Business Insurance - Drivers to celebrate 80th anniversary of GEM

UK motorists are this year set to celebrate the birthday of one of the UK's oldest motoring organisations, GEM Motoring Assist.

In 2012 the company will be celebrating its 80th anniversary, with businesses and members of the public alike being reminded of the efforts of the organisation to keep them safe when on the roads.

David Williams, chief executive of GEM, commented: "The legend has it that our founder was involved in a near miss with a young man in a sports car in 1932 and in response, a group of friends formed a club to encourage care, courtesy and concentration on the roads to reduce the growing accident toll ... and so the Company of Veteran Motorists was born."

It later changed its name to the organisation we know today as GEM Motoring Assist.

Mr Williams added the organisation has played a key role in promoting road safety in the UK over the years, ranging from campaigning to tackle the issue of drink driving, through to calls for BST to be scrapped as part of the Lighter Later initiative.

The company has seen some major milestones during its eight decades of operation and it has pointed out a number of the most quirky and important as part of its 80th birthday celebrations.

1932 saw the founding of the Company of Veteran Motorists - just one year after the publication of the Highway Code. This was followed in 1935 by the introduction of the 30 mph speed limit in UK towns and villages.

In 1983, GEM was present to witness the introduction of the compulsory use of front seatbelts in UK vehicles, while in 1994, the firm saw the introduction of the first European crash test standards - later becoming the Euro NCAP.

Moving closer to the present day, the firm highlighted how in 2010 the world's largest motoring fine was handed to a driver from Sweden, after he was clocked travelling at 180 mph on public roads by a speed camera in Switzerland.

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