Getting excited...

I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

Instead of my usual trundle up and down the A12 to work I'm going in a different direction - to Bedford.

Why oh why can I hear you ask, are you excited about going to Bedford?

Well, it's simple.

A couple of weeks ago I won a prize at work - to go and spend the day with Cisco (again, probably not something to get excited about I hear you cry) at Palmer Sport Autodrome in Bedford.

A whole day of racing top spec cars such as Caterhams, 350z's and Jaguars around a series of tracks...

I can't wait!

My plea...

I know you're the best driver in the world...
I know you've spent thousands on your car...
I know that a Nissan Micra/Peugeot 206/your mums fiesta will always be the fastest car in the world...
I know that neon running lights make your car look really cool...
I know you need a baseball cap to keep all your multitude of brains inside your head...
I know that you don't need to keep to the speed limits...
I know that the highway code doesn't apply to you...
I know you have a speaker system that Ministry of Sound would be proud of...
I know you want to show off your car as much as you can...

But please, pretty please, pretty please with sugar on top...

TURN YOUR BLOODY FOG LIGHTS OFF

It's uncomfortable for the person following you, and it's blinding for the person in front.

You don't need them on. We can see you and your blinged up car perfectly well without them.

Please...

Remember, fogs should only ever be used when visibility drops below 100m

Joining the IAM

One of the most common questions I'm asked, is how you become an advanced motorist. This usually comes just after the comments about all advanced motorists wearing flat caps and string backed driving gloves!

So for those who are interested, here's a brief outline of what you need to do...

Becoming an Advanced Motorist is not anywhere as difficult as it seems. You simply buy a package from the IAM, called a Skill for Life package, and that will give you all the tools you need to become a better driver.

Included in the fee you pay are:

• A copy of the current highway code (because lets be honest here, how many of you out there have really looked at the code since you passed your L-test?)
• A copy of the institutes Advanced Driving Manual, called Pass your Advanced Driving Test (this is an edited version of Roadcraft, the police driver training manual)
• A years associate membership of your local (or preferred) IAM group
• An allocated Observer from your chosen group who will sit in the passenger seat of your car and give guidance on your driving
• All the training sessions for associates and members run by your local group
• Your IAM test, which will be taken in your own car and assessed by a trained police class 1 driver
• A years membership of the IAM once you have passed your test.

There may also be other extras available from your local group.

The other question I usually get asked is how much it costs. Usually, I tell people what I've said above, then ask them to judge how much they think it would cost...

And then I tell them the real cost, so go on, have a guess...

...I bet you're wrong...

...The actual price of an IAM skill for life package is £85 - £75 if you are between the ages of 17 and 26. Not bad huh?

So what are you waiting for, go on, do it, you know it makes sense!

BTW, it took me 7 years to get around to doing my IAM test, and now I wish I'd done it so many years before!

Traffic...What traffic?

My other half is an expert at clocking up motorway miles with his job. Therefore, when he told me I'd better leave the house a bit earlier now the schools had gone back, I listened to him.

So here I am, in the office, half an hour early for work, with there being no noticable change to the traffic from last week.

But I'll bet you if I'd left home late there would have been :o)

People in glass houses...

probably shouldn't be naturists.

I digress. We've had a bit of an interesting debate in our IAM magazine recently. It all started with an associate asking about driving barefoot.

Now most people subscribe to the commonly held belief that driving barefoot is illegal. It's not. It is however an offence to not be in proper control of your vehicle - and if the officer who stops your car thinks that your lack of footwear is a contributing factor in this, then he'll probably give you a ticket.

Personally, I've driven barefoot once or twice - out of necessity - and although it's an interesting experience, and I'm of the opinion it makes your car sympathy a bit better, I wouldn't choose to do it frequently. Admittedly, a couple of times I've done it because I've worn a spectacularly silly pair of shoes to the office, and by the time I've got back to the car, I'm struggling to walk, but one time sticks in my memory for a different reason.

About 6 years ago, not long after I moved to Suffolk, him indoors and myself decided to pay a trip across town to Halfords a large retailer specialising in motoring goods. Off we set with him driving, I tend to let him get on with it when he's around, and went to said shop to buy whatever it was we needed. As we came out, there was an audible crunch, and a rather pained squeal from my unfortunate other half, his back had just gone - spectacularly! Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem, he lies on back seat, I get in front and drive - however this day, for some reason unknown to me now, I'd decided to wear my clogs to go shopping - yep, clogs, you know, those wooden things... Off they came, and in I went, barefoot all the way home.

After the discussions in the newsletter, there was a bit more debate about whether other forms of footwear are more sensible or not as the case may be - flip flops for example. Some people are firm advocates of flat soled sensible driving shoes - I'm not. I wish I'd had a pound for every time I've turned up somewhere in my usual work shoes and been met with a barrage of disbelief that I've driven in them. I see it this way - why shouldn't I? I wear them day in and day out, and I'm far more used to the way they feel than some flat sensible shoes.

I always remember back to the days when I was learning to drive. My dad - with a great deal of sense no doubt - used to insist that I took my driving lessons in my trainers so I could "feel the pedals", so dutifully I would change into them before every lesson (I should note at this point that I, unlike many teenagers, didn't live in my trainers - I was firmly attached to my Dr Martin boots) I struggled for weeks with clutch control and the pedals - always using too much, or not enough power. One day, I had a lesson straight from school and forgot said trainers - having to take my lesson in my boots. The transformation was amazing - suddenly everything worked as it should have. My instructor mentioned how much better I was that week and I casually mentioned the slip up with the boots. "I'm not surprised" said he "people always drive better in the shoes they are used to" and at that he made me promise to do that in future.

So now I drive in whatever I have on my feet. Usually. I do draw the line at flappy flip flops - although I have a couple of pairs of tight fitting ones I'm happy to drive in - and I've got a pair of 6in heels that I wouldn't even contemplate driving in (having said that, I can barely walk in them, never mind drive), but other than that, the sky's the limit - I've driven in boots with a 3in heel, flats and wedges, hiking boots and wellies (not a great idea admittedly) and I still agree with my instructor - if you can walk in them, you can drive in them.