This newsletter is our website version of Cornwall Advanced Motorists News which is sent out to every member of CAM. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of other members of Cornwall Advanced Motorists or the Institute of Advanced Motorists.

Our newly qualified team of Senior Observers back row, l to r Jack Ruse, Roy Bullen, Mark Broderick front row, l to r Chris Ambrose, John Burwash not pictured Paul Basher

Three Cheers for CAM!
by Stephen Nelson

We have enjoyed successful open evenings at Dales Rover and Carrs of Tresillian and are very grateful to both companies for their support and generous hospitality, extended to us all. The Group has been represented at Cornwall's first Disability Day at the showground at Wadebridge. That event was very well attended and is due to become an annual fixture, so it was good that CAM was there for the first one. Our thanks to Tony Lea for all his work and to Peter and Maureen Hester, Roy Bullen, Chris Ambrose, Jack Ruse, and not forgetting Diana Smeath who came with me to bring items to our stand on the day.

Alongside the activities outlined above, our first disabled associate has signed up and is being observed by Diana Smeath. He is a young man who has come to us via the Mobility Centre in Truro and if all goes well this could lead to our having more members from there in future. Ron Spence, DSA, ADI, who is the driving consultant at the Centre, has agreed to speak to us at our February Group Meeting next year and I am sure that you will find him an interesting person who does a very special job helping people to become or remain mobile after serious illness, accidents or other problems. In this Year of the Disabled, I am pleased that CAM is playing its part.

Well done!
Our programme for training and examining six new Senior Observers has been completed with 100% success. Congratulations to Chris Ambrose, Paul Basher, John Burwash, Roy Bullen, Mark Broderick and Jack Ruse.

After the tests that all these gentlemen took, I received a late evening telephone call from Andy Poulton, our IAM Staff Test Examiner, who had conducted the tests. He told me that he was very impressed, not only with the standard of the candidates and their enthusiasm, but also the preparation and routes and organisation of the whole event. He said it was a pleasure to have been involved with us and he only wished that it could be like this all the time!

For that high praise we have to thank David Ede and all his helpers. Very well done David. At the start it seemed like a very high mountain to climb but you have succeeded and we are all very proud of the results. I am really pleased because when I took on the job of Chairman I said that I wanted to build on the results of the hard work that Don Ingham had produced in the preceding year. I feel that David and all those involved in this exercise have done just that.

Over the coming months our new Senior Observers will be able to bring on new Observers and in so doing ensure the future of CAM and all it stands for.

I am also very pleased to tell you that Chris Ambrose has agreed to become Chief Observer and I feel sure that he will be a tremendous help to David Ede in our programme. Thank you very much Chris.

Congratulations to those who have recently passed the IAM test
observers' names in italics

Welcome to new Associate Members

Richard Boyle St Austell Robert Buckham Camborne
Adam Purvis Liskeard Rob Kinna Carnon Downs
David Richards Camborne Mark Kemp St Breock Downs
Paul Crago Lostwithiel James Hasell Camborne
Paul Butler Par Claire Whitlum Polgooth
Jennifer Harries Camborne Jason Watts Constantine
Angela Spottiswoode St Mawes Mark Engwell Falmouth
Nicola Richards St Erme

A message from David Ede
Associates and Observers Co-ordinator

A big personal THANK YOU to all our new senior observers - they did the hard work on their tests and the results are down to their knowledge, friendliness and enthusiasm; and thanks to Sheila Caddy and to my wife Pam for being the 'associates' on the tests - how they didn't get dizzy on the route is beyond me; and my appreciation to Andy Poulton for conducting the tests in such a professional yet friendly manner. Pssst - the boys told me you didn't miss a trick! No wonder each debrief lasted over an hour ...

To all Potential Observers

Currently this list comprises: John Buchanan, Chris Edgeler, Fr John Breatbatch, Jason Carne, Arthur Hosken, Steve Pewarce, John Pearson, Ken Weston, Roy McKenzie, Hugh Calder-Jones, Tony Bush, Chris Stokes, Anthony Rowe, Mick Goodship and Paul Shearn.
If anyone else wishes to be added to this list, please contact me. Please note that with our senior observers now qualified the hard work of establishing an observer training syllabus begins. This will be completed as soon as possible, but I realise that you people in the above list are all eager to begin your training - just bear with us. I'm not exaggerating when I say that CAM has come a long way in the past year! But there's still some way to go ...
With the group flourishing, the need for more observers is growing, particularly in some of the less densely populated areas of our county.
I can assure anyone who volunteers that your help will be greatly appreciated, and the role of observer is extremely rewarding - we can positively contribute to improved road safety in Cornwall.

