INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

‘Cassie’s Law’ Causes 609 UK Drivers To Lose Their Driver’s Licenses

By Anne Sewell
Published on: 19:39 PST, Jul 27, 2015

Roadside eye tests in the UK have caused more than 600 drivers to lose their licenses under the new “Cassie’s Law.” Now mandatory eye tests are the order of the day for UK drivers, who can be fined if they refuse to take them.

Cassie’s Law came about after 16-year-old Cassie McCord lost her life from serious head injuries back in 2011 when Colin Horsfall, 87, lost control of his vehicle in Colchester, Essex. Police later established that Horsfall had failed a police eyesight test a few days before, but due to a legal loophole he had been able to continue driving.

Police in Essex spent three days, just prior to Cassie’s death, trying to persuade Horsfall not to drive again. At that time he had been involved in a minor collision and failed an eye test, but regrettably he continued to drive, with fatal consequences.

According to the BBC, Horsfall accidentally drove up onto a pavement, where Cassie was walking with a friend, after hitting the accelerator instead of the brake.

After her daughter’s death, Cassie’s mother, Jackie Rason, campaigned for a change in the law covering eyesight and driving, which led to the new system, commonly known as Cassie’s Law. Under the new law, authorities can now revoke driver’s licenses much more quickly, especially in the case of poor eyesight.

According to The Guardian, information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act has shown that, since Cassie’s Law was introduced back in 2013, police from across the country had applied 631 times to revoke licenses, based on an eye sight test.

In 609 of the cases, the driver and vehicle licensing authority (DVLA) revoked the drivers’ licenses. The test involves asking the driver to read number plates. If they could not read them correctly, they failed.

Rason, is thrilled with the news, which has potentially saved dozens of lives.

“I had no idea until now that it was being used so widely, and it is very satisfying to know it is making a difference.”

“That’s more than 600 people who could still be driving, perhaps without even knowing there was a problem with their sight.”

She added that while you can’t say in every case someone would have been killed, it is likely to have prevented accidents and traffic fatalities.

Under the new system, any police officer who feels the safety of road users is at risk if a driver stays on the road can urgently request that the license be revoked. There are three levels available in the system, immediate, within 48 hours, and postal, depending on the seriousness of the situation.

Should a driver refuse to take an eye sight test they can be fined, and should a banned driver continue to drive after failing the test, this may lead to their arrest and their vehicle being seized.

Rason says she is continuing with her campaign for mandatory eye tests, with additional checks for drivers over 70 years of age.

“If your car is more than three years old, you have to have an MOT [a mechanical and emissions test] to certify it’s roadworthy.”

“Why shouldn’t that be the same for drivers?”

In other UK driving news, the old-fashioned paper drivers licenses have now been phased out, which has been causing problems for British citizens traveling abroad as when hiring a car, the company involved has to go online to check their driving record.

In related news, the Inquisitr reports the story of another 16-year-old college student in the UK who was run down by a car on her way to class. She was then struck by a further three cars and a bus, who mistook her body for a dead animal.

[Image: CC BY-SA 2.0 Timo Newton-Syms]

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