CRASH Cards

CRASH Card is a scheme in which motorcyclists place a card inside their crash helmet as a medic alert. The details which the rider has written on the card provide vital information for attending ambulance crews if the motorcyclist is injured in an road traffic collision. Saving valuable time and helping treatment especially if the rider is either unconscious or unable to communicate.

This scheme, which has been in use for nearly two years in some parts of England, was created by the committee of the Ambulance Motorcycle Club a group of experienced Paramedics and ambulance staff who are passionate about motorcycling.

The card also has a mnemonic “CRASH” which gives helpful advice if a rider comes across a road traffic collision. Ian Burrell Chairman Ambulance Motorcycle Club comments:  “We know that riders are more likely than any other road user to stop at the scene of an accident and offer to help.  CRASH is an excellent way of helping the emergency services get the right resources to the scene as quickly as possible and we hope riders who stop to help will use their own card to provide information when calling 999.”

Hayden Newton, Chief Executive of the East of England Ambulance Service, is delighted to be backing the initiative and being a keen biker himself said “I am thrilled that the ambulance service is supporting such an excellent initiative, both from a professional point of view and as a keen motorcyclist myself.”

The CRASH card is accompanied by an explanatory letter which contains a self adhesive green dot. The letter explains that riders should affix the dot to the right hand side of their helmets or visor to help alert the attending medical staff to the presence of the card.

The letter also shows how to fill out the card and explains that only trained professionals should remove an injured rider’s crash helmet.

The cards are available at a variety of bike related events throughout the year, for information visit :

www.ambulancemotorcycleclub.150m.com

The scheme recently won the Prince Michael Road Safety Award for 2011, the same award the Durham BikeWise won in 2009.

Reduction in Red Tape for Drivers announced by DfT.

Thanks for Paul Dowson for bringing this press release to our attention:

Drivers are to be released from reams of red tape currently required by government, Transport Secretary Justine Greening announced today.

As a result of the Road Transport Red Tape Challenge – the government wide process to get rid of unnecessary, burdensome and overcomplicated regulation - the Department for Transport is:

• Scrapping the regulation requiring motorists to hold a paper counterpart to their driving licence by 2015 – saving drivers up to £8m.
• Improving the regulation surrounding the notification process for vehicles that are not in use on the road (Statutory Off Road Notification or SORN). Once drivers have notified the DVLA that their vehicle is SORN, they will no longer have the burden of annual SORN renewal.
• Only issuing hard-copies of V5C vehicle registration certificates for fleet operators when needed, with the potential to be rolled out to private motorists.
• Introducing a limited exemption from drivers’ hours rules so that those who also drive as Territorial Army reservists in their own time can continue to do so.

Following a vigorous process of challenge, both by the public and within Whitehall, a total of 142 road transport regulations will now be scrapped or improved.

Justine Greening said;

“Motorists shouldn’t have to keep numerous bits of paper just to prove they can drive and have bought insurance – we live in digital age and we need to embrace that.

“Reducing the number of rules and regulations in our life is absolutely vital to removing barriers to economic growth and increasing individual freedoms. This whole process just proves that there’s so much sitting on our statute books that at the very least needs a good spring clean or can be scrapped entirely.”

Business and Enterprise Minister Mark Prisk said:

“I'm delighted that so many motoring regulations will be scrapped or improved, particularly those that affect business.

“The Red Tape Challenge has built up real momentum since it was launched in April. Overall, of over 1200 regulations considered so far, we have agreed to scrap or improve well over 50 per cent.

“We have already published regulations covering 12 themes, and there are 13 themes to come, so there remains huge scope for reducing the burden of regulation on business and individuals even further.”

