A 79-year-old pensioner has criticised a DVLA eyesight requirement after being told she would need to travel 175 miles to an approved assessment centre or risk losing her driving licence.
The retiree, who lives in Cornwall, said she was left stunned when she was informed there were no DVLA-accredited eyesight testing centres in either Cornwall or Devon following a failed vision test earlier this year. After failing an eyesight assessment at a Specsavers branch in Redruth in January, she was instructed to undergo a further test at a DVLA-approved medical centre, Birmingham Live reported.
However, she was told the nearest available location was in Castle Cary, Somerset – around 175 miles from her home in Pool.
The pensioner said the prospect of making a journey of almost 400 miles there and back was “grossly unfair” for people living in rural areas.
“If I don’t pass, I’ll hold my hands up and say, ‘Okay, I failed it’,” she said.
“I’ll get on with it. I’ll get on with not being able to drive. But I think they can see that it’s not fair. I’m not going to be the only one that this is going to happen to.”
She added: “You’re talking about a nearly 400-mile round trip, which, to me, is so grossly unfair on people that live here.”
The woman said driving remained an important part of her independence and warned losing her licence would have a significant impact on her daily life.
“To me, driving is very important. I can still drive. There’s no problem when we’re driving,” she said. “It would have a big impact on me. I’ve then got to rely on my partner, my independence would be completely gone.”
She also questioned why there were no approved assessment centres closer to home for drivers in the South West.
“I’m not going to be the only one that’s going to get called out by this,” she said. “I think they’re trying to sort out the elderly drivers and fair enough, I can understand that. But there should be a place down here that we can go to.
“It’s a long way to go to take a test, which you are not guaranteed to pass.”
The case has reignited concerns about access to services in rural parts of the country, particularly for older motorists who may face lengthy journeys to attend specialist assessments required to retain their licences.