Tag Archives: Rob Heard MBE

Older Drivers Forum Chair receives his MBE

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Yesterday our chair Rob Heard attended Windsor Castle for the investiture of his MBE, which was awarded by Prince William. Rob said ” It was a very humbling occasion and made all the more special by having three truly inspiring and supportive ladies with me. Firstly my wife Britt, who has been a real tower of strength and support over many many years. Patricia Colquhoun who started me on my journey to help and support mature / older motorists to carry on driving safely for longer, whilst recognising when is the right time to retire from driving. Pat lost her son, Neil, in a crash in 2011 when an 89 year old drove down the wrong side of a dual carriageway for over a mile before hitting Neils car head on, causing his untimely death. The elderly driver was blind in one eye and below the legal eyesight limit in the other and should never have been on the road. I was the Senior Investigating Officer for this case and this spurred me to take action and reminds me why we must never stop making sure we and others are safe on the road. After all, a car is a lethal weapon if we are not fully in control of the vehicle, as well as physically and mentally fit to drive.
Margaret Filley also joined us, she has been a great support on my work in this field, and actually allowed us to film her journey to retiring from driving due to Macular Degeneration diagnosis. Her positive attitude is an inspiration to us all and shows that retiring from driving is not the end of the world, but can be successful and upbuilding. My MBE is truly a team effort and I am grateful to all those who have supported me and colleagues in this important field of Road Safety over many years”

Call for drivers to have eyesight tests after fatal collisions

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This week our chair has attended as an expert witness the inquest in Preston Lancashire of 4 people in 3 separate collisions caused by drivers with defective vision below the legal ‘Standards for Vision’ for driving.

The legal ’Standards of Vision’ for driving are:

  • An individual must be able to read a car number plate from 20m
  • An individual must also meet the minimum eyesight standard for driving by having a visual acuity of at least decimal 0.5 (6/12) measured on the Snellen scale
  • An individual must also have an adequate field of vision

Details of these cases can be found https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czrv1g2yl0xo

In the summing up of the case HM Senior Coroner, Dr James Adeley, said the enforcement of visual standards of motorists were “Ineffective and unsafe”. He has subsequently sent a prevent future deaths report to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexandrer asking for action to be taken. Dr Adeley said he labelled the licensing system as the “laxest in Europe” as he pointed out the UK was one of only three countries to rely upon self-reporting of visual conditions affecting the ability to drive.

Dr Adeley said it was also concerning that the UK was the only European country to issue licences without any visual checks for a continuous period up to the age of 70.

The Older Drivers Forum is supporting recommendations for compulsory eyesight testing with an Optician when we renew our licences at the age of 70 and every renewal thereafter. Ideally we would like to see such testing when we apply for our first licence from 17 years, and then every 10 years along with renewal of our photo card driving licence.

The only legal time we have our sight checked is when we undertake our driving test and the examiner asks if you to read a number plate at 20m affixed to a vehicle. After this it is a self-certification that you can read a number plate at 20m at all subsequent licence renewals.

However, if the Police stop you and suspect you have defective vision, they can ask you undertake a 20m number plate check in good daylight conditions. If you fail this you may have your licence revoked within minutes by the DVLA, pending you proving you can now meet the ‘Standards of Vision’ for driving with a full sight test with an optometrist.

The current 20m number plate is no longer fit for purpose in informing if a driver has suitable vision for driving. Research from Dr Carol Hawley shows that this alone is a poor method of checking visual acuity and more extensive test is needed to look at a driver’s visual acuity, peripheral vision and contrast sensitivity.

The Forum recommend that all drivers have an optician’s eyesight test at least every 2 years. Nearly 90% of driving is visual and we need good vision to see hazards and react to them.

The tragic circumstances highlighted in this inquest clearly show that self-certification does not work, and a more robust system is created to ensure all drivers have suitable vision for driving and that the DVLA are informed when this is not the case. We MOT our cars every year, we need an MOT on ourselves to make sure we can see safely to drive.

Our Chair, Rob Heard MBE, appeared on BBC Breakfast today (Friday 18th April 2025) to explain the current situation and discuss what needs to be done. To view this click on this link https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002b0m9/breakfast-18042025 the conversation starts at 8.15am

Following this appearance today John 81 from West Sussex contacted us and explains what we should all do to remain safe on the road. John, a fine example, said “I was dismayed to hear about those people who lost their lives owing to drivers who had defective sight. Now, my driving licence came up for renewal at the end of April this year on my 82nd birthday.
I drive regularly, I enjoy driving and think I am quite a good driver – don’t we all?
I have worn glasses for distance vision for a good many years – and always were them when driving. I am aware my eyesight is not as good as it was and I don’t like driving at night on unlit roads and try to avoid doing this especially in winter.

