Tag Archives: travel

Gloucestershire Older Drivers Forum win richly deserved award

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Impact Awards 210325

We are pleased and proud to announce that the Gloucestershire Older Drivers Forum have been given a well deserved award.

   On 21 March at the Gloucestershire Constabulary and Police Crime Commissioner’s Impact Awards the Older Drivers Forum for Gloucestershire were honoured to receive the Caroline Symes Memorial Bowl in recognition of outstanding voluntary work for the Gloucestershire Road Safety Partnership.

The award was presented by Maggie Blyth, T/Chief Constable and Roger Deeks DL, Vice Lord-Lieutenant.     

They share this accolade and give thanks to all their partners and supporters.

Since 2018 they have delivered 122 presentations and webinars to over 4,300 attendees. Our monthly social media viewings run in the thousands. And the results of all this work?

Gloucestershire is now a positive outlier in terms of road casualties of drivers in 70+ age group. Nationally 23% of all road fatalities are drivers in this age group. The last death in a road collision in this age group in Gloucestershire was 5 November 2022.

Last year serious injuries in this age group were down 35%. But they cannot rest on our laurels.

By 2030 the pensioner population in Gloucestershire is estimated to increase by 26% with more entering a more vulnerable stage in their driving lives. All these will need the support and advice they provide.

Their next webinar on ‘Rural Roads safety’ is on 29 March. To register visit   https://tinyurl.com/57tarfur

The National Chair for the Older Drivers Forum, Rob Heard, said on hearing the good news – ” Nigel and Alexandra Lloyd-Jones, who run the Gloucestershire Older Drivers Forum, richly deserve this award and recognition for the outstanding work and commitment they have given to make the roads safer for mature motorists in Gloucestershire. I know through their advice, support and care they have saved many lives and made a huge difference to many. They truly are an inspiration to many nationally, I am sure this is the first of many awards to come in the future. Well done and huge congratulations.”

GEM Festive Webinar

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Webinar December 2024

Valerie Singleton OBE to host festive GEM webinar on Thursday 12 December

  • Registration for the FREE event is open now
  • Expert advice on changes to vehicle tax rules, plus top tips for festive trips
  • A line-up of Val’s guests will contribute to the conversation
  • One lucky participant will with a fabulous hamper in time for Christmas

Registration is now open for GEM Motoring Assist’s forthcoming webinar, hosted by Valerie Singleton OBE. The event takes place on Thursday 12 December at 2pm, and will include the opportunity to one lucky participant win a luxury hamper in time for Christmas.

Val’s guests include motoring journalist David Motton (road test editor for GEM’s member magazine Good Motoring), who will answer questions on the big changes in car tax coming in April 2025. He will also offer advice for anyone looking to change their car in 2025, and will point to where some of the best automotive bargains might be found.

Lee Puffett, GEM’s managing director, will review the many highlights for the organisation in 2024, and will outline exciting new member benefits scheduled for the coming year.

Heidi Duffy and her colleagues from the National Young Rider Forum have made good use of a recent grant from the GEM Road Safety Charity. They have produced a suite of short videos promoting better knowledge of road safety among young working motorbike and scooter riders – and Heidi will be on hand to share one or two of them.

Alan Hiscox from the British Horse Society will reveal an exciting new awareness-raising initiative for 2025… and transport historian Alan Wakely will be sharing a raft of fascinating facts and figures relating to Christmas on the road.

Anyone interested in winning the luxury Christmas hamper will have the chance to answer a prize question posed by Val, who will announce the name of the lucky winner before the end of the webinar. Details of how to take part will be explained during the webinar.

GEM managing director Lee Puffett said: “We are excited about this webinar, and particularly happy to be working with Valerie Singleton once again. She has a long and successful relationship with GEM, and I know and she remains passionate in supporting safe mobility and independence for all road users.”

As well as presenting the organisation’s long-running ‘Still Safe to Drive’ web resource for senior drivers and their families, Val has also completed two GEM driver assessments in recent years.

Register now for the webinar: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OI2GHJJFQSycI4BqwsvWbw

 

Voluntary Mature Driver Assessments

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There is a lot in the press at the moment about Older Drivers and Mature Driver Assessments.

We know that older motorists have a wealth of experience, confidence and tolerance. However, sight, hearing, reaction time and judgement of speed and distance may not be as sharp as it once was. Fragility increases with age, so injuries tend to be more serious and recovery takes much longer. Casualty rates do increase for car drivers aged over about 65, and the fatality rate increases significantly. Our biggest issue as we age is often complacency, especially with our driving. We are therefore encouraging all to make sure you are still safe to drive. We MOT and Service our vehicles as they age, how about checking ourselves?

Statistics released by the Department for Transport  https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-older-and-younger-driver-factsheets-2022/reported-road-casualties-in-great-britain-older-driver-factsheet-2022 do show fatalities involving young drivers is steadily decreasing, unfortunately older drivers are increasing, probably due to the older driver licence numbers increasing on average around ¼ million every year. We have an ageing population so expect huge increases in licences held by older drivers, so older driver deaths will increase, but there is plenty we can do to reduce this risk, which is why we are raising awareness of this and trying to make sure we are all fit and healthy to drive.

The article below by the BBC shows what we are doing to help and support mature motorists to carry on driving safely for longer and encourage us all to consider a mature driver assessment.

Click here to read article from the BBC