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~ A personal take by Christopher Macgowan on tourism, travel and motorhomes.

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Tag Archives: road safety

Wyatts Covert in Denham does it for me.

13 Sunday Aug 2017

Posted by chrismacgowan in Sites

≈ 1 Comment

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#motorhomes, airfield, camc, caravan and motorhome club, Christopher Macgowan, Denham, hardstanding, Houghton Mill, hymer, lake district, motorhome, motorhomenews, motorhomes, pitch, road safety, wyatts covert


Simples really. Open all year. Fifty hardstanding pitches. An oasis north west of London and within the M25. Immaculately maintained by wardens Marie and Paul. Bus actually comes into the site for local travel. Small private airfield adjacent if you like something to watch.

Christopher Macgowan

@motorhomenews

Winter tips from the Institute of Advanced Motorists

23 Sunday Nov 2014

Posted by chrismacgowan in Road Safety

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Christopher Macgowan, IAM, motorhome, motorhomenews, road safety

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Unless your motorhome is safely garaged away for the winter then you need to take bad-weather precautions, warns the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). Even if you are only heading for a port and sailing for warmer climes, the British weather will make it a challenge just getting there. There are seven essential checks, according to the IAM, that everyone should carry out.

• Ensure your lights are fully working; if a bulb is not working you will need to replace it before starting your journey or go to a garage and get it fixed straight away. Keep a spare set handy in the car. If you are caught driving when your lights are not working you could face a fine of up to £1000.

• Check the washer bottle is filled with screen wash, rather than just water, to remove grime from the screen. Ensure windscreen wiper blades are working properly too, without leaving lines or smearing the screen.

• Check the brake fluid reservoir under the bonnet, and if it is lower than it should be get the motorhome seen by a mechanic urgently. Driving in this way is dangerous.

• Check tyre tread depth. The legal minimum on a motorhome is the same as a car at 1.6mm. Use a tread depth gauge to measure them and check the tread surface is not worn out. Driving with tyres below the legal minimum tread depth can result in a fine of £120.

• Anti-freeze should be topped up all year round, so don’t neglect this over the winter. Ensure it is filled at the correct mixture to stop the coolant in your ‘van from freezing. Check you have the concentration of the fluid right for the temperatures you expect.

• Make room to pack an emergency kit containing a blanket, torch, shovel, and a fully charged mobile phone so you can contact your breakdown service provider if required.

• Make sure you have last year’s ice scraper and de-icer at the ready and ensure they are still effective, or get new ones for this year. Frost can strike overnight; don’t wait till it’s too late.

Discover more advice from the IAM at http://iam.org.uk

Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews

Ogle not!!!

16 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by chrismacgowan in Road Safety

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Christopher Macgowan, direct line, motorhomenews, ogle, pedestrians, road safety

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Direct Line has released the results of a study which found that 60 per cent of men admitted being distracted by attractive women while 12 per cent of women said they did the same when passing an attractive man.

Within the total UK figure of 922,000 distraction-related crashes per year, there are more cases of cars crashing into the vehicle in front during the summer than the winter, because more lightly-clad pedestrians prove more of a distraction.

21 per cent of drivers said that advertising billboards featuring beautiful models were also a major distraction on the road. As an aside, we wonder if anyone in the USA has ever tried to sue the company that put up the billboard for causing a distraction? Mad, but entirely possible.

Matt Owen from Direct Line said: “Stealing a quick look at an attractive pedestrian or billboard model may well be a bit of fun but, on a serious note, drivers shouldn’t underestimate that this type of distraction is a major contributing factor in road accidents.

“The number of crashes caused in this way have not changed year on year so drivers obviously are not learning to keep their eyes on the road.”

The worst-case scenario reported was where a driver was distracted by an attractive pedestrian and crashed – while their partner was in the passenger seat. Thus a two-second lapse can lead to loss of no-claims bonus, loss of car, loss of furious partner and a probable contempt from the object of desire on the pavement. That really is a bad day.

Christopher Macgowan
twitter: motorhomenews

STAY SAFE!

11 Wednesday May 2011

Posted by chrismacgowan in General

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Christopher Macgowan, road safety, The Caravan Club, UN, UN Decade of Action, United Nations

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The UN Decade of Action for Road Safety beginning on 11 May 2011, aims to substantially reduce road deaths around the world. The ‘Decade’ has gained support from a broad base of stakeholders, including governments, government agencies, Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), national motoring clubs, safety organisations, charities and companies. The campaign gives The Caravan Club an opportunity to align itself with the aims of the project, which themselves align well with the interests of Club members.

The Decade of Action is based around five ‘pillars’ or topics of focus:

Road Safety Management
Safer Roads and Mobility
Safer Vehicles
Safer Road Users
Post-crash Response

Concentrating on these areas, the Decade aims to achieve the following safety improvements:

To stabilise and then reduce the forecast level of road traffic fatalities around the world by 2020. Currently nearly 1.3 million people die as a result of road collisions around the world each year (more than 3,000 per day). By taking action, some five million lives could be saved over the course of the Decade, compared to the forecast worsening situation which is anticipated if no action is taken.

The Caravan Club has made a specific commitment to undertake activities which support the aims, and which will help deliver the required goals.

To promote the safest possible choice of car, caravan and motor caravan models for Club members and others undertaking caravanning in the UK.

To encourage the safest possible usage of caravans and motor caravans on UK and overseas roads through the provision of effective and comprehensive advice and guidance.

To provide caravanners in the UK with focussed advice concerning the safest selection and usage of roads for their holiday journeys.

The Caravan Club’s Technical Manager, Martin Spencer, comments, “The Caravan Club is proud to announce its commitment to support the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. The Club’s members are road users first and foremost, and, as such, road safety is a priority for them. It is The Club’s aim to build on its long standing record for providing comprehensive high quality advice and information to its members, and to those contemplating taking up caravanning.”

Lawrence Bate, The Caravan Club’s Director of Marketing, says, “The Caravan Club works closely with like-minded partner organisations such as the FIA and the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), to encourage and deliver road safety improvements. The Club is also a signatory to the European Road Safety Charter and has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Highways Agency to work together on areas of mutual benefit.”

For further details on the UN Decade of Action http://www.decadeofaction.org

Christopher Macgowan

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