A DVLA eyesight requirement means state pensioners have to drive a staggering 175 miles or risk losing their driving licence. One retiree has been told to travel to her nearest DVLA accredited eyesight assessment centre.
Pensioner Faces 400-Mile Round Trip
The state pensioner, who lives in a rural part of England in the south west, has spoken out. The 79-year-old sat a Specsavers eye exam at the turn of the year, following Christmas, and failed.
After the failure, the DVLA told her she must travel to the nearest agency-approved medical centre for another test. But the problem was it was a staggering 175 miles away.
The retiree was told that there are no approved centres in Cornwall or Devon, and that the closest location was 175 miles away in Somerset.
She said: "If I don't pass, I'll hold my hands up and say, 'Okay, I failed it'. 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."
"You're talking about a nearly 400-mile round trip, which, to me, is so grossly unfair on people that live here," she said.
Independence at Risk
She took the test at her local Specsavers in Redruth in January, but failed. She says she was initially told there was no option to do this in Cornwall or Devon - and that Castle Cary, Somerset - some 175 miles from her home in Pool - would be her nearest option.
She added: "To me, driving is very important. I can still drive. There's no problem when we're driving. I can see and I've got everything that I need to drive. It would have a big impact on me. I've then got to rely on my partner, my independence would be completely gone."
"I'm not going to be the only one that's going to get called out by this," she went on to also add.
"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. You're talking about a 400 mile round trip (if made to go to Somerset). It's a long way to go to take a test, which you are not guaranteed to pass."
