Tag Archives: road-safety

Gloucestershire Older Drivers Forum win richly deserved award

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Impact Awards 210325

We are pleased and proud to announce that the Gloucestershire Older Drivers Forum have been given a well deserved award.

   On 21 March at the Gloucestershire Constabulary and Police Crime Commissioner’s Impact Awards the Older Drivers Forum for Gloucestershire were honoured to receive the Caroline Symes Memorial Bowl in recognition of outstanding voluntary work for the Gloucestershire Road Safety Partnership.

The award was presented by Maggie Blyth, T/Chief Constable and Roger Deeks DL, Vice Lord-Lieutenant.     

They share this accolade and give thanks to all their partners and supporters.

Since 2018 they have delivered 122 presentations and webinars to over 4,300 attendees. Our monthly social media viewings run in the thousands. And the results of all this work?

Gloucestershire is now a positive outlier in terms of road casualties of drivers in 70+ age group. Nationally 23% of all road fatalities are drivers in this age group. The last death in a road collision in this age group in Gloucestershire was 5 November 2022.

Last year serious injuries in this age group were down 35%. But they cannot rest on our laurels.

By 2030 the pensioner population in Gloucestershire is estimated to increase by 26% with more entering a more vulnerable stage in their driving lives. All these will need the support and advice they provide.

Their next webinar on ‘Rural Roads safety’ is on 29 March. To register visit   https://tinyurl.com/57tarfur

The National Chair for the Older Drivers Forum, Rob Heard, said on hearing the good news – ” Nigel and Alexandra Lloyd-Jones, who run the Gloucestershire Older Drivers Forum, richly deserve this award and recognition for the outstanding work and commitment they have given to make the roads safer for mature motorists in Gloucestershire. I know through their advice, support and care they have saved many lives and made a huge difference to many. They truly are an inspiration to many nationally, I am sure this is the first of many awards to come in the future. Well done and huge congratulations.”

Is Your Vision Roadworthy?

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Is Your Vision Roadworthy? Hero Image Rectangle

Today (5th December 2024) our chair, Rob Heard, appeared on BBC Morning Live talking about Vision and Driving and how important it is that we all have good vision for driving. Rob has been working with Eye Health UK and the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) running a campaign across the country called ‘Is Your Vision RoadWorthy?’.

The results of the campaign were analysed and a report written by Dr Carol Hawley of Warwick Medical School and CARGY research. The report can be read in detail on the website Vision and Driving.

The campaign was the largest ever UK roadside vision screening survey and revealed a worrying number of motorists in Britain driving with sub-standard vision. The main findings in the report said:

  • Police Forces across England and Wales conducted number plate tests on 3,010 motorists.
  • 7% failed the number plate test – the equivalent of 720,642 motorists.
  • 2% of all drivers stopped were issued police warnings or had their licence revoked.
  • 4% of all drivers stopped had their driving licence revoked. Thirty-eight revocations were immediate (on the spot), and six were pending, awaiting action from DVLA.
  • 40% of motorists had not had a sight test in the last two years, as recommended.
  • One third of drivers had been prescribed corrective lenses for driving. Half of drivers who failed the roadside sight test were not wearing their required glasses when stopped by police.
  • The roadside test failure rate was highest amongst older drivers. 10.2% of 81 to 90-year-olds failed.
  • The number plate test is the most basic requirement of the UK’s legal eyesight standards for driving.

IMG_1160Rob Heard speaking with Gordon Smart on BBC Morning Live

Our chair said

“This report highlights that many people are still taking the risk to drive without knowing they have suitable vision for driving and failing to have an eyesight test every two years. Peoples’ sight deteriorates gradually, often without them being aware and often without them realising their sight may have fallen below the legal limit. 

Regular sight tests with an optometrist are an effective way of not only making sure we are safe to drive on the road, but also detecting medical conditions early so they can be treated, potentially extending a person’s driving career.” Rob Heard

To watch the BBC Morning Live programme then click on this link. Footage on the campaign starts at 14:49.