Wiltshire 10mph driver 'failed' his eye test

Motorist's licence revoked after Police stopped him on Christmas Day

EYESIGHT FAIL: Driver was crawling along at 10mph on the A346
Author: Mike DraperPublished 2nd Jan 2022
Last updated 2nd Jan 2022

Wiltshire Police are reminding all drivers of the importance of having regular eye tests following a recent incident.

At around 8.30pm on Christmas Day (25 Dec), officers stopped a vehicle on the A346 between Marlborough and Swindon after receiving several reports concerned by the standard of driving.

Officers followed the Ford, which was doing just 10mph on a road with 60mph limit.

When they stopped the car, they found the driver was a man in his 80s.

The vehicle was returned to the driver’s home address by officers and an eye test was undertaken the next day, due to it needing to be conducted in the daylight, which the driver failed and the DVLA have revoked his licence.

The elderly motorist was attempting to drive between Marlborough and Swindon

Neighbourhood PC Sean Williams from the Central South team said:

“It is a concern that this man was behind the wheel of a car and we are thankful for those who called us to alert us and that this didn’t end in something far more serious."

“We stress that you must not get behind the wheel of a vehicle if you are not fit to do so, and this includes meeting the DVLA’s standards of vision for driving."

“We advise anyone with concerns to take regular eye tests to ensure they are able to read a number plate from 20 metres and also urge family members to ensure relatives are fit to drive.”

Find out more about the rules about driving and eyesight here.