Would your eyesight pass the driving test?

In 2011, 16-year-old Cassie McCord died from injuries sustained when an 87 year old motorist who had been warned not to drive, lost control of his car.

Following her daughter’s death, Cassie’s mother Jackie Rason successfully campaigned for a change in the law to enable the Police to have additional powers to revoke driving licences more quickly by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).

Since the introduction of “Cassies Law” in 2013, hundreds of motorists have had their driving licence revoked after failing a roadside eye test. Figures obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show that police forces across the UK have applied 631 times for licences to be revoked based on a failure to read number plates at the required distance.

609 of those applications have been successful meaning that over 600 people have been caught driving a car when they would not have passed the mandatory eye test taken during a driving exam!

Lesley Cree Opticians in Radcliffe of Trent is an ardent supporter of Cassies Law, but also believes that more should be done to introduce a better system of driver regulation that is less reliant on driver self-declaration.

Commenting Lesley said, “The figures show that without Cassie’s law over 600 people could still have been driving, perhaps without even knowing there was a problem with their sight. It is impossible to say that in every case they would have killed somebody, but revoking their licence until such time as they can pass an eye test is very likely to have prevented fatal accidents and other casualties.”

Though the photocard needs to be renewed every 10 years, in general, driving licences are valid until the age of 70, after which it needs renewing every three years.  The law states that driver’s must be able to read a clean number plate at 20.5 metres in good daylight, currently there is no need to provide any evidence that your eye sight would pass a driving test – even at 70!

Lesley Cree believes the Government and DVLA should do more to introduce mandatory sight tests for all drivers and for this evidence to be part of the licence renewal process.

She added “If your car is more than three years old, it has to have an MOT to certify it’s roadworthy. Yet drivers self certify that their eyesight is ok until the age of 70, whether or not they have or haven’t had a regular eye test. I believe that a system should be put into place to prove that a driver would pass the eye test each time a drivers licence is renewed. At least then the driver can be certain their eyesight is to a standard where they are safe to drive.”

Lesley Cree recommends her patients have an eye test at least every two years.

WHAT IS CASSIE’S LAW?

Under Cassie’s law, when a police officer believes that the safety of other road users would be put at risk if a driver with insufficient eye sight remains on the road, they can ask for the licence to be urgently revoked. There are three levels of revocation under the new system; immediate, within 48 hours and postal.

If a banned motorist then continues to drive, they are committing a criminal offence which may lead to their arrest and their vehicle being seized.

If you have not had your eyes tested in the last 24 months please call us today to make an appointment.

A standard eye test normally costs from £25, but many people are entitled to a NHS sight test for which there is no charge, these include:

• aged under 16, or aged under 19 and in full-time education
• aged 60 or over
• registered blind or partially sighted
• diagnosed with diabetes or glaucoma
• aged 40 or over and you are the parent, brother, sister, son or daughter of a person diagnosed with glaucoma, or you have been advised by an ophthalmologist that you are at risk of glaucoma
• eligible for an NHS complex lens voucher.
• you receive Income Support or Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (not contribution based)
• you receive Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
• you receive Income-based Employment and Support Allowance
• you are entitled to, or named on, a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate
• you are named on a valid NHS certificate for full help with health costs (HC2).

People named on an NHS certificate for partial help with health costs (HC3) may also get help.

If your doctor has referred you to a hospital to have an eye examination it will always be free.