CBT - Ho why, Ho why

When CBT was first conceived it was to reduce accidents.

The fundamental part to riding or driving on the road is knowing the highway code. Even a very basic knowledge is better than nothing.

If you play sports, let's say football, how do you know the offside rule? The simple answer is you look in the rule book.

The highway code is the rule book for the road. It gives all the information you need to stay alive. So, if you don't know the rules of the road, how can you drive or ride correctly?

It never fails to amaze me when doing a CBT how many don't know even the basics of it.

Now a 16 yearold on the road for the first time I can forgive for not knowing. BUT - when a car driver can't even tell you what a give way or stop sign or line is, now it's scary.

And it gets better, some who do know it, choose to ignore it, saying that you only have to conform IF 'plod is about!

Parents who have spent 16 years of hard earned cash and emotional time on their kids say "why do they need to know it? - it's only a 50cc moped"!

The road and traffic don't care if you're on a moped, sport bike, car or lorry it still hurts when it goes wrong.

I don't know if anyone reads this but if they do, pass on the jist of it, read the rules n stick to them.

It's for ALL our safety.

Is driving getting more aggressive?

Has anyone noticed a change in the attitude of drivers over the last year?

When I’m on the bike doing lessons, whether it’s a CBT or a rider going for test, I’ve noticed that drivers will arras us by getting very close to the back of us, or pull out in front of the lead rider.

The other day I was on the road ride of a CBT with two 16 year old riders on mopeds. It was their first time on the road, and as you can imagine they were both a bit nervous.  

About an hour into the ride we came across a bus stopped at a bus stop on our side of the road.  I talked them through checking to see if it was clear to move out, they took the correct observations, moved position to pass it, all in all a good bit of riding.

We were all three wearing Hi-Vis jackets, marked up with the training school name on them. I could see the bus driver looking in his off-side mirror, he let the two lads pass him, then pulled out in front of me, THEN put his signal on. WHY?

This left the lads alone in front of the bus, the road was straight and no other traffic was following us. When I moved out to get a view passed the bus, and try to pass him, guess what? He closed the gap on the lads, he was about 15 to 20 feet from them. The posted limit was 40 mph, we were travelling at 30mph the max speed of the mopeds.

At 30mph according to the Highway Code, it takes an alert driver 30 feet to react BEFORE he would get to his brakes, never mind stop. What is the rider lost control and fell off? The bus driver would not even get to the brake peddle.

In this case nothing happened, the bus pulled off after about half a mile and the lads handled it well.

I rang the bus company and told them what had happened and go the usual of they would have a word with the driver etc etc.

So what’s the answer?

Well its so simple, back off, slow down a bit and relax. With a full face helmet on you don’t knows who’s riding, It could be your kid, husband, wife, brother or sister on the bike. 

New motorcycle module 1 test

The Module 1 motorcycle became safer when the test was altered. Since its introduction to comply with new EU rules in April 2009, there have been hundreds of injuries with riders crashing on the Module 1 high speed avoidance manoeuvre.
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The EU directive on licences insisted on a set of low speed handling, and two high speed manoeuvres being added to the existing bike test. Because the emergency stop and avoidance parts had to be taken at 32mph, they could not be done on road as it would be over the 30mph urban speed limit. This meant that the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) had to build special test centres with massive off road test areas. There was also no leeway given for wet weather when the proper advice is to slow down.

Although Top Run haven’t had any riders crashing on test, riders had to get to a minimum of 50kph then swerve off line between 2 cones before bringing the bike to a stop with the front wheel in a box only a few inches bigger than the wheel itself. With limited experience and training, new riders were braking as they swerved; they then lost control and crashed.

Since the introduction of the test, pressure from both public and the motorcycle industry has been brought to bear on the DSA to alter the test and reduce the risk to riders. With the change in government Mike Penning MP, Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Transport, called for an enquiry in to the reason injuries were happening and why millions of pounds had been spent on purpose built test centres with off road manoeuvring areas. 

The DSA are still considering ways the test could be further changed so all the elements could be done on road and the test delivered from all the old test centres. The changes that come into effect on Monday are intended to address the safety aspect of the test. With the splitting of the avoidance and controlled braking element along with a reduction in the speed it is a big step forward in safety. 

The day a bloke in a suit turned up

Sat talking the other day with some mates, the conversation came round to what it was like when we were kids. Now I grew up in Bruntcliffe, a little village just outside Morley in West Yorkshire. It was a typical northern place, woollen mill, dye mill, 2 pubs, a workingman’s club, terrace houses, post office on the corner, a bakers and even a cobblers shop ho and a farm with slaughter house down the road.

Our house was a 2-up 1-down with outside lavvy, not what everyone thinks of as being ok today, but as kids we knew nothing else, and we had a fantastic time. Some of the things me and my brother got up to make me cringe now.

My grandma and granddad lived in the same village; granddad rented a piece of land and had a few chickens and a pig on it. We used to play on there; all was well with the world.

