Car insurance news
Bad eyesight results in no more cheap car insurance
A man from Bristol is facing the loss of his right to cheap car insurance, as well as a prison sentence, after causing a pile-up on the M4.
Ahmed Khanog, who only had a provisional licence, hit another car and spun into the central reservation, leaving the car a write-off and one of his passengers with serious head injuries.
The incident happened in January 2005, and police who attended the scene discovered Khanog had not been wearing his glasses at the time of the accident. They conducted an on-the-spot vision test and it was discovered he could not read a number plate at the required distance of 67 feet.
He passed a breath test immediately after the smash but eyewitnesses told police how his driving had been erratic and he had failed to avoid a car that had pulled out to pass a lorry. He was said to have been travelling at excessive speed and apparently made no attempt to steer clear of the overtaking car.
Appearing at Swindon Crown Court, Khanog pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, having no motor insurance and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.
His defence claimed he was speeding because he was late for a wedding in London, but Judge Charles Wade insisted on setting an example and sentenced him to 12 months in jail and banned him from the road for two years.
Rebecca Pearson from Duck2Water Car Insurance Services, the cheap car insurance experts, heard about the case and commented, "There has been lots in the press recently about the dangers of driving without your glasses, and this case just goes to show what can happen if you get behind the wheel without being able to see properly."