The DVLA has introduced a new ruling that accelerates the process of informing drivers that their licence has been revoked.
The changes follow a campaign led by Jackie McCord, whose daughter Cassie was killed in 2011 by an elderly man who had failed a police eye test three days before.
Following the death of her daughter, Ms McCord collected 45,000 signatures petitioning for a change to how licences are removed. Under the old scheme, police had to send a letter or fax to have a licence revoked; a process that could take several days.
Under the new rulings, known as ‘Cassie’s Law,’ police can make a telephone call or send an email requesting a licence be removed. This means that the process could now take minutes.
Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond said: “We have every sympathy with Mrs McCord and would like to thank her for her valuable work in raising awareness of this issue. The DVLA and the police have worked closely to greatly streamline the process for revoking a licence when the police identify that a driver’s eyesight is inadequate.
“The decision whether to revoke a driving licence on medical grounds remains with the DVLA, though the process for informing drivers that their licence has been revoked has now been accelerated.”
Commenting on the rulings, Geoff Roberson, professional adviser for the AOP, said: “We welcome any change that reduces risk to the public from drivers with defective eyesight. However we would like to have seen the Government go further and implement Ms McCord’s wish to have the eyesight of drivers over the age of 70 formally tested at license renewal, rather than continuing to rely on self-certification. This would have been very much in line with improvements to the assessment of drivers’ vision recommended by the Optical Confederation.”
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