Get it off your chest!!

[peter edge]

Thought I`d have a moan about paying fees to BG for membership and to WG[Welsh Gymnastics] especially when WG won`t release funds for sending a team to tramp comps because BG send a team to gain international experience! How is the Welsh team/squad suppose to gain experience?
There all done for now!!
2 o`clock in the morning and I feel better now.

[Gingerheid]

I don't know how you feel about having to pay to two bodies in the first place, but to me it seems like SG is a bit of a duplication of effort in many respects.

[peter edge]

Right, a quick political rant. having digested recent news about proposed switch from car tax to paying as you go[somewhere in the region of 135p a mile] may mean all the justified complaints about hikes in membership fees[inclusive of insurance] will be a thing of the past.
There will be no BG or in fact any sporting body as we will all be sitting at home vegetating, I know I personally clock up thousands of miles going to competitions and coaching and I`m sure it`s repeated across all sports and across the country. These people need to get their heads back out of the place where the sun doesn`t shine; hopefully it won`t come off, really it`s getting all too much!http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/images/icons/icon9.gif
If you bothered reading this; thanks, Peter.http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Anita]

Peter - not seen that I admit but do you really mean 135p (= £1.35)? If so someone who clocks up 10,000 a year (which, apparently, is average) would be paying a staggering £13,500 a year (that's not much less than I earn a year). If you meant 1.35p a mile then that would equate to £135 a year which a little more than I'm paying on road tax for my car now. What a difference a decimal point can make!

Did a few more calculations on those figures:
A trip to Stoke for the Nationals (we go three times a year as part of the marshaling team): @ 135p = £675 / @ 1.35p = £6.75
Daily trip to work: @ 135p = £43.20 / @ 1.35p = 43p

[Lucy]

They were talking about a varying scale depending on where you were driving. It's not just the cost I worry about...if they use sat tracking they will be able to see were your car is all the time (OK great if it's stolen but they probably won't allow access to the system for that purpose) and of course if they can tell your exact position they can see if you got from a-b more quickly than you should have done, that'll be another nice little earner for them.:mad:

[Anita]

I would think the only "reliable" way of scrapping the road tax and making you pay another way would be to add it to the cost of petrol (I'm not talking massive hikes but the Government would try to blind-side us on that, no doubt:mad: ) but if they were to work out the average mileage per litre etc etc. This is because we need petrol to get around and everyone would be paying their way (I admit I hate people who don't pay their road tax!).

Wouldn't help us that clock up mileage because of our and our children's hobbies though:(.

But on the plus side - it would make me think about getting on my bike around town instead of driving:p

[peter edge]

Anita, just rechecked my source of information and.......up to £1.34 is what they are suggesting and even with some sort of varying scale it will still amount to a huge hole in the family budget, a lot more than the current road tax!!http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/images/icons/icon13.gif

[Gingerheid]

I've just moved to a place where any chance of a social life relies on getting a car at some stage... It's all very well to say use public transport, but there isn't any in this country! (Last week they cut more bus services around here)

There are lots of clubs in places all around here (at least Milton Keynes, Oxford x 2, Reading). I'd love to go to one of them as well as my one night (not enough!) in Aylesbury; it's not possible without a car.

And they also mess things up with the buses they do run. They changed the times of the buses to my work. Although they announced that there was going to be changes to the timetable, they didn't print new ones. (When I finally did find out, they'd retimed the buses to run at exactly halfway between the old times :mad: )

Doubtless what they would do is introduce tolling on a national scale with a peppercorn charge that nobody could deem unfair. (They could even give a few meaningless exemptions to say they looked after people on low incomes, perhaps 50% off for blind people.)

Then they will devolve responsibility for setting charges to madly complicated number of regional bodies to diminish accountability for the scheme. Then they could rack up the charges...

