THE family of a woman killed by a driver with failing eyesight have welcomed new figures which show hundreds of motorists had their licence revoked after failing roadside tests.

Bride-to-be Natalie Wade, 28, of Rochford, died on Valentine’s Day in 2006, while shopping for her wedding dress, after she was hit by a driver with poor vision in Ashingdon Road.

Since then, new legislation has passed which allows police to request an urgent revocation of a driver’s licence through the DVLA if they believe other road users would be at risk.

The new powers were introduced after the death of Cassie McCord, who died in 2013 from serious head injuries when 87- year-old Colin Horsfall lost control of his vehicle in Colchester.

Since its introduction, 609 drivers nationwide, from 631 police applications, have had their licences revoked owing to failing eyesight.

The system sees three levels of revocation – immediate, within 48 hours and postal.

If a banned driver continues to drive, it is classified as a criminal offence which can lead to their arrest and vehicle being seized.

Natalie’s family, along with Castle Point MP, Rebecca Harris, have campaigned for the DVLA to take drivers with eyesight or health problems off the roads.

Natalie’s aunt, the Rev Brenda Gutberlet, from Canvey, said: “We are both pleased and saddened by these statistics.

“Those drivers represented a risk to themselves and other road users, and it’s satisfying to know that’s no longer the case.

“However, the law has been slow in changing and there are still drivers who are medically unfit for a variety of reasons.

“We think the the DVLA must become more proactive and introduce mandatory eye testing and other health checks every five to ten years as is the practice in many countries.”

Natalie’s family also want the DVLA’s “honesty declaration”, which allows drivers over 70 years of age to self-certify their fitness to drive, to be abolished.

Brenda added: “We will keep campaigning, just as we have since Natalie was killed, it’s not the end.”

Cassie’s mother, Jackie McCord, campaigned for a change in the law and this led to the introduction of new powers – popularly known as Cassie’s Law – which allowed the DVLA to revoke licences more quickly.

She said: “I had no idea until now that is was being used so widely and it is very satisfying to know it is making a difference.

“That’s more than 600 people who could still be driving, perhaps without even knowing there was a problem with their sight.

“You can't say that in every case they would have killed somebody, but it is very likely to have prevented fatal accidents and other casualties.”