Driver eyesight clampdown

All motorists stopped in month-long campaign will have to do 20-metre plate test ●

New police campaign revokes licences at the roadside

DRIVERS with failing eyesight face having their licences revoked by the roadside, after three police forces launched a joint campaign targeting motorists who are unable to read a number plate from 20 metres – the minimum legal distance.

The month-long campaign is being carried out by Thames Valley, Hampshire and West Midlands constabularies, with road policing officers submitting every driver they stop to the 20-metre test.

Those unable to read a plate from that distance will lose their licence “within an hour”, and face prosecution for failing to meet the “standards of vision for driving”.

Sergeant Rob Heard, the police officer representing the three forces taking part in the campaign, said he hoped all drivers would pass the test, although he warned that those who fail will “have their licence revoked and face prosecution”.

Sgt Heard highlighted a 2013 piece of legislation called ‘Cassie’s Law’, which enables the police to request the urgent revocation of a driving licence by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

The law was named after 16-yearold Cassie Mccord. She was killed in 2011 in Essex after being hit by an 87-year-old driver who had previously failed a police eyesight test. Prior to Cassie’s Law police had to fax or write to the DVLA asking for a licence to be revoked, with the process potentially taking days.

This new campaign is being run in conjunction with road safety charity Brake, which estimates one in eight motorists fails to wear the glasses or contact lenses they know they need to drive safely. Brake campaigns director Joshua Harris called the fact regular eye tests for drivers are not mandatory “madness”, adding: “Our current licensing system does not do enough to protect us from drivers with poor vision.”

Sgt Heard echoed those sentiments, saying: “A regular eyesight test with an optician is a must to be safe on the road.”

Data collected in the campaign will be used to build a picture of the state of drivers’ eyesight, thought to be “vastly underreported” by Government statistics. Last November, the Association of Optometrists said one in three members had seen a patient in the previous month whose vision fell below minimum driving standards.

“Joint campaign targets drivers unable to read a reg plate from legal minimum of 20 metres”