Other proposed changes to road transport regulations include:

• Removing the need for an insurance certificate. The Department for Transport will work with the insurance industry on removing the need for motorists to have to hold an insurance certificate.
• Abolishing the requirement for drivers to prove they have insurance when applying for tax meaning 600000 more people will be able to tax their car online. This has been made possible by new checks of existing databases for insurance under new Continuous Insurance Enforcement rules. The DVLA’s records are compared regularly with the Motor Insurance Database (MID) to identify registered keepers of vehicles that appear to have no insurance.
• We will look at experience in other countries on driver Certificates of Professional Competence (CPC) - the qualification for professional bus, coach and lorry drivers. In particular, to see if we could remove the need for some sectors, such as farmers who drive stock to market, from needing a CPC.
• Local Authorities will now have to ensure business interests are properly considered as part of any future proposed Workplace Parking Levy scheme. They must show they have properly and effectively consulted local businesses, have addressed any proper concerns raised and secured support from the local business community.
• Abolishing the regulations on the treatment of lost property on buses. Bus companies currently have to wait 48 hours before they can throw away perishable items left on the bus.

Congratulations!

Making yet another guest appearance on the DAM Blog, Ali Bonar was kind enough to present IAM certificates to DAM's latest successful members, Dave Trotter and Ross McKenzie.

Thanks to all our Observers for their tireless work in coaching the associates.

DAM 2011 AGM

The DAM Annual General Meeting was a well attended event on 29th November at the Bowburn Hall Hotel.


The formalities (Committee officers reports, election of new officers etc) was carried out in good time enabling the members attending to avail themselves of the buffet and make the most of the socialising opportunity.


As in previous years, DAM has received financial support from Durham Police (this is in addition to the extensive support we receive for training & support) to the tune of a £500 donation from the BikeWise proceeds.


Here is a picture of Ali Bonar (again!) presenting the cheque to out very pleased treasurer, Don Russell.

   
DAM annual subscriptions remain at the current level (only £5.00 per year) the the welcome donation from BikeWise enables us to continue to keep the subs at this level whilst maintaining our high standards of social and training activities.

Latest congratulations.

Congratulations to our latest test passes, Dave Trotter and Andrew Watson.

Andrew was present at the recent social evening and was presented with his IAM Certificate by PC Ali Bonar before her presentation to the Club.

Micro climates.

At this time of year, look out for for micro climates which can cause frost and wet patches to linger in some areas after they have disappeared elsewhere.

Landscape features such as valley bottoms, shaded hillsides and shaded slopes can create these micro climates.

At 2pm today, the sun was shining (although the air temperature was cold!) and the roads were dry, except when taking the back road from Garrigill over to Nenthead the shading of the trees created a classic micro climate - frost remaining on the verge and road, even at that time.

The frost on the verge was very picturesque, especially with the glorious sunshine backdrop [something my mobile phone camera couldn't cope with!] but the road was still damp and slippy.

So make sure you're looking ahead for these shaded areas and ensure micro climates are in your observations!

DAM AGM - November 29th. Don't forget!

October social meeting.

A good turnout of members were present for the October social evening at the Bowburn Hall Hotel.


The presentation was given by PC Ali Bonar of the Durham Police Bike section.  Ali gave a multimedia presentation to the members present reinforcing the methods and benefits of advanced riding.


After a little bit of IT challenge, Ali was able to deliver a light hearted presentation using video shot by Durham Bike Section on the fantastic roads of the Durham Dales.

Ali educating the members on the finer points of some of our laws!

The presentation was followed by a "pop quiz" on road signage, road markings and some of the more obscure aspects of road law.


For example:
 - Are you able to overtake/filter on the approach to a crossing?
 - What does the law state regarding pillions on a motorcycle?

The light hearted banter continued through the discussions around the answers, including the opportunity to challenge Ali's answer to the question regarding the types of crossings that exist!  This was challenged by the members who had participated in last month's road trivia quiz which featured a question about the "Pegasus" equine crossing.


Thanks to Ali for giving her time to the club for this presentation and also all of the support work she and her colleagues in the Bike Section give to DAM. 

The Trophy!

Motorcycle Group Achievement Award

3rd. 2011

The award is presented to groups in recognition of their achievements in membership, success in the test and general group activities.

Congratulations to all of us!

The sticky fingerprints are courtesy of the celebratory chocolate biscuits at the committee meeting!

