Family of couple killed in crash want older driver checks

Katherine and Stephen Burch were visiting north Wales from Warwickshire at the time of the crash

The family of a couple killed after an elderly driver lost control of his vehicle while speeding have called for "stronger checks and safeguards" on older drivers.

Stephen and Katherine Burch, both 65, died in Beaumaris, Anglesey, in August 2024, when a car driven by Humphrey John Pickering, 81, crashed into them.

Mr Pickering, who also died in the crash, "applied the accelerator rather than the brake", causing his speed to increase from 25mph to 55mph in the seconds before the crash.

The calls come as the UK government considers banning motorists over 70 from driving if they fail compulsory eye tests.

The family of Mr and Mrs Burch, who were from Alcester, Warwickshire, described their grief as "monumental", and said the circumstances around their death were "tragic and deeply painful".

"They were struck and killed in a collision involving a high-powered automatic vehicle, driven at speed through a 20mph street," they said.

"It raises painful but important questions about the safety of both powerful and automatic vehicles in the hands of elderly drivers, and the urgent need for stronger checks and safeguards to prevent such tragedies in future."

Mr Pickering's family thanked those who had worked to "provide an explanation of what happened on that fateful day".

"These answers will help us move forward in our grief and are a small step towards our family accepting this tragic accident," they said.

"We extend our deepest and heartfelt sympathies to the Burch family, we are devastated for their loss, a loss that will always weigh heavily on us."

They described Mr Pickering, from Colwyn Bay, Conwy county, as a "much-loved husband, father, grand and great-grandfather, brother and uncle" and said he will be "terribly missed by us all".

A UK government source told the BBC it was planning a road safety strategy that would impose "tougher penalties on those breaking the law, protecting road users and restoring order to our roads".

A requirement being prepared by UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander could make eye tests for over-70s compulsory when they renew their driving licence every three years.

In April, HM Senior Coroner for Lancashire Dr James Adeley sent a report to Alexander to say action should be taken to prevent future deaths, after he found enforcement of visual legal standards for drivers was unsafe.

The UK is one of only three European countries to rely on self-reporting of visual conditions affecting the ability to drive.

Also under consideration by the UK government are potential medical tests for conditions such as dementia, and stricter rules for drink-driving.

David Chadwick, Liberal Democrat MP for the rural constituency of Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, said he agreed all drivers should be "able to use our roads safely", but said many of his constituents used cars because "of the withdrawal of bus routes".

"They simply do not have another option," he said, calling for improved investment in public transport.

He added another measure to help improve road safety would be increasing the number of speed cameras.