(And one last rant. It takes 90 mins to get from the town centre here to Oxford. According to my map, it's just over 20 miles. The journey is effectively travelling at 13 mph :mad: )

[Lucy]

I 'd recommend getting a bike licence, great fun and cut through the traffic!:D

[Gingerheid]

How much do they charge for one of them? ;)

I'll report back next week how the 21 mile cycle along the A40 and A418 at 10pm went :D

[Anita]

Might be best to try one with an engine Gingerheid:rolleyes: .

[Gingerheid]

Now you're just taking the fun out it by being over practical! :D

I couldn't get a real bike licence - it would lead to hours of blackmail from my mum...

[Lucy]

My Mum wasn't overly keen on me having a motorcycle (after my injury history without a motor!) but when I finally turned up at home one day with one she just said ooh "it's a nice colour isn't it!":D

[Anita]

Never had a bike myself (but then I've only been driving four years anyway) but have always loved riding pillion on them! My husband had a bike when I met him and so had a previous BF. My sister had a bike though: a 1000 cc Kawasaki.

[peter edge]

I had one of those, [1000cc Kawasaki he hastily added] much fun too! http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/images/icons/icon7.gifStill got a bike but under restoration when time and funds permit.http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/images/icons/icon11.gif

[Vivien Gourlay]

Maybe we should tell the BGA to "get on their bikes" !!!


Just a bit of fun.

Vivien

[Dave]

Good idea Vivien....

I was going to get a motorbike once but i decided against it when 2 of my cousins had bad accidents on them..... Although im tempted to get my CBT and learn.....

[Anita]

Just rechecked my source of information and.......up to £1.34 is what they are suggesting and even with some sort of varying scale it will still amount to a huge hole in the family budget, a lot more than the current road tax!!Peter - where did you find this information. I'd like to read it for myself.

[Loopyloz]

I've been told by my mum that I'm not having a bike, but that was before I started driving a car, so I suppose that made sense. My Dad has an R1 so I'll have to settle with riding on the back of that for now, hehe

[Sian]

The R1 is a nice bike :D i am hoping to get my first bike in four months time when i turn 17... can't wait!

[DJC]

I'm just going to be driving when I'm 17, getting a bike at 21. Skip the nonsense 125 cc you're permitted at 17 :P

[Gingerheid]

I'm going to be driving... in four weeks time :( (My first journey driving a car on my own will be my works' car for a 73 mile trip :eek: ). Urgently looking to arrange some driving lessons before then - not driven a car an inch since I passed my test :rolleyes:

[Anita]

How long ago was that?

[Gingerheid]

11th December.

They say once you learn you never forget, but I'm not sure I ever quite learnt!

[Gingerheid]

Oh aye - nearly forgot! I don't know what the original source of the road toll suggestion Pete brought up was, but it was fairly widely reported:

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2004/07/21/newsstory6138863t0.asp
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/transport/story.jsp?story=543011

[Anita]

You passed didn't you? First attempt?

Anyway - you probably just need a refresher to get the co-ordination etc back.

It was only a couple weeks' after passing my test that I drove solo (when I bought my first car) and it was slightly scary - especially as I'd only ever driven the instructor's car which had power steering and my little metro didn't! I passed my test four years and 19 days ago.

[Gingerheid]

First attempt? Did the hill start with the car not in gear. Didn't even realise. Just revved the car louder and put more clutch in. Rolled back I'd say, probably a little over 1m. Oh aye - and nearly went into a BT van just after pulling out at the start of the test.

Second attempt I thought went quite well, despite the examiner giving instructions far too close to the junctions, having me reverse round a tight corner up a steep hill into a cobbled lane, and then having me do the three point turn on an unpaved bit. I failed on the roundabout.

Thrid attempt I stalled once coming up to a roundabout, then in the middle of the same roundabout, and during the three point turn. Apparently I got off with it because the traffic was really heavy and queuing, and I didn't hold anybody up. (The test centre is on a busy dual carriageway between two roundabouts. I deliberately booked tests during rush hour so they couldn't take me on the busiest bit.)

And oh no! :eek: I forgot! I had to change instructor to get a car with power steering - couldn't drive the one without. Also had to get a car with a 1.8 diesel engine. Didn't stall it too much compared to the 1.0 petrol...

