Built-in car breathalysers and speed limiters will save countless lives says IAM RoadSmart

The decision to adopt EU road safety rules after Brexit and make it mandatory for new cars to be fitted with breathalysers and voluntary speed limiters by 2022 in the UK has been given the thumbs-up by IAM RoadSmart.

A proposal for this idea and a host of other safety features for cars and lorries was made in March and was rubber-stamped by the EU last week.

IAM RoadSmart, the UK’s biggest independent road safety charity, supported the idea when it was originally proposed eight months ago, saying it would save countless lives.

On hearing the EU and Department for Transport’s decision, Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart director of policy and research, said: “We welcomed these proposals earlier this year so it is great to see they will actually happen.

“Speed limiters will still be voluntary so you don’t have to use them, but they could save your licence if you do.

“Although all new cars from 2022 cars will be enabled to have an alcolock it will be up to the UK government to decide how they are used. We see them as a useful tool for repeat drink-drive offenders to get them back to safe driving after a ban.  It is very unlikely that the vast majority of the law-abiding public will ever have to blow in a tube to start their car.”

Other EU proposals to improve road safety to be implemented by 2022 include AEB (autonomous emergency braking) which can detect and react to pedestrians and cyclists in front of the vehicle, lane keeping assistance systems and new technology to detect distraction and drowsiness.

New lorries will also be expected to have better levels of direct vision to give drivers a better chance of seeing vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.

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Further information from:

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IAM RoadSmart has a mission to make better drivers and riders in order to improve road safety, inspire confidence and make driving and riding enjoyable. It does this through a range of courses for all road users, from online assessments through to the advanced driving and riding tests. IAM RoadSmart is the trading name of all businesses operated by the UK’s largest road safety charity, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and was formed in April 2016 combining the IAM, IAM Drive & Survive, PDS and IAM Driver Retraining Academy. The organisation has 92,000 members and campaigns on road safety on their behalf. At any one time there are over 7,000 drivers and riders actively engaged with IAM RoadSmart’s courses, from members of the public to company drivers, while our Driver Retraining Academy has helped 2,500 drivers to shorten their bans through education and support programmes.

To find out more about IAM RoadSmart commercial products and services visit the new website www.iamroadsmart.com/business                                                     

To find out more about IAM RoadSmart’s Driver Retraining Academy visit www.iamdra.org.uk                                              

To find out the name of your own local IAM RoadSmart group please visit: https://www.iamroadsmart.com/local-groups 

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