Courtesy Daily Mail 3 September 2018
A police crackdown on drivers with defective eyesight has been launched. Every motorist stopped by roads police officers from three forces in September will be required to read a number plate from 20 metres. The initiative is being run by forces in Thames Valley, Hampshire and the West Midlands, and is supported by road safety charity Brake and optician firm Vision Express.
Anyone who fails will have their driving licence immediately revoked.
Officers can request an urgent cancellation of a licence through the DVLA if they believe the safety of other road users will be put at risk if a driver remains on the road.
The power was introduced in 2013 under Cassie’s Law, named after 16-year-old Cassie McCord, who died when an 87-year-old man lost control of his vehicle in Colchester, Essex. It later emerged he had failed a police eyesight test days earlier, but a legal loophole meant he was allowed to continue driving.
Presently, once someone has obtained their licence, it is up to them to tell the DVLA if they have a problem with their eyesight. It has been suggested that a recent eye test should be required when licences are renewed every 10 (3) years.