[Anita]

Then perhaps I'd better not say that I passed first time ! :p

Have to admit - I didn't expect to (I was queen of the stall and approaching junctions/roundabouts too fast!). Even took my cheque book with me to re-book: what faith I had in myself :rolleyes: .

If you lived near Dover I could have got you lessons with my instructor: he's brilliant (90+% first time pass rate). Both my girls also passed first time - once he'd got Becki out of her "bubble" and Liz to slow down .......

[Dave]

Unlike some i never passed 1st time, but they do say that people who pass second time round are better drivers ..... the day i passed my test i went out in my 2nd car a BRIGHT YELLOW metro as my dad wrote my 1st car off before i got to drive it more than 2 times..... I couldnt wait to get out on the road when i passed.....

[Anita]

but they do say that people who pass second time round are better drivers .....
Nah! Just makes you realise you're not infallable:D unlike us who haven't yet learned to be humble ;)

[Gingerheid]

but they do say that people who pass second time round are better drivers

Someone said that to me (after he stopped laughing at my description of my first test). His wife put on a very smug look and announced that she strongly disagreed :rolleyes:

Anyone know what they say about people who fail the second one too? :)

[Anita]

Anyone know what they say about people who fail the second one too?Yeah - that you let nerves get the better of you!:) .

Woman I worked with had failed five or six tests and was going to give up but I talked her out of it. I pointed out that she'd failed each test on something different so there was no one "weakness" in her driving: purely that she'd let her nerves win. I also told her to break the pattern of her tests which were always set for an afternoon - advised her to book a morning one (as early as she could get) because that way she didn't have time to build up the nerves all day. That, and don't tell too many people because telling people adds to the pressure. She took my advice - and passed her next test.

Another piece of advice if you keep failing is to try another instructor to see if there is something wrong with what you've been taught that's causing your failures.

An instructor round our way teaches his learners wrong at roundabouts! There is a roundabout on my way to work that only has two exits: the first straight ahead, the second to the right - if his learners are taking the first exit he has them sitting in the right hand lane indicating right and wonders why they have so many "near misses" taking the first exit because they're cutting up all the drivers from the left hand lane (the correct one for the first exit). Watched a "learners" programme on TV recently and a girl was failed for doing exactly that - she was told she shouldn't be indicating right because it was misleading to other road users and was classed as a "major" error.

A girl from our club is learning with that driving instructor and had an accident on a roundabout during a lesson (not the one mentioned above) - she was hit by a car coming from her right and still can't see that it was HER fault because she pulled out into his path:mad: .

[Gingerheid]

The one I passed was the one I wanted to cancel. I got picked up from the railway station after coming off an overnight train (from the interview for the job I eventually got) and went straight to the test.

I was very lucky to get an excellent instructor that had taught a lot of my office to drive, most of them passing first time. I took lessons from my work, next to the test centre, and had practised on all the corners they used for the reversing in the tests...

Have booked up some refresher lessons. Not using the man that had his phone diverted to his mobile and had a conversation with me that went something like "Yeah, we charge 22 pound and hour or excuse me, yeah turn left here that's it indicator on slow down second gear gently ok yeah you're fine put the gas in, sorry about that. Yeah, 22 pound an hour or if you book up six hours and pay in advance it's only £120 sorry, first exit at the roundabout here check your mirrors indicate left left hand lane...

(Oops:o What did the thread start of as? :confused: Never mind)

I can bring it close to on topic with my next moan - I can easily afford a car and want one, but the cost of insurance :eek: :(

[peter edge]

Peter - where did you find this information. I'd like to read it for myself.
Anita, my source came from the news media it was covered by nearly all the newspapers its probably one of those goverment scams you know the sort "we`ll give them the worst scenario then whack up the prices on something else"
Or is it me just being a little cynical

[Anita]

It was probably in the papers the one day my husband forgot to get one!

