CABBIE FOUND WITHOUT REQUIRED GLASSES DURING REGIONAL SAFETY CHECKS IN WEST MIDLANDS

A cabbie was caught driving without their prescribed glasses during a joint safety and compliance operation carried out by local authorities and police in the West Midlands.

Thirty licensed vehicles were pulled over and inspected during the multi-agency crackdown involving Walsall Council, City of Wolverhampton Council and West Midlands Police.

While minor defects were found on a selection of vehicles during the checks, all recorded issues were resolved on the night.

Drivers addressed the identified faults immediately before returning to officers for final verification. Alongside the driver reminded of their legal requirement to wear vision-correcting glasses while behind the wheel, another driver was required to remove non-compliant window tinting from their vehicle.

Despite these issues, none of the vehicles inspected were suspended, marking a dramatic improvement in local industry standards compared to previous enforcement drives. During a similar joint operation held in March 2025, half of all inspected taxis were immediately suspended due to serious safety concerns.

Councillor Ian Benton, portfolio holder for street scene and enforcement at Walsall Council, welcomed the positive trend in driver compliance. "It was encouraging to see an improvement in overall compliance during this operation, with minor issues being put right on the night," he stated.

It was confirmed that joint enforcement operations will continue across Walsall and the West Midlands to maintain strict public safety and licensing standards.

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