DAM Achievements recognised by IAM

DAM's achievements in sucessfully bringing riders up to the required standard of the IAM Advanced standard has been recognised by the IAM.


DAM came third in the country (out of 70 groups) in the Group Achievement Awards!


At the IAM Motorcycle conference at Warwick University on Sunday 9th October DAM was represented by Brian Clements (Chair) and Bill McReady (Secretary), both were pleasantly surprised to receive this award and it came totally out of the blue. 


The photo is from the IAM website which shows Bill being presented with the trophy by Simon Best IAM Chief Executive, and Nicola from Adelaide Insurance. 

This award is a recognition of the hard work by all of our Members, Associates, Observers & Committee Members and we should all be rightfully proud of the Group's achievements!

Latest test passes.

Congratulations to the latest IAM test passes!

Marie Elizaberth Atherton - 31/08/2011 

Marie's Observer was Brian Clements

Allan Alderson - 30/08/2011 

Allan's Observer was Peter Harrison

Lee Richards - 10/09/2011

Lee's Observer was Ray Luke

Congratulations to Marie, Allan & Lee and thanks to Brian, Peter and Ray for their time & efforts Observing.

Bill's bimble around the block....

13 bikes took part in Bill's end of season ride out, ending up at the Grey Horse in Middridge for a pleasant curry.


The bimble route took in Tow Law, Wolsingham & Hamsterley.


Thanks to Bill for leading the ride and arranging the end of season treat for us!


Remember that from September our monthly meetings become social events at the Bowburn Hall Hotel, Tuesday 27th event is a presentation from Malcolm Lonsdale, our regional group co-ordinator.

Vanishing Points

It may seem very obvious, but when we ride in the dark the limit of our view tends to be the limit of the headlight illumination.


So, no matter how well you know a route, always ride to the limit of your vision - you never know what could be hiding just out of the pool of your headlight!


My bike (BMW 1150GS) has fairly poor lights, the photos show the dipped and main beam illumination difference when approaching a well signed 90 degree left turn.


Even though the chevrons are visible (particularly with main beam) there is still a dead zone of visibility between the bend and the illumination, that is the vanishing point for this bend.


If I did more night riding, I'd be tempted to improve the lighting!

Motorcycle Monthly Ed Signs up for Skill for Life.

Click on the images for the full sized image.

Rideout Report - 14th August

Rideout report from Paul Dowson from Sunday 14th August:
 On arriving at Bowburn to find 12 members waiting for a leader, I volunteer myself if nobody else wanted to take the ride for the day, when I announced to go to the Lakes, there were no complaints!

From Bowburn to Brough [A66] then to Penrith stopping at 'Rheged' for lunch. 


We continued on the A66 to Keswick turn of Portinscale [B5292] then onto the[B5289] which took us passed Crummock Water, Buttermere onto Honister Pass, through Burrowdale back to Keswick, from Keswick [A591] to Ambleside, turning left up Struggle Pass to meet the [A592] where we had a short stay at the top of Kirkstone Pass . 

Down the pass to Patterdale, Ullswater, Poole Bridge to Penrith joining the [A66] to Brough for a short break, then onto Mickleton [B6276], Eggleston ,Staindrop to Bishop Auckland

13 riders, tail end of a shower going towards Appleby on the morning, a good day, hope all got home safely.

Thank you from Mike Cope

DAM Secretary, Bill McReady, has received a thank you card from Mike Cope in response to the presentation at the recent BikeWise show.

Click on the image below to read Mike's comments to DAM:

DAM says thanks to two founding members.

BikeWise 2011 was the venue for two founding members of DAM to receive a token of thanks from the club in recognition of their hard work in helping to form DAM and making it such a successful club that we know today.

Bob Brown and Mick Alder of BikeWise Training were kind enough to make the presentation on behalf of the DAM Committee.

Bob presents Mike with his gift.

Bob Brown, Mike Cope, John Cudden, Mick Alder

I AM, HE IS...

Along with Dave Coates' FZ-1 bike on the DAM BikeWise stand, we also commissioned some special publicity material featuring Dave's skills combined with the current "IAM" theme.

