It’s hardly depressing to say that summer is nearly over since it never really began this year, but despite the inclement weather (or maybe because of it), we still have a very full book of Associates preparing for their Advanced Tests, which can be a bit of a headache for me at times, but please bear with me if it takes a while to allocate an Observer to you new guys. 

To help ease the problem and compliment our Observer ranks we have recently taken on Richard Ferguson. Richard is an experienced Observer who, for many years, has operated with Middlesex Advanced Motorcyclists (MAM). He now lives in our neck-of-the-woods and has joined SAM. Richard has a wealth of knowledge and I’m very excited to include him amongst our list of Observers.   

In addition, Lilian Hobbs has begun her Observer Training with us. Many of you will know Lilian as a very active and disgustingly keen member of SAM. If enthusiasm was the only requirement she would already be an Observer and I’m confident she will be a useful and prominent member of our team.  

Anyway, that’s the admin and clerical side of things briefly covered but in addition to that I thought that maybe, as your Chief Observer, I could also offer some personal views on matters of road safety. But what? Roadcraft and other publications appear to have sown up most issues, but then I thought of ‘manners’. Not a subject which carries much enthusiasm these days, but when you read the definition of ‘manners’, you begin to realise how important it can be. 

Road Safety depends on the safe interaction of millions of people and we all do it remarkably well, but sadly, we should be doing it better. Sure, we have written rules and an unhealthy plethora of motoring laws, but these rules can only be a basis for safety.

It’s the minutiae of all the various un-written actions that are so important. And one of these actions is ‘good manners’.  

As far as I can tell, there is only one rule in the Highway Code that even remotely refers to manners, and that’s rule 145.
“Do not hold up a long queue of traffic, especially if you are driving a large or slow moving vehicle….”  

A pretty obvious example, but it’s the general use of good manners that can make our shared use of the road so much safer and enjoyable. I love the idea of ‘manners’ being added to a list of safe-driving requirements and I love it because of its very definition: 

Manners ease the stress of communal living, and mannerly behaviour recognises the right of others to share communal space.

How applicable is that to safe riding/driving?