As for being cynical Peter: with governments and their thinking you're justified - and probably right! ;)

[Gingerheid]

.. or one of those government scams where they give you the worst case scenario and then expect you to be grateful when they say "Oh no, you're ok. It'll be less than half that price most of the day."

[Gingerbop]

My exboyfriend failed his theory test 5 times... and now he's working for BSM! Just on the desk, mind you... we can all be thankful for that.

Like Gingerheid says, public transport, it's all very well and good telling us to use it, but where I used to live there were about 6 buses a day perhaps, and if you wanted to go anywhere except Inverness, then though. Down here it's a different matter. I'd say, hike up the road tax, (except lower it for LPG converted thingies and the like) and use the extra money for actually getting some buses up and running, and subsidised, in Scotland.

I find driving scary enough- I get really tense cause I have to stretch up to see over the steering wheel. As for motorbikes; never ever. "They're just death traps" my mum used to say every time she saw one. I thought nothing of it, until one of my friends died coming off his. Have to say, they've never had much appeal since.

[Gingerheid]

Is this the theory test with taxing questions such as:

Another motorist does something which upsets you. Should you:

A: Stay calm and try not to react?
B: Sound your horn and flash your lights?
C: Shout and make abusive hand gestures?
or D: Make a note of their number plate and report them to the Police?

I knew someone who got a test that had a question about babies in cars, including the option "Tie it securely to the roof rack".

I got through the theory test fine, which suggests to me that it isn't a terribly good test of driving ability! I am now driving at my work. It's a shame for the people who started the job and have been in it for years, and then suddenly find themselves in cars with me stalling nine times on a run.

Ex b/f could be in the right place though, if he gets a staff discount..;)

Buses - it depends whereabouts down here you are!

I miss the buses in Edinburgh sorely, particularly the dear N22 that had started running every 10 minutes through the night at the weekend just before I left. (Only every 30 mins on nights during the week:( !) Does anyone know of a better bus service anywhere in the country?

Buckinghamshire though, if you want to see fine examples of buses that are scared of the dark...

[peter edge]

Funny I`d never really thought about a motorbike being a death trap, maybe a death catapult lol! always thought cars were death traps, must be something to do with all those films where the occupants can`t get out when they go into the river/burst into flames.http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/images/icons/icon10.gif

[Anita]

Going to be really sexist now :) . While at the theory test centre with my daughter (I was there about an hour all told 'cos they were running late) there were load of failure coming out through the door: and they were all men :p .

Why do we think that is?

Daughter's b/f failed his a few times before he took my advice and studied because he obviously didn't know it all :D . Failed his driving test three times before passing as well: must have felt sick when Liz passed both first time, especially as she had to do the extra "observation" test on top of that. Anyone else on the forum had to do that one?

[Gingerheid]

To be honest I think you'd be very unlucky to fail the theory bit if you'd studied!

I found the hazard awareness test more a matter of chance though. But by halfway through you could work out that if you saw a pram or bike, they were just about to fling it in front of you!

(Posted from somewhere in Bedfordshire during an interminable bus journey to Milton Keynes... :( )

[Lucy]

Motorcycles are most definitely not death traps! It's down to the rider and the other people on the road. There are always people on the road who think they are infallible on bikes or in cars, they are the ones who are dangerous...it's not the fault of the machine. I think everyone taking a car test should be made to go out on a bike it might improve everyones hazard perception and save a few more of us who choose to ride bikes from hearing the famous line "sorry mate I didn't see you!".

(Yes I have been knocked off my bike...I was stationary at a set of traffic lights at the time, the woman in the car changed lanes without actually looking at where she was going:rolleyes: )

[Gingerheid]

This may all be true, but I doubt it'll reassure the worried mothers! I once got caught half looking at an advert for a scooter on the back of a Littlewoods catalogue as I picked it up. A long lecture on the dangers of these followed, just in case I'd been looking at it!

But I really want some kind of set of wheels. I saw an advert for a Smart car with a finance package that looked tempting today. I'm just off the Directline website. How could they charge me £1023 a year for insurance for a car like that?

