A dangerous OAP driver left my husband in a 3 week coma, they should have to retake their tests

Christopher Easdown, 57, was left in a coma for three weeks after a 73-year-old woman smashed in to him as he cycled along a pavement in August 2022. The dad-of-two was left with life-changing head injuries and had to have a shunt inserted as fluid was accumulating in his brain.

Wife Chantelle, 37, says she feels "like a widow" as her husband has been unable to return home since, despite months of rehab and around-the-clock care. The former van mechanic also had to learn how to walk, talk, and eat all over again but has never fully recovered.

Driver Jessica Joseph was aged 73 at the time of the crash and pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by careless or inconsiderate driving. Last month, at Liverpool Crown Court, the pensioner was given a seven month prison sentence, suspended for a year.

Joseph, now 76, from Birkenhead, Merseyside, was also banned from driving for a year and told to complete five rehabilitation activity days. Chantelle said the duration of the ban was ‘absolutely dreadful’ and ‘disgraceful’ and is calling for mandatory re-tests for drivers aged over 70-years-old.

It comes as it was revealed this week government ministers are considering mandatory visual tests for those aged over 70 to keep their licences. Chantelle, of The Wirral, said: "To be honest, I didn’t want her to go to prison because she was an elderly lady, it would be like sending my nan to prison.

“I did expect a large ban though. She could get back in her car and go back out on the road and do it all over again. I want to see people maybe do some sort of assessment – not a piece of paper, but some sort of driving assessment.

“Their reactions aren’t the same as when they passed their test, their reactions won’t be the same. They should be able to do an emergency brake, for instance – something this lady didn’t do.

“If I can prevent one family going through what we’re going through, I would be happy with that. I would feel like I’ve got some sort of justice for Chris, because I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy. It’s an awful thing to go through."

The pensioner had failed to turn properly at a right hand bend on Meols Drive, in Hoylake, Merseyside, when the smash occurred. Chantelle said: “She actually went on the pavement. She threw Chris in the air ten metres.

“He hit the window-screen, he was thrown in the air ten metres I was told, and then he came down and hit the wall, so he broke part of his back.”

Chantelle says her husband has not been the same man since suffering the life-changing injuries and she has given up her job at Age UK due to the ordeal. She says he has also exhibited erratic and even aggressive behaviour, which he never did before.

She added: “He doesn’t know where he is, or what’s going on. I think he knows his surroundings, but if a doctor goes to touch him, he doesn’t like being touched – he freaks out. We have to have his one-to-one carer with him at all times, because his behaviour can be a bit up and down, quite erratic.

"His mobility’s not so good either. He’s been physically aggressive over the past couple of years – something of which he’s never done before. He never laid a hand on me in 20 years. He wasn’t that sort of person.

“To be honest, the shouting – we’ve never heard him shout like this either. This is quite new for us. This isn’t a life, what Chris has got. He’s got 24-hour care, he’s got someone with him all the time.

“He needs help with literally everything, right down to personal care, mobility and walking. He forgets he’s eaten, so he will want to eat continuously, he doesn’t even remember he’s a type 2 diabetic.”

Currently, those who reach the age of 70 have to renew their driving licence every three years and only have to make a declaration that they are fit to drive. Licensing authorities rely on drivers to self-report any visual conditions.

An inquest was held in Preston, Lancs., in April this year after four people were killed by three different drivers, aged between 67 and 81, all of whom had been diagnosed with visual conditions they had not reported to the Driver and Vehicle Licesning Agency.

Coroner Dr James Adeley, who said the UK's system was one of the 'laxest in Europe', sent a report to transport secretary Heidi Alexander calling for action to prevent future deaths. In some countries, such as Finland, a medical examination is required to renew a driving licence after a certain age.

Chantelle added: “I don’t think signing a piece of paper – let’s be honest, a lot of people are going to write on that piece of paper that they’re OK, because they believe they are OK. Doing some sort of retest or refresher, someone being able to say to them ‘yes, you are OK to drive’, or ‘actually, your driving’s not that good, it wouldn’t meet the standards’, having someone say to them.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Careless driving such as this is completely unacceptable and puts lives at risk.

“Drivers aged 70 and over must renew their driving licences every three years, which includes making legal declarations they can meet required eyesight standards and if they have any relevant medical conditions, while doctors and police can also notify the DVLA about any suspected health conditions that may impact a person’s ability to drive.”

Chantelle has started a petition calling for mandatory re-tests, which has received over 400 signatures. Those wishing to support can visit: www.change.org/p/mandatory-over-70-retake-their-driving-test