bird's eye view by the Hawk
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• Pills
Drivers who are on pills are just as dangerous to driving safety as those who are on whisky. This warning came from Dr Andrew Raffle, London Transport's chief medical officer, in an interview in the first issue of London Transport News.
Apparently the side effects of drugs for such common ailments as high blood pressure, hay fever, diabetes, asthma and insomnia carry the same danger as the cocktail cabinet. Dr Raffle warns that pills should be taken only under doctor's advice, that it is dangerous to mix different types of medicine or take more than the prescribed dose.
• Birnie blitz
Hardly had I laid down last week's copy of CM after reading Graham Russell's plea for stricter enforcement, than it seemed his cry had been answered. Graham had made an impassioned appeal for more enforcement at the RHA's Scottish Area conference and although Alex Birnie, the Scottish LA, was 60 miles away in Gleneagles at the Transport Association conference he must have heard it. I could hardly believe my eyes. The Scottish Area As and Ds carried the intimation that more than 30 operators were to parade before the LA or his deputy at three separate hearings to "show cause". Well, Graham, your plea was answered but I wonder if your friends will get as much satisfaction from it as you did.
• Donkey date
Here's a date for your diary in flaming June. Why not take a trip down to BEN headquarters at Lynwood, Sunninghill, Ascot on the 30th. That's the date for the family day out at the hq of the Motor and Cycle Trades' Benevolent Fund. Among the attractions will be a Donkey Derby, a garden fete, a parade of veteran and vintage cars and vehicles and a tug-of-war.
Purely as a suggestion for a topical side attraction, why not have two teams of politicians, one from each side of the House, in this event and use a haulage contractor as the rope? After all, they're experts at playing tug-of-war with transport. But back to Lynwood. The events start at 1.30pin and a good day is promised by the organizers.
• Helpful hints
There's always been a shortage of handy reference books for drivers. Volvo has filled another of the vacancies this week with a very useful publication carrying 24 outline maps of various sections of Great Britain and another 24 maps of town centres. Of course, each of the maps indicates the location of the Volvo distributor and dealer in the area. The rear portion of the publication is devoted to tips to the drivers. AR of them extremely helpful to Volvo drivers and many of them helpful to all drivers.
• Mind the ducks
Is there a moral that can be linked to the conduct of ducks to justify telling a story about them in a technical journal? It has been said that, unlike hens, ducks have a social conscience, although elaboration on this theme could become sentimental. It was Brian Havill, transport group manager of Alcan Booth, who should have gone on talking about the body beautiful and why the aluminium-type appealed to discerning bodybuilders and instead broke off to talk about ducks, how well behaved they were if treated considerately and how much better the transport world would be if there was greater courtesy ail round on the roads.
One of the most attractive villages in the UK, Wroxton St Mary, is a few minutes run from the Alcan Booth Banbury centre and members of the company frequently pass a picturesque pond in Wroxton on the way to the North Arms. Approaching the pond down a steep lane the observant driver will note a sign "Slow Down Ducks Crossing", and if there are any ducks doing just that he will also note that their walk is orderly and stately. They're friendly too. Good manners are the order-of-the-day in Wroxton St Mary.
How many Americans returning home from Wroxton College tell the folks at home about slowing down for ducks before they tell of anything else? Wroxton College was once Wroxton Abbey, the home of Lord North, and is now the centre to which Americans come to take I5-wee3 courses in English culture and traditions %frith visits to places like Oxford and Stratford-on-Avon. Did Shakespeare have anything to say about ducks? Does it matter?
III Road routes?
I hear that the LDoY Regulations Committee is to recommend to the executive at its next meeting that this year's final on September 9 should include a 15-mile road route. Apparently for years now the first man to start in each of the classes has found himself redundant from about half past nine until half past four, unless, of course, he was a class winner. If the road route is introduced it will mean that the men will be occupied in actual competition work right up until lunchtime. I am sure this will be much more acceptable to those who travel hundreds of miles to compete.
• Which? hunt
Reflecting on the Which? noise survey published recently, I found the results posed more questions than they answered.
What about those people who could not engage in normal conversation? The suggestion is that passing traffic was to blame; might it not have been, however, that the people had nothing much to say to each other anyway?
And then there was those who could not watch TV. Why, I ask — was it because they don't have sets?
The piece about the interviewer who was nearly knocked down by a passing lorry knocked me out. He really should learn his kerb drill and the Green Cross Code. Most five-year-olds know it by heart and practise it too.