are difficult to treat for this very reason. If you do not know what you have taken, how can you know how it will affect you?

We are encouraging our members to write blogs for us, letting us know the reasons behind them taking the advanced test. Karen Canner of Birmingham Advanced Motorists shares the story behind her taking her test to honour her late father, Sergeant Ron Hardwick (formerly West Midlands Police) who taught her to drive over 30 years ago to the standard of Roadcraft.

John Travolta couldn’t have sung it any better way back in the late 70’s, there he was talking about driving an automatic car in a systematic way. That’s what I think now I know about a little book called Roadcraft. Are you singing the tune in your head now? Yes, me too.