Norris has his eye on tougher tests
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by Derren Hayes • Up to 3,000 truck drivers could lose their licences following last week's announcement by Road Safety Minister Steven Norris that UK eyesight standards will be replaced by tougher new EU regulations next summer.
Drivers who are unable to meet the EU Driving Licence standards that come into effect on 1 July 1996 will not be allowed to renew their licences.
All drivers will be required to have a "normal field of vision" in both eyes, and a visual range of 120° for Group 1 and 2 drivers; tougher standards will also be introduced for drivers who are long and short sighted.
Under existing regulations drivers may continue to drive as long as they meet the eyesight standards that were in force when they first gained their licence.
However, these grandfather rights will cease when the new rules come in, although drivers will be able to continue until their current licence expires.
The move to scrap grandfather rights and impose new standards retrospectively has been attacked by the Freight Transport Association, which believes many competent drivers will be forced out of a job.
"Nobody wants sub-standard drivers on the road," it says, "but the EC directive doesn't require retrospective application and it seems overly harsh."
Aylesbury-based dairy operator Ron Miller employs a 56year-old one-eyed driver who could lose his job under the new legislation. "The current legislation is stringent enough," says Miller. "It annoys me that my driver may never find another job even though he has always been a good employee— it seems like another example of the uncommon market."