Dave's Slant ... on Motoring, Motorsport and the Universe

I recently had a very pleasurable albeit slightly uncomfortable ride in a 1949 AEC Matador articulated lorry - mostly in third gear at 15mph as it was in a carnival procession. I was intrigued by a chrome bezzled 'hole' in the dashboard. "Oh, that's the glovebox - for putting your gloves in," remarked John, the vehicle's owner. "No heaters in those days," he added. I guess we all take modern driving comforts for granted - an event like this brought home just how far auto engineering has come. A friend with a Subaru Legacy informs me that his doors aren't adjustable, they are all built to an extremely tight spec. with very accurate tolerances and door shuts.
So the unguarded level crossing at Quintrell Downs is to be fitted with barriers at long last - I'm afraid even this modification will not prevent a foot slipping off the clutch pedal and a car crashing into the side of a train; this happened recently, I kid you not.

Newquay has been gridlocked for part of the holiday season, so much so that it took me 2 ½ hours to complete a five mile round trip.
I've continued with my time-keeping duties on rallies, hillclimbs and sprints and even officiated at a motorcycle enduro in August. I believe that rumours surrounding the future of St Eval (where Newquay Auto Club run their sprint series) may have some substance. It sounds likely that this airfield may eventually become a massive housing estate, probably for American service families.
Makes you think: You know you're getting old when there is too much room in the house and not enough room in the medicine cabinet. Best line heard recently, on the subject of bank loans: When the sun is shining they offer you an umbrella, then when it rains they take it away. Oxford FC Chairman, millionaire Firoz Kassam.

Drive carefully out there!

Cul de sac
by Mavis Clark

Is this to be your final resting place,
Among these twisted skeletal remains?
Must you lie here, while weeks and days deface
The remnants of your splendour; while the rains
Punish your body, fill your sightless eyes?
No hymns or prayers as you are laid to rest;
No-one but me to mourn your sad demise,
Or grieve that you have failed the final test.
I shall remember sunny summer days,
When you and I shared in the joy of speed,
Challenging hills, exploring winding ways.
Now to advancing age you must concede.
In hope of some Valhalla, I entrust
Your fast-decaying chassis, rust to rust.

reproduced here with the author's kind permission

Sitting in the garage
by Polly Tatum

A footpath runs past my garage; it is used by dogs and their owners and sometimes a farmer and his sheep. It runs the length of our lane into a field. One day this summer a woman out with her dog stopped to talk to me when I was putting my car away. She was distressed and told me that her husband was ill and no longer able to drive. All sorts of problems had arisen because she had never learned to drive and she felt that she was now too old to learn. The car was just sitting in the garage and this affected both of their lives.
Carrying shopping up the long steep hill from Wadebridge was nigh impossible, and getting to and from the doctor and dentist required a lot of organising; there was no more getting out and about to meet friends or go to church. Although there are more buses now in our part of Cornwall, the bus doesn't come into our hamlet and it doesn't always go where and when you want it to. She was quite sad, too, because she couldn't take the dog to the beach - a weekly event in its life. She said she had kind neighbours who offered help but she didn't like to ask and didn't want to depend on others.
Her distress and worry set me to thinking about this business of husbands and wives and motorcars! There must be a great many older couples in Cornwall who find themselves stranded when the only driver cannot drive. According to Cruse Bereavement Care, the greatest single problem facing widows is their lack of mobility; if they can't get out and about they face social isolation which leads to depression. Most of them belong to a generation that didn't encourage women to learn to drive. For some people in this situation it will be too late to learn, but that won't be true for everybody. A few lessons - with an ADI please! - should reveal what the possibilities are. A big stumbling block for many people will be a lack of confidence and the belief that they won't succeed.
So let us encourage positive thinking and try to help couples to get the car out of the garage. Our children insisted that I learn to drive as part of my preparation for retirement - thank goodness they did!

