Drivers failing eye tests must be reported - MP

The death of a woman who was struck by a driver who failed to read the top line of an eye test chart at a high street opticians months before was 'entirely avoidable', an MP has said.

Anne Ferguson, 75, was hit by a van as she crossed the road near her home on Market Street in Whitworth, Lancashire, on 11 July 2023.

Vernon Law, the 72-year-old driver, had been diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes but told his optometrist he did not drive and failed to tell the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) about his sight issues, an inquest heard.

Rochdale MP Paul Waugh said Mrs Ferguson was a "victim of a broken system" and called for mandatory reporting of unfit drivers to the DVLA by medics.

There is no mandatory legal requirement for optometrists to notify the agency when a patient is unfit to drive, unless they judge it to be in the public interest.

Drivers are legally required to self-report any sight issues to the DVLA instead.

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Waugh is part a cross-party group of MPs that has written to the Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander to call for mandatory reporting in these cases.

A Department for Transport spokesman said ways to improve road safety were being explored.

He said: "Every death on our roads is a tragedy, and our thoughts remain with the families of everyone who has lost a loved one in this way."

The inquest into Mrs Ferguson's death at Preston County Hall heard Law had failed to declare his sight loss issues in several applications to the DVLA.

Anne Ferguson's husband David, who relied on her everything, ended his own life following her death, the inquest found.

Law was jailed for four years and banned for driving for life after admitting causing death by dangerous driving

Waugh told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he and the other MPs are waiting for meeting with the transport secretary.

He said he wanted to "find a way to close this loophole and prevent further tragic and preventable deaths on our roads from reckless drivers".

In their letter to the transport secretary, the MPs highlighted a campaign led by Susan Rimaitas.

Her mother Marie Cunningham and friend Grace Foulds were killed in Southport by a driver with a known visual impairment who failed to report it to the DVLA.

The MPs have also called for the creation of a system to share important medical information with the DVLA and police, and stronger checks on visually impaired drivers.

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