Iconic symbol of driving experience to disappear

An instantly recognisable element of British motoring history is to disappear after 75 years of gracing the roads and letting other drivers know that the person behind the wheel is committed to the highest standards of road safety.

GEM Motoring Assist, formerly the Guild of Experienced Motorists, is to stop issuing its famous V grille badge that indicates how many years its proud owner has been driving.

GEM Chief Executive David Williams said: “The V badge was introduced when GEM was founded more than seven decades ago and cars looked very different to the sleek, streamlined models of today. It was then known as the Company of Veteran motorists and so the V symbol was very relevant.

“Today very few cars have any form of traditional grille which makes mounting the badge a real challenge.”

David explained that GEM resisted the fitting of badge bars as they can prove a cruel danger to any pedestrian, cyclist or motorcyclist in a collision.

“Cars are designed today to be as injury proof as possible in an incident and any form of externally mounted badge is bound to destroy the integrity of that design,” he said.
“The priority of our 65,000 members is the safety of other road users and the badge is just not compatible with that philosophy.”

GEM also believes it is the quality of careful driving that is more important than the number of years behind the wheel and is running road safety campaigns and education programmes to make young drivers better motorists and more conscious of the dangers on today’s busy roads.

“We still have the highest regard for the skill and commitment of the more mature driver who can guide younger motorists by good example and courteous road manners,” said David.

The iconic V badge will remain available as a sticker that can be placed on a vehicle’s window without obstructing visibility.

For more information about GEM and its road safety campaigns go to motoringassist.com . Apart from being packed with good driving information the site lists the many informative booklets produced free of charge by the GEM charitable arm.