Surely to goodness a car like that would be proof enough that I'm not a tearaway with dangerous testosterone levels looking for a performance car to mod, take to the local cruise, and race up country lanes in the middle of the night?:confused:

And they can't be targets for thieves, can they?

[Lucy]

Thats very true, my mum was ecstatic when I told her I was getting a bike!

I don't think Smarts are a cheap option have you looked at the other small cars out there. Ford Ka (I've got one of these, very nice little car), Vauxhall corsa, Citroen c2 (I'm thinking about trading in the Ka for one of these). They might be a bit cheaper on the insurance the c2 and the corsa are group 1 the Ka and the smart are group 2 so you might see a difference! There are some benefits to being older...car insurance is one of them!;)

[Anita]

Check out Tesco for car insurance - my daughter got a good deal on hers (19, newly qualified with an R reg Punto Sporting). Yes it was just under £1,200 fully comp but much cheaper than other quotes which were over £2,000!

[Gingerheid]

Tesco get their car insurance from DirectLine, so they tend to be roughly the same price as each other! For young people they are the best by many miles - for me the best quote from a 'normal insurer' was £2226. For a cheap / small car with no engine Tesco / Directline are offering about £907 - about the same price as the car over five years!

[peter edge]

small car with no engine Do they still make pedal cars? lol!http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/images/icons/icon10.gif

[Anita]

What a difference age makes! I've only been driving four years but this year's insurance was £179 :p (it was only £379 when I first passed).

Dreading my eldest's insurance this year - after rear-ending that police car :o she will have lost her no claims bonus (if they claimed that is :rolleyes: ). Heaven knows what it's going to cost me (I pay to run her car - she pays her Uni fees)

[Gingerheid]

Being a woman also helps. Would save me £117 if I could call myself Miss...:D

Maybe the people that work in the insurance company will have been too busy falling over themselves and not noted the records properly:rolleyes:? Sorry. Just a hope.:) I always laughed at that story, but now I'm driving, it's exactly the sort of thing I'd do. Except I'll probably be the first person to have to come back to the office and say I've put one of the works cars into a...

Small car with no engine = I've tried to drive an 800cc car on the A41. I normally drive too slow with people tooting behind me as a matter of choice (though I have had Mr Ratty Tooting-Dimwit behind me when doing 30 in a 30 coming up to a speed camera van as well), but I found that that thing was holding me back a little.

[Lucy]

I'm aware I have a tendancy to speed outside of built up areas so a slightly underpowered car is actually quite a good thing to have (though a Ka has still got enough oomph to lose my licence if I'm not careful)! I like to get up to speed quickly so I'm more worried abour 0-60 than top speed (I've got the bike for speed).

I've had my licence for about 15 years so I'm a bit of an old hand as far as insurance goes, but I've only got 2 years no claims as I didn't have a car for a long time (all year round on my bike, very uncomfy when the seat is frozen solid in the winter!:eek: ) I don't think they are quite sure about me so I still pay about £250 fully comp. Another thing Gingerheid is look for a big service interval as servicing doesn't come cheap I know citroens now come with 2 year service intervals and I'm sure others do too(not the Ka though).

Oh I've also had Mr "my job is so important I have to be there yesterday" behind me on the M11 when I had a Starlet (see Bruce willis's car in Pulp fiction!) I was stuck in lane with lorries on my inside , foot flat on the floor and no where to go and the guy behind me was on his phone, gesturing at me, flashing his lights and hooting....I have to confess I took my foot off the accelerator a bit and gave him some gestures back:p .

[Gingerheid]

Another thing Gingerheid is look for a big service interval as servicing doesn't come cheap I know citroens now come with 2 year service intervals and I'm sure others do too(not the Ka though).
Good point - will do!

I think you're supposed to slow down if you get someone like that behind you. My driving instructor told me to do it once. He even braked a bit more for me when I didn't do it enough. For some strange reason he said not to do it in the test though, don't know why;).

