Eyesight rules have been branded “ineffective and unsafe” by a coroner looking into a series of fatal collisions. HM Senior Coroner for Lancashire Dr James Adeley said the current system was “unfit to meet the needs of society”. 

He later called the UK system one of the “laxest in Europe" with motorists only required to self-certify their vision wiith the DVLA to use the roads. It comes after an inquest into the deaths of four individuals who were killed after being struck by a vehicle. The drivers who hit Marie Cunningham, 79, Grace Foulds, 85, Peter Westwell, 80, and Anne Ferguson, 75, were all struggling with vision problems at the time of the three separate accidents. 

Coming to a conclusion, Dr Adeley stressed: “The four fatalities shared the same feature that the driver's sight was well below the standard required to drive a car.

"The current system for 'ensuring' drivers meet the visual legal standards is ineffective, unsafe and unfit to meet the needs of society as evidenced by the deaths of Marie Cunningham, Grace Foulds, Anne Ferguson and Peter Westwell where the DVLA continued to provide licences to drivers who had failed to meet the legal sight requirements."

The UK is one of just three countries which rely upon self-reporting to determine whether road users are safe to get behind the wheel. 

Motorists are told to declare any medical conditions and have to renew their licence every three years after they reach 70. 

Elderly drivers may be most affected with studies showing that vision gradually deteriorates later in life.

However, road users do not have to undertake a mandatory eye test to keep hold of their photocard.

Terry Wilcox, of Hudgell Solicitors, representing the families of Mrs Cunningham, Mrs Foulds and Mr Westwell, stressed there was “nothing in place” to stop motorists from driving regardless.

He said: "People ignore what they are told when it doesn't suit their lifestyle, and in reality there is nothing in place to stop selfish people putting others at risk by getting back behind the wheel.

"We presently have a system under which the DVLA relies upon drivers to self-report, hand over their licence and stop driving when they've been told by a qualified healthcare professional that their eyesight is not to the required standard.

"This inquest has shown that simply doesn't happen."