?1500 fine for Diabetic driver

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However it came to pass, a legally blind person should not be driving a car. At first I thought it would be a 'hypo' story, but the fact he had lost his sight as a consequence of diabetes is quite a different thing, I think, he should never have got in the car. :(
 
northerner you are wright but after an eye test who is legally responsable to say not you cannot drive anymore in italy you have to do a medical test every 10 years and if is not good they keep your licence here you can go out and carry on like nothing happened am i wrong???
 
I don't know because I don't drive, but you would think it would be reasonable for a doctor or optician to take away a license. Of course, that's probably not going to stop someone who will drive whilst virtually blind anyway :(
 
You legally have to tell the DVLA and then they take your driving license away. He was driving illegally.
 
until you have the license in your hand is like if you can still drive but yes somebody sensible should have stoped anyway
 
Sadly optians and consultants can only inform you that you no longer ilegiable to keep your licence which they do when the need arises.. It's up to the individual to inform the DVLA that they no longer fulfill the necessary regulations coverning medical impliaction of their licence etc..


I personally think there is a simple solution to this which will cut down a lot of accidents that are caused by the drivers eyesight...

That insurance companies can only issues an insurance certificate with proof of the insured drivers eyesight complies with the legal requirements.. No valid eyesight test certificate then no insurance!

As how many drivers are there on our roads that haven't had an eye test for well over 2 years?
 
Sadly people drive without insurance and I have lost count of people in the news who are banned from driving for X amount of years then are caught by the police Driveing after they lost there Licence. So not sure what it would take to stop things like this.
 
I really hope this doesn't just tarnish people's views of diabetics and they read what the article is really about - an irresponsible individual.
 
imtrying said:
I really hope this doesn't just tarnish people's views of diabetics and they read what the article is really about - an irresponsible individual.
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Yes, I do think it is fairly irrelevant how his sight came to be so poor - he could just as well have been hit in the face with a plank!
 
The really scary thing for me is when I had my big bleed in jan, I went to the docs in my surgery, because I was didn't feel safe to drive, was struggling with vdu's etc etc. They did a sight chart test, which looks at each eye seperately, and told me that my vision was actually BETTER than the minimum standard required for HGV drivers, because only one eye was affected (I could only see about 4/5 lines down the with eye) and the other was fine. 😱

I know you can legally hold a driving license whilst being blind in one eye, (as long as the DVLA are informed & you do the sight checks etc) but from what I can find, there is NO legal guidance that covers the effect of transient conditions such as bleeds from retinopathy, apart from the standard requirement to be able to read a license plate at 100m (I think - need to check highway code!) - it's down to the driver's discretion (& integrity!!!) in the same way that you wouldn't drive if over-tired, drunk, on medication which made you groggy, whilst hypo etc etc etc. The doc basically said to me that legally I could drive, as long as I felt confident that I would be safe! 😱 I am still driving, but only if I can see clearly, and can read plates etc - if I have a bad bleed I don't drive, and I don't drive long distances now as I wouldn't want to get stranded - at the moment I know if I have a bleed I can leave the car in town & get the bus home etc. Bleeds start as small spots in the vision which from my experience to date would allow plenty of time to park safely etc.

If you have had laser treatment for retinopathy (as I have) you have to undertake a visual field check, where you basically have to stick you head in a box & press a button every time you see spots of light which appear randomly (in singles or groups) all over the 'letterbox' area that you have to have good vision in - at my last test I scored 100% by the way! 😉).

We don't know from the article if this idiot had diabetic maculopathy (sp?!), had lost vision from lasering for retinopathy, or what, but it sounds like he could hardly see past the flipping bonnet & personally, I totally agree with the daughter of the poor lady who was killed - it was a pretty soft verdict given that he chose to drive in his condition.
 
DVLA aren't great at checking either. I remember watching a documentary one time where they applied for a driving license in David Blunkett's name, using his real address and they issued him one despite him being registered blind!

NiVZ
 
Northerner said:
Yes, I do think it is fairly irrelevant how his sight came to be so poor - he could just as well have been hit in the face with a plank!
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His irresponsibility in my view should be cured and the method, (suggested by Northie's wicked comment), certainly pushes the right buttons for me. I will add, "he should", and then put in part of Northie's statement "have been hit in the face with a plank!"
Selfish, self centred, arrogant, ignorant, adjectives fail me! People like this deserve anything and everything that comes their way! If he had killed one of my family I think I would have ended up in prison myself. 😡
End of rant!
 
For once words fail me... How irresponsible and selfish is this man! And all he got for killing someone is a ?1,500 fine... Better safeguards need to be put in place, I think there should be mandatory eye tests and mandatory reflex tests for every driver say every 5 years upto a certain age say 60 then every 2 years after that.
 
My Dad had to renew his license last month. At 85 he had to renew it for the next 3 years. All the form asked if he could see number plates at a certain distance, which I think is the same as the normal application.

He is 85, diabetic (tablets), but in fair health for his age - but even I would question if he should be driving at his age.

Whilst in the police service he passed his advanced driving - but at 85..........

I don't like to say too much to him as it is his lifeline
 
Hazel said:
My Dad had to renew his license last month. At 85 he had to renew it for the next 3 years. All the form asked if he could see number plates at a certain distance, which I think is the same as the normal application.

He is 85, diabetic (tablets), but in fair health for his age - but even I would question if he should be driving at his age.

Whilst in the police service he passed his advanced driving - but at 85..........

I don't like to say too much to him as it is his lifeline
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My Dad is 82 and when I saw him in September he was saying that he probably won't be driving for much longer - his choice. He's always been an excellent driver, and his eyesight is fine with the right glasses on! But he finds it very tiring these days. I think he is right to consider giving it up except maybe for the short journies for the shopping.

I think one of the worst things is that you can pass your test and then not drive for decades, then get into a car and nip off down the motorway! A friend's mother always got the first drive in the family's new car - but that was the only time she drove i.e. once every 3-5 years! 😱
 
Did anybody watch that show last night ? one lady was heartbroken she had to give her licence up it was her independance but her son and daughter were adament..Some woman on there was so dangerous and she still continues to drive even after the show was broadcast :confused:
 
What was the programme called? - I was out and I'd like to pick it up on the web.
 
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