Convicted driver fails number plate test ‘weeks after eye exam’

A man convicted of causing death by careless driving was given a suspended three-month jail term after driving into the path of a motorcyclist just a few weeks after having his eyes tested.

BBC News reported last week that driver William Searle, 74, told Exeter Crown Court he ‘did not see’ Jerry Daniell’s motorcycle as he drove off a garage forecourt in Newton Abbot, Devon last September.

He reportedly told the court this was two weeks after having an eye examination at Specsavers, but he failed the number plate test wearing his glasses on the day of the tragedy. An ophthalmologist told the court that Searle’s diabetes may have resulted in the development of blind spots, the report added, and Searle was banned from driving for 18 months.