The hand gestures bit must also come under that question from the theory test below. I said 'try not to react' - I think I must have got it wrong:D

[Anita]

The official answer is "try not to react" but do they really expect you not to when Mr (or Ms) "I'm a total plonker" is on the road.

I must also try to remember not to shout obscenities in the summer when we have our windows open:o (in built-up areas when children around anyway). Followed a woman through seven roundabouts, plus some junctions, last week and she didn't indicate once. Approaching the eighth I shouted that her ***** indicators weren't working - she got the message and indicated at the ninth!!!

Quote from Gingerheid. I think you're supposed to slow down if you get someone like that behind you. My driving instructor told me to do it once. Don't think you're supposed to but it's fun annoying them by doing it, especially if they've no way of getting past you! Did it to "white van man" recently - doing 60 and I couldn't see anything in my rear-view but his bonnet (less than a car's length behind me) so I slowed down to 30 - he backed off, but when I put my foot down again (got up to 55 this time) and there he was sitting on my bumper again. Slowed down to 20 this time before he got the message. Had to do it again a third time before it dawned on Mr Dimwit that if he stayed back I'd drive at a good speed. At no time could he overtake because the traffic going the other way was bonnet to bumper :D :D :D .

[Lucy]

It's a sweeping generalisation but I've always found Jag and BMW drivers to be the most ignorant people...so if their windows are open it's alway worth chucking in one of my favourite comments.." mate, if I'd paid that much for a car I'd expect it to come with indicators..."

I think I really scared one poor woman, she cut me up really badly at a junction on my bike and I said a few choice words which she very obviously heard....unfortunately she was going into the same store as me and I think she was under the impression I was following her. In the end I saw her in the store and walked over to her and reminded her very politely that you need to look behind as well as relying on the mirrors. She seemed very relieved by this, she must have thought I was going to get nasty (not really my nature).

[Gingerheid]

Hmmm. Five letters, comes before indicators. Is it 'Light';)? Her light indicators weren't working?

Don't think you're supposed to but it's fun annoying them by doing it, especially if they've no way of getting past you! That's nasty. Getting to the back of the traffic jam half a second quicker could have made a real difference to that poor man's day:p.

....unfortunately she was going into the same store as me and I think she was under the impression I was following her.At least she wasn't your new boss / your new bosses wife / ...

She must have had a really bad conscience. I'm sure you looked the picture of pleasantness and politeness; nothing at all like that artists impression of the demon road-rage stalker-motorcyclist:D

reminded her very politely that you need to look behind as well as relying on the mirrorsVery diplomatic! When you could have also reminded her what mirrors are, where they can be found, and when and how to use them...

I must say, I've spent so much time cycling I always look out for bikes, even though I may stall cars repeatedly, edge them into hedges because I didn't realise the bonnet was so long, have problems knowing where the car is reversing back down horrible little narrow country lanes, and hit the pavement ten times when doing twenty stage reverse parks into spaces that would fit an HGV.:o

My current terror is that the hire car my work's getting me for going to Coventry next week turns up, and they give me a nice big people carrier instead of an 'A' group car...

[Lucy]

Don't worry about it, you'll be fine. I like small cars and have always worried about driving something bigger. Find a friend who's moving and drive the van for them, you soon get used to it and it is actually quite fun!

Oh and I really was polite to the woman who cut me up I thought it might be more effective. She may have no qualms about removing an uncouth biker from the roads but she may feel more guilty doing it to someone who was courteous and polite!;)

[Gingerheid]

... and in view of my 'escapades':o (I don't like ring roads where you don't realise there are going to be cars leaving the road that cross the path of cars joining from the slip road...), in my work's car (much:o) on the Coventry ring road, insurance it appears will now cost me £1107.:mad: That car that could take me lots of places to go bouncing is slipping further into the horizon... I might be looking at a nice time to admit I need to give up!

And seeing as my work could involve rather a lot of driving, I may be in seriously the wrong job!:eek:

Only a small bump though, just glanced the side of the other car - smashed headlight for me and dented door for him... if you are going to have an accident, probably one of the better ways to do it I suppose...

