Editorial
SAM members meet in ad hoc groups throughout the week. These are self-organised for the pleasure of riding out with Club friends. It’s also a chance to catch up on what is happening in the world and how fellow Club members are coping. Saturday mornings are our time to welcome new members, organise First Ride Assessments and help more bikers to become highly skilled advanced riders. To do this the Guidance Secretary (Steve Bennett) needs your help in ensuring that all Associates are signed up as members and allocated to an Observer. It’s a vital job and we need someone to volunteer whilst Steve is away for 4 weeks from mid-September. Can you help us out?
In this week’s newsletter we start off with a notice for the Bakewell Classic Bike Show. COVID safe and under-16s get in for FREE! The debate on changes to the UK Highway Code rumbles
on. The UK Government has now published its summary of the consultation, recognising that whilst the proposed changes are laudable they bring as many problems as they are trying to solve. There’s still time to have your say, so why not read the conclusions and tell them what you, or your IAM RoadSmart representatives, think about them. New EU proposals to introduce
‘speed limiters’ appear to be causing a stir. Whilst there would be ‘zero tolerance’ of drivers who break speed limits, there would also be a massive drop in revenue from the majority of drivers whose speed limiters are active throughout their journeys. With more people working from home and travelling less there is an increase in the popularity of ‘per-mile’ insurance cover. For bikers who ride limited miles this might be a sensible option. Heard about the biker who recovered his stolen motorcycle by using Apple Airtags? No, well you can read about it in this week’s newsletter. After six deaths, eight Royal Parks have now banned e-scooters. There doesn’t seem to be any controls on these motorised vehicles that might be just as dangerous as putting bikes in the hands of untrained, unlicensed riders. When will authorities learn that sometimes the public road users need protection from themselves and relying on over-burdened police officers isn’t the solution. There’s lots more for you to read.
To ensure that anyone interested in SAM CLub activities can stay informed, the SAM and Survival Skills newsletters are also on the SAM website. So, everyone can read, enjoy and share. Send the link to someone you know to help them stay up to date with SAM Club news too. Until next week…
Stay healthy and ride safe, Ed.