I received a paper renewal form from the DVLA and if I recall correctly, it said when did you last have your eyes tested. Actually, it was at least 6 – 8 years ago, so I had my eyes tested a couple of weeks ago as I thought my new licence wouldn’t be granted as I hadn’t been tested for such a long time and I’m now 82. My eye test showed my eyesight is still quite good and I have a new prescription for glasses.
I filled in the DVLA online renewal form, and I think it just said ‘is your eyesight up to the required standard,’ or something like that. I replied yes – but how were they able to know if this was the case?

Certainly, at my age I would expect to have to prove my eyesight was good enough to drive in order to renew my licence. So, I am fully in favour of a more stringent stance by the DVLA regarding ‘eyesight testing/ability’ before issuing licences – old or younger”

 

Older Drivers Forum chair receives MBE in New Year Honours

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Rob HeardWe are pleased to announce that our chair, Rob Heard was awarded an MBE for Road Safety and particularly for his Older Drivers work in the 2025 New Years Honours List.

Following the release of the list Rob said: ‘I feel humbled to be given this MBE and I wish to dedicate it to all the families and persons who have lost their lives due to Road Traffic Collisions. Every day nearly 5 people lose their lives on UK Roads, and many are avoidable’. 

‘In my 30 years’ service as a Police Officer I dealt with and attended over 100 fatalities and I truly saw the devastation it caused to all involved. The last 5 years of my Police Service I was the Road Safety Sergeant for Hampshire and Thames Valley Police. I saw how raising awareness can help save lives and the smallest action can make a massive difference. Life is a gift, and we need to value ours as well as the lives of others. Acting safely on the roads is one way we can show this’. 

Rob BBC Radio Solent

Shortly after the list was announced Rob appeared on BBC Radio Solent and the interview can be heard by clicking here

Rob continues: ‘Since retirement from the Police, I now work as a Road Safety Consultant specialising in Mature and Older Drivers. Following several fatal and serious collisions involving older drivers, I saw more needed to be done to be done to support this vulnerable road group’.

‘We have an ageing population, and the number of older drivers (70 and above) is increasing by 250,000 every year. We all age differently, we have drivers in their 40’s who are no longer fit to drive and drivers in their late 90’s and early hundreds who are perfectly fit to drive’.

‘Whilst mature and older drivers have a wealth of experience, confidence and tolerance, sight, hearing, reaction time and judgement of speed and distance may not be as sharp as they once were’.  

‘A car is a lethal weapon, and we all have a responsibility to make sure we are fit and healthy to drive and know when the right time is to retire from driving. By not being complacent and undertaking a few basic checks and reviews on our driving we all will be able to carry on driving safely for longer’.

‘As a result, I wrote a research paper on what we can do to support and protect ageing drivers and identified a three-pronged approach to support driving into later age’. 

‘The first prong was about raising awareness and in 2013, I set up and still chair the Older Drivers Forum. The Older Drivers Forum is a not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers to support mature and older motorists on how to continue driving safely for longer. We have a national website giving advice www.olderdriversforum.com. The website not only gives advice and support to mature and older drivers, but also family and friends.’

 ‘The second prong is about encouraging drivers to undertake mature driver assessments and undertake regular eyesight testing with an optician or optometrist. I am currently chairing a committee trialling a voluntary standardised mature confidence building assessment in five areas across the country. For those who have a medical condition that may affect their ability to drive, we signpost them to a local Driving Mobility centre for an assessment with specially qualified driving instructors and occupational therapists.’

 ‘Just recently I ran with Eye Health UK a Vision and Driving Campaign supporting the National Roads Policing Operations, Intelligence and Investigations (NRPOII) campaign called ‘Dark Night’. The campaign encouraged all Police Forces over a two-week period to undertake roadside eyesight testing at every opportunity. The results were surprising, and a report can be found here: www.VisionAndDriving.info’

 ‘The third prong was when people do become complacent. They may do nothing to ensure that they are safe behind the wheel and can come to the Police’s attention by a careless driving offence. As a result, along with Driving Mobility, I set up the Police Fitness to Drive Assessment as an alternative to prosecution for careless driving. The assessment will identify if a driver is safe, unsafe or needs some lessons to bring them back to safe driving. This scheme we started in 2013 and now have 18 Police Forces running the scheme and many more about to start. The results from the assessments have really made a difference and I am confident has saved many lives.’

 ‘I will continue to be passionate about Road Safety and hope this brings some comfort to those involved in collisions and that by working with people we can make a difference and save more lives.’

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary Chief Constable Scott Chilton said: “This is a well deserved honour for Rob. His passion for road safety was a real asset to us as a force throughout his policing career and this continued after he retired in 2019. He is rightly being recognised for his efforts in keeping our roads safe and supporting older drivers. Congratulations!”

Edward Trewhella, CEO of Driving Mobility, adds: “This official recognition of Rob’s trailblazing attitude to road safety is to be commended. His level of commitment to reducing risk on the roads always reflects our own values and ethos. Rob has, and will always be, a valued partner in our proposition. Well done Rob Heard MBE!”