Statement from IAM RoadSmart: Duke of Edinburgh car crash

Following the road crash involving the Duke of Edinburgh this afternoon (17 January), the biggest independent road safety charity in the UK, IAM RoadSmart, has issued the following statement.

Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart director of policy and research said: “IAM RoadSmart is very thankful that no one has been seriously injured in the collision involving the Duke of Edinburgh and we wish all of those involved a speedy recovery. 

“While the full circumstances around this collision are now subject of a police investigation, after an incident involving a high profile older driver, such as the Duke of Edinburgh, there is inevitable speculation about mature drivers and road safety.

“The government’s own road safety priorities highlight the need to do more for mature drivers and on rural roads, as well as a focus on younger drivers, speeding and drink and drug driving to further improve road safety. We support these priorities, and call for the government to put action behind their words.

“While every driver is different, we support the findings of the Older Driver Task Force that the age of licence renewal be raised to 75 but with evidence of an eye test also required. We would also like to see more encouragement for drivers of all ages to take voluntary driving reviews to help them make informed choices about their driving skills. The fact that the government has yet to respond to this report despite it being published over two years ago is a concern for all road users, young and old.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Further information from:

IAM RoadSmart press office – 020 8996 9777 – press.office@iam.org.uk                                        

ISDN broadcast lines available

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On Facebook: www.facebook.com/IAMRoadSmart                                       

On Twitter: @IAMRoadSmart 

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 ALL