Driving Blind? Lessons from a preventable tragedy

This thought-provoking event, presented with Slater+Gordon Lawyers, brought together leading voices from policing, healthcare, road safety and advocacy to examine one of the most sensitive and complex issues in modern road safety: the impact of declining eyesight among older drivers. Prompted by a recent Lancashire coroner’s case involving the tragic deaths of four people, this session explored how undetected or unreported visual impairment can lead to catastrophic consequences – and why current systems may be failing to prevent it.

With a live studio audience and expert panel, the discussion examined the role of individual responsibility, medical oversight, licensing policy and enforcement in managing driver fitness. Panellists offered frontline perspectives, from collision investigation and emergency care to behaviour change and public awareness. The session also considered practical steps to reduce risk, including earlier intervention, improved screening and more effective cross-sector collaboration.

Chaired by Joy Allen (Durham Police and Crime Commissioner and joint lead for roads policing at the APCC), this 60-minute hybrid event provided a balanced, evidence-led discussion aimed at policymakers, practitioners and professionals committed to safer roads.

Background to the event
The Lancashire coroner’s inquest brought together four fatalities that exposed a serious gap in how eyesight-related driving risk is managed in the UK. The cases involved older drivers who had either been told by health professionals that they were unfit to drive, or who had significant untreated vision problems, yet continued to get behind the wheel. In each case, the consequences were devastating and irreversible.

In Southport in November 2021, Marie Cunningham, 79, and Grace Foulds, 85, were crossing Lulworth Road when they were struck by Glyn Jones, 67. CCTV and court evidence showed he drove into them without braking, and the women died later the same day from catastrophic injuries. Jones had previously been advised over many years that he was unfit to drive because of severe eye disease.

In March 2022, Peter Westwell, 80, was killed in Billington near Blackburn when he was hit while crossing the road by Neil Pemberton, 81. The court heard he had been told to stop driving as early as 2013, yet still declared to the DVLA that nothing was wrong with his eyesight. His vision was so poor that he could only read a registration plate at 8 feet, far below the legal requirement of 66 feet.

In July 2023, Anne Ferguson, 75, was killed in Whitworth after being struck by Vernon Law, 72, who had recently been diagnosed with severe cataracts in both eyes. An optometrist described his condition as the most extreme they had seen in 23 years of practice.

Together, these deaths prompted the coroner to question whether the current self-reporting system for visual fitness is safe or fit for purpose.