Last update ~ 6th April 2012 ~ CS

Registered Charity No. 1015977

Blackpool & Fylde Advanced Motorists Group

Bafam IAM Group No 5200

Our site map

BEFORE YOU VIEW OR DOWNLOAD ANYTHING ~ PLEASE CLICK HERE AND READ THIS DISCLAIMER ~ IT IS FOR YOUR BENEFIT

Tiredness usually becomes more of a problem during long journeys, partly because a different and perhaps unfamiliar kind of concentration is required and especially at night. Taken at the extreme, if you are day worker, your most vulnerable long-journey period will be during an overnight drive and vice versa if you work normally work night shift . As Advanced Drivers, we want to plan our journey properly but whether is it a night or day journey, it is important not to drive  when you are desperate to rest.


It is a good idea to stop before you feel the need - for example, take the break at the next service station two miles along the motorway rather than the one 20 miles beyond that.


There is enough advice around about things we should eat or drink but it might just be as important to have a rest and stop driving and do something else, maybe simply to have a walk round. The best cure for sleepiness however, is sleep, so if possible take a nap when you stop - even half an hour can make a big difference.


Avoid the need for specific arrival times at night - it's better to arrive late than not to arrive at all. Do not try to keep awake by driving more quickly, particularly on the motorway where you can be lulled into that false sense of security - too many people have died that way.




Eco-Friendly Driving Techniques are the politically correct approaches to driving today by consideration of a reduction in fuel consumption, and its benefits to the environment.  Our IAM approach to that concept as Advanced Drivers encompasses techniques of driving that go hand in glove.


The key concept is that of acceleration sense, the question being, 'When do I come off the accelerator and then apply the brake?'


Simple. Acceleration sense is the variation of pressure on the accelerator pedal to enable you to avoid the using the brakes. Surprising as it might seem, one tenet of fuel-efficient driving is to accelerate briskly into the highest gear you can use at its lowest engine revs when you reach a safe cruising speed. A good test for fuel efficient driving is to imagine yourself driving somewhere familiar that allows you to achieve an average speed of say, between 30mph and 50mph, where you may need to brake regularly. Then, in repeated journeys down that same road, build up your speed briskly, release the accelerator a bit earlier than you normally would each time so you can eventually get to the desired speed perhaps avoiding having to use the brake altogether at the far end.


The more you use the momentum you’ve built up over a longer period when slowing down, the less overall fuel you are going to use. It simply means thinking a bit further ahead of where you are. Most drivers tend to go straight from accelerator to brake and that is when fuel consumption suffers. Imagine approaching a roundabout and ask yourself “Where do I want that vehicle now ahead of me to be when I reach that roundabout?”  ....  Right in front of me so I have to slow down ... or sufficiently in front of me so I can get a good look at the traffic flow on the roundabout and then decide I can roll onto it without stopping?


The more skilful you become at timing the acceleration sense, the more fuel efficient you will be. It’s much better to have enough space and time to allow the vehicle ahead of you to move onto the roundabout when you are arriving ready for you to enter the roundabout without having to brake to a stop.


Lastly, think long and hard about that overtake. Apart from considering whether it is both safe and necessary, not only do you have to be entirely sure you can pass that obstruction safely (important, to put it mildly) there is also the possibility that you are not gaining much in journey time. Advanced driving is all about thinking ahead, using the “Driving Plan” of what you can see, of what you can’t see and of what you can reasonably expect to find ahead. This will get you used to thinking further ahead than you can see.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       




Car Sickness sometimes affects those people who are particularly vulnerable to it. It is usually associated with the motion of the car and can often be the result of that person not being able to see where the car is going, so it often helps if that susceptible passenger can see the road ahead. Having them seated in the front rather than the back can make all the difference.


Stuffy conditions can also contribute to that situation, so ensure that there is a good airflow through the car. Opening the windows or turning on the air conditioning may make those passengers feel better.


Similarly, car sickness can be caused by rough driving. We as Advanced Drivers won’t be a contributory factor here as our firm but gentle steering, smooth application of the brakes and appropriate pressure on the accelerator pedal will be appreciated by all of our passengers, even if they don't know why.



ICE -- In Case of Emergency. This little acronym, developed after the London Tube bombings of 7th July 2005, enables police officers, ambulance paramedics or even the man in the street to know by using your mobile phone, whom to contact if you are taken ill or involved in an accident.


In your mobile’s telephone directory, store the appropriate telephone numbers and then identify that person to be called in that emergency, for example :


ICE SON ~ Tom  .... ICE HUSBAND ~ Dick .... ICE WIFE ~ Harriet   


Try not to use a landline number if you can use a mobile number instead and it is very important to get your family members to do the same.


This bit is very important so if you are going to get your under-18 year-old son or daughter to have an ICE number for themselves on their phones, then the number they should log into their phone must be yours or that of another immediate senior family member since only you and those senior relatives are authorised to make decisions on their young behalf in the event that they are admitted to hospital.



On Snow and Ice, we as Advanced Drivers always make a concentrated effort to drive more smoothly than ever so the clutch, accelerator, steering and most certainly braking actions  must be executed very, very smoothly. We do avoid driving if it is not necessary and in heavy falling snow we consider whether we should abort our journey for a short time at a place of safety.  As we have all seen recently, snow and sleet reduce visibility and tyre grip.  Reduce speed and increase distances in icy conditions, especially if the road surface is not gritted. A main road does not guarantee a good surface to drive on.


There are too many points of advice that can be written here but these are just a few useful considerations that you can make ~


Back to top
Driving Matters ~ Our Responsibilities