And now to youth...
What do most 17 year olds have in common? A desire to drive

Who tells them how vulnerable they are? Who tells them how many young people have collisions? Who tells them how many young people die? The Young Driver Education Programme

Who educates young people about driving, NOT about passing a driving test? The Young Driver Education Programme

The aim of the programme is to inform, influence and educate the next generation of young drivers allowing them to make informed decisions about driving safely. Many people are killed or injured when travelling in a car driven by a 17 - 21 year old.

The YDEP is a one-day series of classroom workshops designed to
appeal to the young. They are activity-based using videos, worksheets, problem-solving exercises, role play, practical demonstrations and discussions. They focus on knowledge, attitudes and risk perception.
Included are: buying a second hand car, driver's skills, road collisions, alcohol and drugs.

Carol Wright, Project Co-ordinator, 01872 327 273.

There but for the grace of God ...

Someone cutting me up on a roundabout in Wadebridge.
What's that familiar red and white badge on the front of his car? Ooops!

Your questions

Your technical questions should be sent to the address below for forwarding to the appropriate person.

CAM
Orchard Cottage
Greenwith Road
Perranwell Station
Truro TR3 7LX

Golf Buggy or Practical Urban Transport?
by Peter Hester

The battery driven electric vehicle (EV) could provide practical urban transport but a number of factors put it at a disadvantage. Let us examine some of the pros and cons of the EV:

Range
The EV has a practical range of some 50 to 60 miles before requiring re-charging. This cannot be done in a few minutes at the local filling station but requires several hours. The normal petrol engine, by contrast, has a range of some 300 miles and can be re-fuelled very quickly.
There is a perception that until the EV can achieve the same range as a petrol engine vehicle than it is not much use, despite the fact that many people's daily commute is less than 20 miles. This would be well within the range of the EV and would simply require plugging into a mains socket overnight for it to be fully charged the next morning. When a greater range is required, for holidays for example, it could be more cost effective to hire a petrol vehicle.

Pollution
The EV does not produce any pollution in its normal running. A mass exodus of commuters to EVs would reduce the pollution of our city centres to nothing. True, there is some pollution to be taken into account in the generation of the electricity required to charge the batteries, but this is only a very small part of the total electricity production.
It is worthwhile mentioning, however, that EVs would not reduce the total number of vehicles on the road, so would not be of any help in reducing city centre congestion.
Mechanical complexity
Here the EV scores heavily. It simply consists of a bank of batteries, and electric motor, and an electronic controller for the motor. Compare that with the complexity of a normal four-stroke petrol engine and the difference is obvious to see.
Maintenance would be simplified (no oil, oil filter, spark plugs,
timing belts etc., to change) but the cost over time may not show a great saving due to the limited life of the batteries. They would not be expected to last more than five or six years and their replacement would constitute a considerable financial outlay.
Research and development
Large sums of money are poured into the R&D departments of manufacturers of conventional petrol engine vehicles. By contrast, little money, if any, appears to be going to R&D for the EV. Knowing that Peugeot manufacture a limited range of electric 205s which they lease to local authorities and the like, I telephoned them to try to find out more.
After some twenty minutes being passed from department to department I got to speak to the person in charge of their electric vehicles. He refused point blank to send me any information on the basis that they do not give out information to individuals. Despite my assuring him that I only required the information for CAM News, his parting comment went along the lines that Peugeot are not putting any money into the development of the EV as they do not see any commercial future in electric powered vehicles. I could not, as an individual, purchase a Peugeot EV.
Amateur construction
It would appear that there is a thriving bank of amateurs either construction EVs or modifying existing vehicles. There is also some small-scale production of vehicles along the general design of a bubble car. There is not space here to go into all the details of these, but for those interested a good starting point would be on the Internet; a search engine will produce several websites when asked to find electric+vehicles.

So it seems the EV has only a very limited future. Unless problems of battery technology can be overcome (and this looks unlikely as there is no major R&D on this) it will remain the domain of enthusiastic environmentally aware amateurs to keep the concept alive. Finally, if anyone has had experience of driving an EV either on holiday or as part of their work, we would be most interested to hear or their experiences.

Group Meetings for next Spring

Wednesday 28 January

John Betjeman Centre, Wadebridge next to public library
Steve Froud, DSA
Tuesday 24 February
Lychgate, Kenwyn
Ron Spence, Mobility Unit

Wednesday 31 March
Carnon Downs Village Hall
Helen Schofield

Tuesday 27 April
Lychgate, Kenwyn
Rod Shepherd