Here's Dave with banner at BikeWise.

BikeWise 2011 Photos on line.

Click the link to access the many photos from the BikeWise 2011 show:-


BikeWise 2011 Galleries


DAM had a very successful show, our stand featured 3 bikes loaned from:
  Dave Coates (http://www.davecoates.co.uk/) : his red FZ1 which is for sale - one careful owner!
  PC Ali Bonar's new Ducati Multistrada
  KTM RC8 kindly loaned from M&S Motorcycles (http://www.mandsmotorcycles.co.uk/)

The bikes are there to catch the attention of potential new associates and also help in dispelling the myth that all IAM members ride BMWs! (Not that there's anything wrong with BMWs)

Learning the Noble Art - Rupert Paul

In the Sept 2011 issue of Bike magazine, Rupert Paul has written an interesting article relating to his study of the opinion of new riders to the suitability of the current CBT and training.  He invited Bike readers to relate their feelings of how the CBT prepares them for riding in the real world.

Of the 106 people who responded to Rupert's request, 105 agreed that the training they had received for their CBT did not prepare them for the reality of riding on the road.

The training new riders receive in preparation for the current test focuses on urban riding and enabling the candidates to meet the specific needs to satisfy the examiners during the test.

Once on the open road after their test, the skills required to handle cornering and braking at 60-80mph, reading bends & knowing what the main causes of accidents are do not come naturally.  All of these skills are not needed to pass a motorcycle test today.

The specific suggested by the respondants can be represented by the graph below:

Extracts of 2 of the responses:

My point is entirely supportive of Rupert’s; here I was, fully qualified to ride but unable to handle the simplest of every day situations as my training had focused almost exclusively on urban riding.

Between DAS and buying the YZF I ran wide, into the path of a car coming the other way. Thankfully, the car saw me in enough time to brake, I braked, and we didn’t collide. The truth is I had NO IDEA how the bike got round a corner. Why would I? No one had ever taught me.

The overiding conclusion?
If you know anyone entering, or re-enterning, biking through the current CBT/DAS system please encourage them to take their training further and not rely on CBT/DAS to equip them with all of the skills needed.

A689 Nenthead - warning.

From the BikeWise news site, a warning of very poor road surface on the Eastern approach to Nenthead. 


Click the link to read the warning from BikeWise and see the photos:   Bikewise News

Also be aware that on the West side of Nenthead there is one of the Cumbria safety camera sites, and the van has been seen working that area on recent weekends.

Latest test pass - Terry Scott.

Congratulations to Terry Scott who passed his IAM test on Sunday 10th July.

Terry rides with the Geordie Branch of the Harley Owners Group (HOG) as a road captain.

Thanks to Don Anderson for Observing Terry.

Stuff on the Forum

For those who frequent the Blog, but not the DAM Forum, I've posted another couple of advice write ups which are taken from another Website that I frequent.


Previously I posted the article on "Using your Vision", this is now joined by some advice on "Urban riding" and "Motorway riding".


I must clearly state that this is not my work, or DAM or IAM's work, but an individual member of another forum!


DAM Forum link

Please read, digest and comment please!

Thanks to DAM

Our Chairman, Brian Clements, has received a thank you from Bob Brown, on behalf of the Mini Bike club, for the assistance that DAM provided for their recent event with the Scottish Mini Moto Championship.

Better Biking - 25 years on

The recent "summer weather" made this article from the www.geton.co.uk website particularly interesting, especially for those riders of a certain age who can remember the days before Gortex, Pin Locks and Textile bike wear.

Remember the eighties? Spandau Ballet and Gary Numan, big hair and big shoulderpads, yuppies and the Miners’ Strike? Remember that motorbike you had? Great in the spring, but those leathers were too hot in summer, and in winter you got wet and cold.

If, like thousands of people, that’s why you swapped two wheels for four, read on. Because the riding experience has changed since the days of Kate Bush and the c90 cassette, and one of the things that’s improved is the weatherproofing.

So we decided to test the kind of bike you might have been riding 25 years ago, and the gear you might have been wearing then, against the kind of motorcycle kit you could be enjoying now.

