Cassie McCord was hit by Colin Horsfall as she stood on the pavement, three days after he failed an eye test but refused to surrender his licence.
Her mother Jackie has campaigned for the past two years for a law to instantly bar unfit drivers.
The Department of Transport (DfT) has now announced it is working to 'accelerate' the process to enable officials to seize licences more quickly.
Currently, it can take days to revoke the licence of someone who has been deemed a danger by police.
But now the DVLA will inform people they can no longer legally drive within hours of being tipped off by police officers.
Although not a change in legislation, the procedural improvement has been dubbed Cassie's Law and has been hailed by police as a potential life-saver.
Mrs McCord, from Colchester, Essex, said: 'I am confident this is a really good solution.
'The fact the Department for Transport has listened to someone like me who has no power is amazing.
'Next week it will be two years since Cassie died. The timing could not be better.'
Cassie, who wanted to become a lawyer, was on her way to college when she was killed.
Police were in the process of trying to get Mr Horsfall's licence revoked when Cassie died.
Three days before he had driven into the exit of a petrol station in Colchester and then failed a police eye test.
He walked with a stick and used a zimmer frame but despite being urged to surrender his licence, he refused.
Police were applying to the DVLA for his licence to be revoked but the process took days.
Mrs McCord had campaigned for a change in the law but the DfT said it instead has strengthened procedures to enable medically unfit drivers to be stopped quicker.
Under the previous system it would take the police up to four working days to notify the DVLA via post or fax.
The new plans will enable police to tell the DVLA about eye test failures more quickly through a new electronic system.
Drivers will be told they are not allowed to drive within a matter of hours of failing the test.
Those who drive after their licence has been revoked could be fined up to £5,000 or sentenced to up to six months in prison.
Scroll down for video
Police will be given powers to seize the licence
of medically unfit drivers after campaigning by Cassie's mother Jackie,
pictured with her daughter's boyfriend Daniel Gordon, left, and her
husband John Rason, right. She collected 45,000 signatures
Cassie's mother Jackie, pictured together right,
said her daughter 'had a very strong sense of right and wrong' and had
wanted to become a lawyer. She was on her way to college when she was
hit
She said: 'This new process will reduce the risk of motorists whose eyesight has been identified by the police as not of the required standard for driving continuing to do so.'
The department said licences will not be revoked immediately but communication between the police and the DVLA will improve and allow licences to be seized within a matter of hours.
It will then be up to the DVLA to decide whether the licence should be returned or revoked.
Mrs McCord presented her petition to Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond in October.
The MP said yesterday: 'We have every sympathy with Mrs McCord and would like to thank her for her valuable work in raising awareness of this issue.
'The DVLA and the police have worked closely to greatly streamline the process for revoking a licence when the police identify that a driver's eyesight is inadequate.
'The decision whether to revoke a driving licence on medical grounds remains with the DVLA, though the process for informing drivers that their licence has been revoked has now been accelerated.'
Alan Jones, the Police Federation's roads policing lead for England and Wales, welcomed the decision.
He said: 'It seems absolute nonsense a police officer who knows someone has defective eyesight has not be able to do anything.
'We believe what the Department for Transport has suggested is something which would work.
'I know Cassie's Law asked for the police officer to have the authority to suspend a licence.
'In this suggestion, the officer acts as a conduit and we are happy with that.'
Mr Horsfall hit the accelerator of his red Astra
instead of the brake. Police released CCTV images of his car moments
before the impact further up the road
The Astra, right, mounted the pavement before hitting and killing Cassie. Colin Horsfall died three months later
Mrs McCord, who also has a son Sam, 20, and is divorced from her children's father Graham, said: 'People are incredible. We could not have done this without all the people who have supported us and I do not have the words to express my gratitude to them.'
Mr Horsfall had pressed the accelerator on his automatic Astra instead of the brake when he hit Cassie.
Mrs McCord said: 'Colin Horsfall was just a very selfish man. I just feel that he knew he was unfit to drive but that didn't stop him.
'The police don't have the power to temporarily withhold a driver's licence. Had they had the power to do that, Cassie wouldn't be dead. And there are other tragedies like hers.'
Mr Horsfall was interviewed by police after the accident, at Colchester General Hospital, and was told Cassie had died.
He died three months later of his injuries and pneumonia.
Three days before Colin Horsfall crashed into
Cassie he failed an eyesight test after a separate crash but refused to
surrender his licence
Dozens of tributes were left at the scene of
Cassie's death and Mrs McCord paid tribute to the thousands of people
who helped her campaign for the change in the law
No comments:
Post a Comment