Charles Wheatley
PFD Report
All Responded
Ref: 2022-0304
All 1 response received
· Deadline: 2 Dec 2022
Coroner's Concerns (AI summary)
The current system illogically allows individuals to purchase and keep a car without possessing a driving license, raising concerns about road safety.
View full coroner's concerns
The other driver killed in the Road Traffic Collison was a 36 year old woman (Amy Weston Purvis) who was driving home to her family. While it may not have prevented Amy’s death, it seems illogical and indeed incomprehensible to me that the system allows a person to buy a car without having a licence to drive it. In this case there was no evidence that Mr Wheatley had ever held a driving licence. I recognise that currently, the DVLA are responsible for the statutory instrument 1999/2864 which covers matters around driving entitlements and that vehicle ownership/registered keepers are catered for under an Act of Parliament (the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994) and therefore significant change in the law would be needed. However, I suspect that the public would find it difficult to understand how someone can buy and keep a car without having a licence to drive the vehicle.
Responses
Noted
The Department for Transport explains that there is no legal requirement to hold a driving licence to register a vehicle, or to become the keeper of an already registered vehicle, and outlines circumstances where this might occur. (AI summary)
The Department for Transport explains that there is no legal requirement to hold a driving licence to register a vehicle, or to become the keeper of an already registered vehicle, and outlines circumstances where this might occur. (AI summary)
View full response
Dear Mr Hamilton,
Thank you for your correspondence, about your investigation into the death of Mr Charles William Wheatley. Please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in my reply.
I was sorry to read of the circumstances which prompted this correspondence, and I would like to extend my condolences to the families involved.
Anyone driving a vehicle should always hold the appropriate driving licence for the vehicle they are driving and comply with the rules of the road. In this instance, the individual was breaking numerous existing laws by driving whilst over the legal alcohol limit, without wearing a seatbelt, without a valid driving licence and avoiding the checks which are already in place to assess a person’s fitness to drive. The law requires that drivers with epilepsy who wish to drive cars or motorcycles must be seizure free for one year, before an application for a driving licence can be considered.
I note that following the inquest, you have asked why an individual is able to purchase a vehicle when they do not hold a driving licence. It may help to explain that the purpose of the vehicle register held by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), is to record details of vehicles and their registered keepers. While the DVLA requests proof of the applicant’s name and address when a vehicle is first registered, and for the driving licence number of a new keeper at subsequent keeper changes, there is no requirement in law to hold a driving licence to register a vehicle, or to become the keeper of an already registered vehicle. From the Secretary of State Great Minster House 33 Horseferry Road London SW1P 4DR
Tel: E-Mail:
Web site: www.gov.uk/dft
Our Ref:
It is already a criminal offence to drive a vehicle without a licence whether you are the keeper or not, but there is no legal requirement to hold a licence in order to be the registered keeper. There are many circumstances where the buyer and keeper of a vehicle may not hold a driving licence. For example, a person may buy a vehicle for another individual such as a carer with no intention of driving the vehicle themselves, and in circumstances where vehicles are bought by and registered to companies and fleets as the keepers.
I hope this is helpful and I am grateful to you for bringing this matter to my attention.
Thank you for your correspondence, about your investigation into the death of Mr Charles William Wheatley. Please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in my reply.
I was sorry to read of the circumstances which prompted this correspondence, and I would like to extend my condolences to the families involved.
Anyone driving a vehicle should always hold the appropriate driving licence for the vehicle they are driving and comply with the rules of the road. In this instance, the individual was breaking numerous existing laws by driving whilst over the legal alcohol limit, without wearing a seatbelt, without a valid driving licence and avoiding the checks which are already in place to assess a person’s fitness to drive. The law requires that drivers with epilepsy who wish to drive cars or motorcycles must be seizure free for one year, before an application for a driving licence can be considered.
I note that following the inquest, you have asked why an individual is able to purchase a vehicle when they do not hold a driving licence. It may help to explain that the purpose of the vehicle register held by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), is to record details of vehicles and their registered keepers. While the DVLA requests proof of the applicant’s name and address when a vehicle is first registered, and for the driving licence number of a new keeper at subsequent keeper changes, there is no requirement in law to hold a driving licence to register a vehicle, or to become the keeper of an already registered vehicle. From the Secretary of State Great Minster House 33 Horseferry Road London SW1P 4DR
Tel: E-Mail:
Web site: www.gov.uk/dft
Our Ref:
It is already a criminal offence to drive a vehicle without a licence whether you are the keeper or not, but there is no legal requirement to hold a licence in order to be the registered keeper. There are many circumstances where the buyer and keeper of a vehicle may not hold a driving licence. For example, a person may buy a vehicle for another individual such as a carer with no intention of driving the vehicle themselves, and in circumstances where vehicles are bought by and registered to companies and fleets as the keepers.
I hope this is helpful and I am grateful to you for bringing this matter to my attention.
Sent To
- Department for Transport
Response Status
Linked responses
1 of 1
56-Day Deadline
2 Dec 2022
All responses received
About PFD responses
Organisations named in PFD reports must respond within 56 days explaining what actions they are taking.
Source: Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
Report Sections
Investigation and Inquest
On 24 December 2021 I commenced an investigation into the death of Charles William WHEATLEY aged 58. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 25 July 2022. The conclusion of the inquest was that: Charles William Wheatley was a 58 year old man who died at the scene following a head-on collision with another car (his car crossed the double white lines while apparently turning into a farm entrance) on the A66 at Rokeby at approximately 22:00hrs on the 14th December 2021. The driver of the other car (Amy Purvis) died later in hospital. He did not have a valid driving licence and there was no evidence that he had ever held a driving licence. He had epilepsy and should not have been driving and indeed had told his GP that he was not driving. Toxicology showed that he was not taking his anti-epileptic medication regularly. Post mortem showed that he died from abdominal (liver laceration) and pelvic injuries. He was not wearing a seat belt. His blood alcohol level was 203 mg/100mls.
Circumstances of the Death
Mr Wheatley was involved in a road traffic collision on the 14th December 2021 on the A66, Rokeby Grange, Barnard Castle.
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Data sourced from Courts and Tribunals Judiciary under the Open Government Licence.