As part of its 90th anniversary celebrations, GEM Motoring Assist is launching a new podcast – ‘Voices from the Road’.

Presented by Valerie Singleton, the first series of programmes is already recorded. These include stories across the 90 years:

  • Learning to drive in 1935 – the year of the very first driving tests
  • Escorting a V1 doodlebug – complete with explosives – from the Kent coast to Knightsbridge in 1944
  • The background to the very first speed awareness courses in 1991
  • The thinking behind one of the most successful road safety social media initiatives in 2014

The first episode launches on Friday 9 December, with a new episode published each week for six weeks.

A short history of GEM Motoring Assist

The organisation came into being in 1932 with a commitment to reducing road casualties and the pursuit of road safety. Now, 90 years later, that commitment is as strong as ever.

Founded as the Company of Veteran Motorists, it was essentially a club for drivers. It aimed to encourage care, courtesy and concentration on the roads, coming against a backdrop of rising fatal and serious collisions. In that same year, a shocking 6,667 people lost their lives in road crashes. There was around 1.7m motorised vehicles on the country’s roads at the time.

Interestingly, during a parliamentary debate on making speedometers compulsory in 1932, it was suggested that speed limits for cars were removed by this Act because “the existing speed limit was so universally disobeyed that its maintenance brought the law into contempt” rather that for considerations of safety.

Keep on moving

In 1978 the organisation launched its breakdown recovery service and in 1983 changed its name to the Guild of Experienced Motorists (GEM for short). It has enjoyed repeated success as an award-winning provider of breakdown recovery services ever since. In recent years it has been a ‘Which? Recommended Provider’ and has consistently been voted Top three in the ‘Auto Express Driver Power Survey’.

Celebrations

As part of GEM’s 90th anniversary celebrations, it has also included a pledge to donate 90p to the GEM Road Safety Charity for every new member recruited.

Neil Worth, GEM chief executive, said: “Thanks to the loyal and enthusiastic support from our members, GEM continues to be an important voice for safety at a national, regional and local level.

“We are pleased to be using this 90th anniversary year as an opportunity to redouble our efforts in reducing death and serious injury on the UK’s roads.”