Now my granddad, dad, and Uncle Jim liked to have a bit of a, well how can I say it, a ‘thing going on. Nothing dodgy you understand, they never ripped anyone off, but would bend the law a bit if needed.

One day we were in the “piece” mucking about as usual, my dad, granddad and uncle Jim were waiting to do some work on a car for a bloke who lived in the village when up the path came a man in a really nice black suite, not something you see everyday in a field, so I could see it all over their faces that ‘summat was up!

This was back in about 1964, then if you had a garage you paid rates on it, so, they didn’t have a garage, they had a hen hut, no rates on hen-huts you see. Well this fella said they had been tipped off that they had a garage and weren’t paying rates. You guessed it, granddad said “ho no, it's a hen-hut.” When he opened the door, sure enough there were about four dozen chickens walking about on a straw covered floor. You should have seen the look on this blokes face, it was a picture, talk about back peddling, he was all apologetic and couldn’t wait to get away. If only he had known.

Granddad gave him a guided tour or it all, the chickens in the hut, then down the field to the pig sty, nicely avoiding the set of ramps made from old railway sleepers hidden in the long grass.  The sty was brick built and had a mash boiler in one corner. We collected ‘tatie peelings and verge cuttings from around the village, then they were boiled up to make a mash for the pig to eat. Well like most things in that “piece” it wasn’t quite what it first looked like. The mash tub could be lifted out and a set of bellows at the back turned it into a forge for heating bits of mettle, ready to be bashed straight.

While they were looking round up pulls the car for its service, now what? As the driver got out of the car, dad went over and asked was he going to the club? and to get a round in, they would be there in a bit. I think he guessed something was up; most folk in Bruntcliffe were a bit 'suss of anyone in a suit, and said he would but not to be long.

So off went the suit back down the path to his car, I bet he hadn’t got half a mile down the road when the big doors on the “hen hut” were opened, floor swept and boards lifted to reveal a pit complete with lights and lifting jack. At the back on the hut an old welsh dresser was moved, at the back of it was the work bench with pillar drill and lathe. It was better kitted out than most high street car repair shops.

ahrrr, they were good days, the car had its service, dad, granddad and uncle Jim split the dosh, can’t remember if we got anything from it, but you can bet if we did it would be a bottle of pop and bag a’ crisps at the local club. (Does anyone remember the orange fizzy pop that was in a round bottle that looked a bit like and orange? If you can remember what it was called let me know).

So was it a hen-hut or a garage? Well cars got mended and we ate eggs from the chickens in there. It could have been a garage with chickens, or a hen-hut big enough to get a car inside, so I suppose it was a bit of both, and they weren’t lying and shouldn’t have to pay rates.

There were loads more days like that, ‘happen I will write some of them at some point.

Stay safe and ride free

Dave.

Who is this old(ish) fella

Have you ever started something you thought would be a good idea, then when you start wonder what the hell to put? Well I've just done that with this blogging thing. People have been telling me for ages that instead of just moaning, (their words not mine), about things I should write them down and see if anyone else thinks the same. With the way my mind works, if they did I would be amazed.

Sooooo to open this blog I thought a bit about me would set the background, if you have any comments let me know, and if you have any questions or ideas let me have them, it will save me racking what bit of brain I have to come up with something to write.

I’m the owner and chief instructor of Top Run Motorcycle Training, I like old rock-‘n-roll music, bacon egg and sausage sarnies, riding bikes and messing about in the workshop with nits, bolts, muck and grease.

I started riding at the age of 16, on a Honda SS50 sports moped as transport for work. Having ridden just about every type of bike on the road, I now ride a Honda ST1100 Pan European.

My interest in training started when I saw a feature about motorcycle training on a TV programme, I contacted my local RAC/ACU centre and started as a trainee instructor. Progressing through the ranks, I qualified as an examiner at the ripe old age of 21, one of the youngest in the country, and covering the North of England.

When the RAC/ACU was disbanded, I continued instructing and examining with local authority road safety units, most of this time teaching and assessing instructors.

I passed my advanced riding test in 1979, setting me in a new and exiting direction, covering thousands of miles as an observer for the IAM.
In 1990, regulations changed and I attending the DSA establishment at Cardington, Bedford, to become a supervisory and Direct Access instructor.

More recently, I passed the RoSPA Advanced Motorcycle test at Gold level, the highest award that a civilian rider can achieve. My qualifications are rounded off with NVQ D32 D33 and BTEC in advanced instruction, a City & Guilds certificate in adult teaching; plans for the future are the RoSPA Diploma in Advanced Motorcycle Instruction, and examiner status for the Diamond Advanced Driving Test.

In 2007 I qualified as an Emergency Medical Technician. As well as being able to give life saving aid in the event of coming across an accident, it also lets me instruct on the First Bike on Scene courses that are proving very popular.

Top Run offer first aid courses for riders and drivers, in these we cover how to deal with the scene, assess casualties and give life saving help until the emergency services get there. For more information have a look at the website.