Press releases

New research from the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, has revealed some positive long-term trends in relation to speeding behaviour in the UK with motorists now considering it less acceptable to speed than they did five years ago.

New research conducted by IAM RoadSmart, the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, has found overwhelming support for a 12-month minimum learning period for new drivers before they are allowed to take the practical driving test.

Potholes are perceived by motorists to be a much more significant concern on the road than they were three years ago, overtaking texting and drink driving as a worsening problem according to the findings of a new report from the UK’s largest road safety charity.

More than 190 fleet and grey fleet drivers from Northern Powergrid have taken up their employer’s offer of an Advanced Driver course in 2020, provided by the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart.

Figures released today from the Department for Transport have revealed that UK traffic collisions in the 12 months up to June 2020 are down 16 per cent and road deaths have reduced by 14 per cent compared to the equivalent period in the preceding year.

Vehicle manufacturers, dealerships, DVSA (Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency) and driving instructors should include a comprehensive lesson for motorists on how to use advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) so they are a road safety benefit and not a potential hazard, says IAM RoadSmart.

IAM RoadSmart is warning motorists of the severe financial penalty they could face as the consequence of a drink drive conviction. The charity has calculated that the personal financial cost of drink driving could be as high as £70,000 or more when taking into account fines, legal fees, higher car insurance premiums, alternative transport costs and potential loss of earnings following conviction.

We are calling for a targeted and local approach to combat pavement parking. It comes as the DFT consultation entitled ‘Pavement parking: options for change’ has recently finished, with a summary of responses due to be published within three months.

The UK’s largest independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, which improves driver and rider on-road skills through coaching and education, has appointed Tony Greenidge as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He will lead the organisation, which has around 85,000 members, in a new phase of growth.

IAM RoadSmart has discovered that many motorists will rush to make last minute car travel plans for the Christmas period this year, while others will make fewer stops when driving long journeys. The charity’s survey of 1,000 drivers in the UK investigated the impact COVID-19 will have on people’s travel plans over this year’s festive season, with some worrying safety issues emerging.

IAM RoadSmart has appointed Brad Poulson as a new Trustee to its Council as it continues to drive its road safety mission forward. Dr Brad Poulson has been a dedicated member of IAM for 45 years and brings with him a wealth of experience. His appointment is one of the latest initiatives taken by the charity and comes as it focuses on its continued work - driving road safety forward with its nationwide driver and rider training courses.

It's Road Safety Week and we are highlighting findings from the annual Safety Culture Study. We have found that 82 per cent of the British driving public are in favour of using speed cameras to automatically fine drivers travelling more than ten miles per hour over the limit near schools. The survey of 2,000 motorists, highlights that attitudes towards speeding on motorways are significantly different, with only 63 per cent of drivers supporting the use of cameras to detect those driving ten miles per hour above the limit on motorways.

IAM RoadSmart is highlighting the findings from a recent survey which revealed that the majority of road users from around the world support banning people from wearing headphones while cycling and is calling for urgent debate on this important issue while changes to the Highway Code are being considered.

A recent survey has discovered that the majority of road users aren’t in favour of many of the Department for Transport’s proposed changes to the Highway Code which have been designed to improve road safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders, believing that the changes will instead increase conflict and potentially reduce the safety of the vulnerable road users they are intended to protect.

Responding to the Department for Transport’s Roads Policing report, IAM RoadSmart has suggested that clearer guidelines are needed on the use of police technology to encourage use of mobile safety cameras and dash cams in prosecuting motorists using handheld mobile phones and not wearing seatbelts

Based on previous Government estimates that 80 lives a year could be saved by scrapping the October clock change, the UK could reduce the number of people killed on our roads by four and a half per cent and save the economy £160m. The charity believes that moving to a permanent daylight-saving system would significantly improve road safety.

PC John Williams, who is a long-serving member of the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart and a serving officer with the Greater Manchester Police Serious Collision Investigation Unit, has received a British Empire Medal (BEM) for his services to policing and charity.

A recent study has highlighted that motorcyclists who have taken the IAM RoadSmart Advanced Rider course have safer attitudes on the roads and are involved in fewer collisions per mile than riders who have not completed advanced rider coaching.

We have renewed the call for speeding to become as socially unacceptable as drink and drug driving, after publishing a worrying new analysis that indicates excessive speed is considered acceptable on the motorway and on residential roads by many drivers.

With local lockdowns becoming increasingly common and the ever-present risk of a further national lockdown over the coming months, the UK’s largest independent road safety charity is concerned that increased anxiety, stress levels and diminished confidence levels in day-to-day driving could be triggered by a second prolonged period off the road, which could have road safety implications.