A world of indifferences

[Ivor Hawkins]

Tony, your posts nearly always make me smile.

With the Velocette spares company just up the road, you know how good us Velo riders are!

As for indicators, like you, I’ve never had indicators on any Seven I’ve owned (apart from trafficators on Rubies, of course) and like you I am particularly alert to other drivers and wave my arms about like a lunatic.

However, I am looking at very subtle led indicators for the box, which hopefully you can’t see until you turn them on.

In full agreement with those at Bournemouth beach yesterday and the mess they left was disgusting...

[Bob Culver]

Modern drivers have a myriad in car distractions and are seated a long way from the windows. The vehicles recquire no concentration to drive. So they only pick up the most obvious external developments. A Michael Jackson white glove should assist with hand signals. 
Large low mounted perhaps temporary reflectors are useful at night. These fluctuate and attract more attention than steady lamps. The danger of being run down should not be underestimated. In UK  Jowett Club members were very seriously injured on motorway when a following truck rammed a Bradford, pushing a trailer being towed through the van.
Cycling is certainly daunting. Having towed trrilers including sea scout boats, I realise how easy it is to forget the trailer, even with a small car. Close overtaking vehicles with wide trailers are a real worry.
On short city trips I find the bicylce at least matches the car. Go to front of light queues and can often walk the side pedestrian crossing. But if cyclists ever increase to significant numbers might not last.

[Tony Betts]

hi ivor,

i think you mean down the road from me

well actually, its about a 100 yards down the hill from me. know it well.

i really should add a velo to the collection some time, i keep looking? and keep up with prices? looking for a bargain to work on.

bob,

i met an old jowett owner last week. 86 i beleive. in huddersfield.  he has at least 8 cars the earliest a 1924 jowett. i think im right in saying they have an opposed twin engine. a lovely car. not cheap though.

he is selling many of his jowetts, i was there buying alot of his enamel signs.

thanks tony.

[Chris KC]

Have you ever seen a Japanese bus driver Bob? They wear white gloves and are apparently taught to use their hands so that everyone can see they are following proper procedure e.g. look at the mirror, point at the mirror, look to the left, point to the left. Not sure if it improves their driving but everyone sure as hell can see what they are up to.

I heartily agree about reflectors and for my tuppence they are a better investment than LED's. Even if your sparks fail completely any car following at night will light you up like a Christmas tree (unless perhaps it's another A7...)

The real problem though as you suggest is that increasingly drivers simply aren't looking where the are going; this is only going to increase with some car manufacturers heavily committing to a more or less 'hands-off' driving experience and more and more in-car entertainment, or devices that divert driver attention away from the road. Let's trust that the people busily programming auto-drive software have an exceptionally broad experience of road hazards, an unlimited budget and all the time in the world to develop their product.

[Dave Mann]

It's not just old cars which get rammed, a £200,000 Lamborghini was rammed on the M1 in Ossett when it's motor died in the third lane, it is thought to be a write off and the owner had had it for just 20 minutes. For me I like my appalling light board, since I fitted it close encounters of a modern kind are  a thing of the past. For some reason I can't post a photo or the two night photos taken at 50 yards with and without the light board which reveal how invisible a Seven is at night.

[Tony K]

At the beginning of lockdown, the Isle of Man government imposed a 40 mph overall speed limit. it was bliss. Only problem I had was one driver of very large car waving and yelling for me to let them past! It"s back to usual mayhem now with no overall speed limit.

[Malcolm Parker]

I have neither indicators nor brake lights on the saloon and Ulster Rep.  Like Tony, I believe in good old fashioned hand signals. These have to be done with considerable flourish and flambouyance so that other road users understand that you are about to do something.
In my part of the world you don't apparently need indicators, the Range Rovers and 4 x 4 pick-ups make turns without using them.
When I was learning to drive my Father, who was an excellent driver, advised me to regard all other road users as idiots and I would not go far wrong.
I remember the driver of a box saloon who used to come on the Coast to Coast Run.   He used to stick a prosthetic arm out of the window when he was going to make a right turn.  Now he was an idiot!
I also find that many drivers of modern cars simply stop on the lanes when they see you approaching, presumably they don't think that a car slightly over 4 feet wide can safely negotiate an 8 foot gap.
Several years ago I was returning from Chepstow to Thirsk in my 31 saloon and my direct route avoiding motorways took me past Jodrell Bank and into the outskirts of Stockport at 5.00 o'clock in the afternoon.   The sky was leaden and there was a downpour, such that I had to deploy my lights.   The traffic was unbelievable with traffic lights and mini-roundabouts  everywhere.   The vacuum wiper of course stopped working in the slow moving traffic.   I had a vague idea where I was going and all the BMW's, Mercs and Audis simply stopped and let me make unhindered progress when they realised that I had neither indicators nor brake lights.
Needless to say I have never ventured into Stockport since.

[Steve Jones]

Malcolm will also tell you he's never been back to Warrington either but that's more to do with a speed camera!!

When I took my driving test in April 1969 the examiner started by asking me to read the number plate of a Triumph Herald parked up the road. This I did but was told I'd done it incorrectly. Puzzled, I read it again and got the same answer. The examiner marched me up to the Triumph and triumphantly (!!) read out the number. "Oh, that Triumph Herald" I said pointing, "I was reading the number plate of that one further along the road". Having dealt with that hurdle he then told me that he wanted me to drive the entire test using hand signals only. No indicators. No doubt he thought that would sort this only just 17 years old upstart out!! However, I did what he asked and in passing me, he said I'd done well with the hand signals. I wonder if they even teach hand signals these days?

Steve

[John Mason]

The thing about indicators that came to me was when my son aged 39 at the time asked me what the semaphore indicators were on my Ruby. He had been driving since the age of 18 and had never seen anything like them and admitted that if a car in front of him had used such things it would have taken him a minute or two to realise what they were and the car would be doing the turning manoeuvre by then. Soon after I fitted flashing indicators on brackets so as not to spoil the body work.

John Mason

[Malcolm Parker]

Regarding the box saloon owner who used a prosthetic arm for indicating, I need to clarify that he was not a disabled driver.  The arm was used for both right and left hand turns.  If you were following this slow moving box saloon, it could be easily recognised by the massive fluorescent warning triangle fixed to the spare wheel.  Looking through the rear window, you could see the rather bulky arm being manoeuvred between the driver and his wife, who dealt with the left hand turns.   When not in use I think the arm rested on her lap, I'm not sure whether the hand end was on the knee or elsewhere!
I could relate a tale about Steve driving off a straight forest road during a VSCC trial.  I think he was looking at a Triumph Herald half a mile down the track at the time!  Miraculously the Chummy went into the deep roadside ditch and back out in an instant.