Öpik Gives Thumbs Up To Montgomeryshire's 'Driving Doctor'

4.11.01pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 7th Apr 2006

Lembit Öpik, MP for Montgomeryshire and Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, has praised local 'Driving Doctor' Geoff Smith after taking an advanced driving assessment last week.

Lembit was taking part in the launch of Drivecheck, an initiative created by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), to give experienced drivers the chance to receive expert advice about their motoring skills.

Commenting, Lembit said: "I was looking forward to an expert assessment of my driving. Well I wasn't disappointed. In an honest hour of feedback Geoff Smith game me the thumbs up for my good habits and ways to improve on my bad ones.

"In fact, there are at least two things I've changed immediately about distance from the car in front and braking before a turn. One test with Geoff can lead to improvements which last a driving lifetime.

"No-one should be worried about taking this course, because the feedback is given in a positive and un-patronising way. We can all benefit from an expert view, even if we think we're great drivers already.

"People should think of it as a driving health check. Just as you would go to your doctor for a medical so also people should go to driving doctors to check they're as fit for the road as they can be."

The IAM DriveCheck tests last one hour- with thirty or forty minutes of driving followed by a discussion and a short report of your driving ability. There is no test involved, instead it's simply constructive advice and assessment from an IAM-accredited expert.