[Anita]

Hate those kinds of junctions myself - wonder what kind of idiot worked that one out! There's one like it as you leave Bluewater - two lanes of the main road and two of the slip road in and out running parallel and you have to cross to the left to go off and up the slip road whilst those coming on to the road are going to their right! Dread it when I go there so now I leave by a different way to avoid it!

Gingerheid - is that what your accident "junction" was like? You need eyes in the side of your head as well as the front and back! Should imagine there's lots of minor shunts (maybe they were invented by an insurance company :D ).

Don't give up - my daughter didn't after rear-ending the police car. Mind you a colleague's son needs to think about it (or get his eyes tested)! He rear-ended a stretch limo :o . How did he not see that?

Hope that puts you're little shunt into perspective Gingerheid, after all you haven't driven much since passing your test - he's been driving a few years.:eek:

[Gingerheid]

It was indeed - and the first one of those I've seen in my life. While crawling along at 20mph with my eyes popping out my head trying to work out what was going on I decided I was going down a one way street where the right lane turned onto the ring road, and needed to be in the right hand lane. I made sure that the person rather close behind me wasn't going to try and overtake and that there was nothing behind... and then turned straight into the side of the car coming off.

I'm supposed to draw a sketch for the insurance company... ehm... no. I was totally lost and didn't have the presence of mind to find out where the accident actually happened - whoops!

Had been trying to following the instructions to get to the office - Once on the ring road, come off at the second junction, go right round the roundabout, back down the slip road towards the ring road, and watch out for the left turning just off the slip road. Wasn't a left turning off the slip road I was on, and found heaven knows which part of the ring road again after a random journey through central Coventry....

The only relief available in the office is that someone else has reversed into a duck pond.

[Anita]

A duck pond eh? That's funny :) . At least they could argue they couldn't see it out of their rear view mirror - my hubby once backed into a telegraph pole! He was reversing down a pavement (with a grass verge) to park and remembered there was a tree - but forgot about the telegraph pole five yards in front of it :eek: . We'd only lived opposite it for about - 10 years :p .

Got daughter's insurance quote this morning: needed a strong cup of tea before opening it and .......... :D yippee: she hasn't lost her no claims bonus! The police obviously didn't make a claim (Becki's car took the brunt of it but you can't always tell about damage when you've been rear-ended, although they'd said their car looked OK to them). Was worrying it would be near a grand but it's only £400. Phew.

[Gingerheid]

Indeed, it's all accidents that can happen and don't need worried about too much...

However, if I'd been able to wait till I'd been in the office more than ten weeks, or if I'd even been able to get more than say 100 miles on my own under my belt before... :o.

Never mind...:) I think I'll need to make my first car a beat up 18 year old Vauxhall Nova rather than some poor nice new thing... and if I get a few dents in it everyone'll keep out my way!

Glad to hear the insurance wasn't too high, a nice bit of luck!!!

[Gingerheid]

Right, a quick political rant. having digested recent news about proposed switch from car tax to paying as you go[somewhere in the region of 135p a mile] may mean all the justified complaints about hikes in membership fees[inclusive of insurance] will be a thing of the past.
There will be no BG or in fact any sporting body as we will all be sitting at home vegetating, I know I personally clock up thousands of miles going to competitions and coaching and I`m sure it`s repeated across all sports and across the country. These people need to get their heads back out of the place where the sun doesn`t shine; hopefully it won`t come off, really it`s getting all too much!http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/images/icons/icon9.gif
If you bothered reading this; thanks, Peter.http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/images/icons/icon7.gif

I see the idea has been raised again, the price being mentioned still being up to £1.34 a mile; http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4610755.stm. Hmmm... this time there isn't an election just coming up, it wouldn't be so politically fatal...

[peter edge]

Wow! I forgot I wrote that!!http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/images/icons/icon10.gifIt looks like its not going to go away!http://www.british-gymnastics.org/memberforum/images/icons/icon8.gif