Get On took over the climatic wind tunnel at MIRA. It’s the place where Bear Grylls trained for his microlight flight over Everest, and Ben Fogle and James Cracknell practiced for their race to the South Pole. So it should be able to match the worst a British winter could throw at you.

Into the tunnel went some brave journalists, including Mike Bushell of the BBC. Dressed in typical 1984 leather kit, helmet and gloves, he “rode” a 1984 Honda VF500. In those days commuters were hardy, so he was riding through rain, in temperatures 10 degrees below freezing, in a 70 KPH wind – that’s over 40 mph.

The rain proved versatile, turning itself into ice when it hit him, but still managing to soak into the leathers and form mist inside the visor. After 5 minutes he was losing the feeling in his fingers, and “the wind just cut straight through me which was pretty painful.”

So much for the good old days. Now for today’s riding experience.

On a brand new BMW sports tourer, dressed in new kit from Weise and BMW, Mike found it much easier to smile at the weather. The bike’s aerodynamic fairing diverted the wind away from his body, along with some of the rain. The new generation of breathable waterproofs kept the water out without getting unpleasantly sweaty, and the helmet didn’t even steam up.

In fact, he was comfortably warm and dry, able to see and keep wiggling his fingers throughout the “ride”. Did we mention that the motorcycle has heated grips, so holding the handlebars is cosier than a hot water bottle?

Just to be sure, we tried summer conditions as well. With the same headwind we pushed the temperature up to 35 degrees, with humidity just to ensure a sticky ride. That’s in the eighties  leathers, of course. In the new breathable gear he stayed fresh and relaxed.

Three times British Superbike Champion John Reynolds came along to see for himself. “I’ve still got all my old leathers from when I first started riding and it’s quite amazing how much the kit has developed since the 80’s,” he said. “Back then the leathers were made up of individual panels which came apart and were pretty useless at keeping out the cold and wet. Now the new synthetic fibres are quite amazing at keeping you warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot. I road ride much more than I ever previously did, which is a joy in the new kit.”

And who are we to argue with that?

Watch out for the "SD" markings...

It may be a bit late, but keep an eye out for the dreaded "SD" markings hand sprayed on your local road.


Tis the season for Surface Dressing of our county roads


Not long after the white spay appears on the road the surface dressing crew will be along to apply a liberal coating of surface dressing chippings - a mild inconvenience when you're in the car, a positive pain when you're on the bike.


So, keep an eye out for the "SD" markings, temporary signage going up in advance and piles of chippings by the side of the road.

10th July Rideout - The Road to Hell(with)

The 10th July Sunday Rideout was a pleasant run out over the Durham and Yorkshire Dales to the Manor Cafe Bellerby.  The route was set to take in some of the smaller roads through Barnard Castle, Whorlton, over the A66 and then taking the single track road to Helwith which dropped us into Maske.

This route has a crossroads that is probably the only left turn in the North of England that doesn't need a drop off marker!  Right turn? - no through road, straight on? - no through road! Must be left then!

All six bikes made it to the Tea and Bacon Buttie stop at the Manor Cafe in Bellerby, a relatively new cafe venture aimed at the bikers riding the roads around the Leyburn area.

www.manor-cafe.co.uk/

From the cafe, we took a roundabout route to Preston Hall in Stockton for the Ridewell 2011 show.


The rain held off, just, so an enjoyable ride for all!

Mini Bike racing

Sunday 26th June saw the 3rd round of the Scottish Mini Bike championship visiting the North East.

The racing came to the Warden Law, Karting North East track.

DAM provided some financial assistance to the event and there was a good turn out of DAM members cheering on the young (and not so young!) riders.  

The level of commitment these riders put into their racing is evident from the committed cornering!

A good turnout of visiting Scottish riders, local Bikewise members and associated supporters gave a good atmosphere - helped by reasonable weather!

Congratulations to all of the riders, organisers and helpers - an excellent afternoon!

I'm sure this isn't a real Norton!  Got to be the best paintwork of the day.