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Safety and Health Practitioner (SHP) is first for independent health and safety news.
April 2, 2013

Drivers who fail eye tests could lose licence immediately

Employers and fleet managers need to be aware of new Police powers to revoke the licences of drivers who fail roadside eye tests, an eyecare specialist has warned.

Specsavers Corporate Eyecare says the new system, introduced by Road Safety minister Stephen Hammond in February, enables the Police to notify the DVLA electronically with details of eyesight-test failures, allowing a notice of revocation of the licence to be issued to the motorist within hours. Previously, the Police notified DVLA in writing, or by fax, which, in some cases, meant the revocation could take up to four days.

Suzanne Randall, corporate account manager for Specsavers, said: “This is particularly relevant for employers. The Health and Safety Executive states that an employer’s duty of care extends to all work activities, including driving for work purposes – even if this constitutes only an occasional short trip for a meeting.  

“It’s very simple for employers to ensure their staff have eyesight that’s good enough for driving, and the last thing they’d want is to have staff off the road because their licence has been revoked due to poor eyesight. This is a chance for employers to put in preventative measures now.”€

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Iron
Iron
11 years ago

Always been a little worried about this police power. It seems like a simple test but a) most people have no idea or how far 20 m actually is, b) Visibility depends on light and conditions, c) number plates are rarely clean.

I’d prefer an optician to do an eye test and not a policeman.