KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
AGE AND DVLA LICENCE MEDICAL REVOCATION: KNOWYOUR RIGHTS
In this month’s edition we have a special feature supplied by Patterson Law detailing the new ways the police and DVLA are using medical revocation of driving licences as an alternative to prosecution for drivers. If you need any advice onmotoringmatters, please email
e.patterson@
pattersonlaw.co.uk, or for regular updates on road traffic law follow them on
facebook.com/PattersonLawMotoringSolicitors or
twitter.com/Patterson_law_
At Patterson Law, we deal with a large number of calls from individuals whose licences have been revoked by the DVLA for a whole host of reasons; from drug and alcohol misuse to heart problems, and everything in between.With these advice calls, we often notice certain trends appearing - current- ly there is a strong trend leaning very heavily against older drivers.
THE GROWTH OF ROADSIDE EYESIGHT TESTING
As some of youmay have seen in a recent article in the Independent, three police forces, namely Thames Val- ley, Hampshire, and the West Midlands, have teamed up with ‘Brake’ (the road safety charity) and Vision Express, in order to set up an initiative to carry out roadside eyesight tests.
Roadside eyesight tests are not a new phenomenon, however this particular initiative sees every single motorist stopped by officers required to undertake the reading of a number plate from 20 metres. If the motorist fails, the constable has the power to report the individual to the DVLA and request an urgent and immediate revocation of themotorist’s driving licence.
In the first two years of this power being operational, over 600 motorists had their driving licences revoked at the roadside by the police; which shows a stagger- ing number of people whose fitness to drive does not meet the DVLA’smedical standards. However,many of these people may have had no idea whatsoever that
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their eyesight was not up to standard, and as such the immediate revocation of their licence would have come as a massive shock as they are left stranded at the side of the road, unable to drive their vehicle home.
The DVLA’s minimum eyesight standards are clearly laid down in their guidelines, and are surprisingly lenient. In good daylight, a motorist must be able to read a standard number plate at a distance of 20 metres. Further, a driver must have ‘visual acuity’ of Snellen 6/12 in both eyes – this means that the person would have to approach a letter at 6 metres to be able to read it where a person with normal acuity would be able to read it at 12 metres.
OLDER DRIVERS VS. THE ‘DRIVEABILITY’ SCHEME
Through our free DVLA Medical Advice Service, we deal with a number of older drivers whose licences have been revoked due to cognitive impairment and visual inattention amongst a host of other reasons. However, older drivers will only flag up on the DVLA’s radar if they are reported for a condition, either under the obligation to self-report, or by a third party (usually a medical professional).
However, we are seeing more and more instances of individuals who have been sold down the river by the
OCTOBER 2018
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