Officers take part in ‘Is your vision roadworthy’ national campaign

Now the clocks have gone back as we approach the winter months, officers from Staffordshire are working to help drivers ensure their eyesight and vision is roadworthy as part of a national campaign.

The National Police Chief’s Council’s ‘Is your vision roadworthy?’ project, as part of their Operation Dark Night campaign, began on Monday and runs until 10 November.

As part of the project, officers will be carrying out roadside number plate vision tests at every opportunity, including any traffic-related stops.

The aim of the campaign is to ensure as many people as possible can demonstrate that they meet the requirements of the law – being able to read a number plate correctly at a distance of 20 metres, in daylight, as well as meet the minimum eyesight standard and demonstrate they have an adequate field of vision.

If officers determine that a driver undergoing a vision test is unsuccessful, they can inform the DVLA immediately as part of Cassie’s Law. The law came into effect in February 2013 following the death of 16-year-old Cassie McCord from Colchester, who was killed on her way to school by an 87-year-old driver, just three days after he had failed an eyesight test and refused to surrender his licence.

Now, any driver who fails the roadside test could have their licence revoked straight away as well as receive three penalty points and be fined up to £1,000.

Inspector Sion Hathaway, from our Road Crime Team, said: “We are pleased to be supporting this national campaign to help to continue to ensure our roads are as safe as possible for all drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and other road users.

“It is vital that we do all we can to make sure that when you get behind the wheel you are not putting yourself or others at risk of injury or worse, especially during the darker winter months.”