'Cassie's Law': 609 drivers lose licence after eye test

Jackie Rason, pictured with daughter Cassie, is now campaigning for mandatory eye tests for all drivers

Hundreds of drivers have had their licences revoked for failing a roadside eye test under powers brought in after the death of an Essex teenager.

Cassie McCord, 16, died in 2011 when 87-year-old Colin Horsfall lost control of his car in Colchester.

He had failed a police eyesight test days earlier but a legal loophole meant he was allowed to continue driving.

"Cassie's Law", introduced in 2013, meant 609 drivers had their licences revoked more quickly, figures show.

Cassie's mother Jackie Rason campaigned for an instant ban after her daughter died of serious head injuries.

Mr Horsfall had mounted a pavement at speed, striking Cassie, after hitting the accelerator rather than the brake.

She later died in hospital. Mr Horsfall died three months later.

It later emerged that three days before the crash, police had spent two hours trying to persuade Mr Horsfall not to drive again after he was involved in a minor collision and failed an eye test.

At the time, officers had no powers to immediately suspend his licence.

'Very satisfying'

Under the new procedure, officers can request an urgent revocation of the licence through the DVLA if they believe other road users would be at risk.

Police forces across the UK have applied 631 times to revoke licences, and have been successful on 609 occasions.

Mrs Rason said this was "brilliant news" which had potentially saved dozens of lives.

"I had no idea until now that is was being used so widely and it is very satisfying to know it is making a difference," she added.

"That's more than 600 people who could still be driving, perhaps without even knowing there was a problem with their sight.

"You can't say that in every case they would have killed somebody, but it is very likely to have prevented fatal accidents and other casualties."

There are three levels of revocation under the new system - immediate, within 48 hours and postal, whereby the driver will be dealt with via letter sent within 24 hours of notification from the police.

If a banned driver continues to drive, they commit a criminal offence which may lead to their arrest and vehicle being seized.