IAM RoadSmart warns drivers to expect ‘the famous five’ if they are stopped by the police in the future

With the news today that three police forces are trialling roadside eyesight tests and could take licences away at the roadside, IAM RoadSmart has warned motorists that they can expect to be tested for a suite of reasons if they happen to be stopped by the police for any reason.

Every driver stopped by police from Thames Valley, Hampshire and the West Midlands in September will be required to read a number plate from 20 metres. Anyone who fails will have their driving licence revoked there and then.

Police officers in those areas will be implementing their powers to request an urgent revocation of a licence through the DVLA, if they believe the safety of other road users will be at risk if that motorist remains on the road.

IAM RoadSmart, the UK’s biggest independent road safety charity, has welcomed this new trial and warns drivers that if it is a success they can expect additional basic safety checks from traffic police in the future.

Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart director of policy and research, said: “Law abiding drivers have nothing to fear from this – but we believe that extending the range of checks that the police could and should be doing will help remove many more unsafe drivers from our roads.

“They should be, as a matter of course, examining the following five key items: driving licence, MOT, vehicle insurance, drink/drugs and now eyesight.

“Adding a vision test to the standard list of roadside checks will be a sharp warning to those drivers who chose not to wear their glasses, or not get their eyesight checked, that the enforcement is now out there to back up the regulations. Our message is simple - don’t risk it!”

ENDS

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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 products and services visit the new website www.iamroadsmart.com                                    

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://wwwiamroadsmart.com/local-groups              

ENDS