West Sussex women bid to change driving law after A24 crash

Anne Rance, 55, and Lucy Wyles, 23, were involved in a collision in December, 2021, when a 79-year-old driver with dementia hit them head on while driving on the wrong side of the road.

Now, while still living with the aftermath of the crash, the pair from Storrington are campaigning for changes to the law which would stop others going through what they endured.

Lucy's car following the crash (Image: Lucy Wyles)

Lucy, the girlfriend of Anne's son, was driving the car on the A24 near Dial Post when the accident happened.

She said: “I woke up in hospital on Christmas day and I was in and out of consciousness.

“There was some bone hanging out so I had an emergency operation because I could have lost my right arm.

“Being in hospital was the worst three weeks of my life and our main goal is we don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”

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Anne said: “I was in the passenger seat and there was someone flashing their lights in front of us and then we were hit.

“I thought Lucy had died. That man should never have been on the road.”

Both Anne and Louise suffered life-changing injuries. Anne said she was unable to go back to her job as a cleaner due to her injuries and is frequently in pain.

Lucy in hospital (Image: Lucy Wyles)

Lucy said she has had to stop gym workouts due to her injuries and the crash has seriously affected her mental health.

Both say that living with the trauma has caused them a lot of stress and has put a strain on their families, who cared for them after the crash.

The elderly driver survived the smash but has since died.

In the wake of the accident the pair are campaigning to make it a legal requirement for doctors to tell the DVLA about a patient’s condition if it made it unsafe for them to drive.

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Currently patients are advised to inform the DVLA and insurers of such conditions but there is no obligation to do this or checks to ensure that this has been done.

Under the changes proposed by Anne and Lucy, medical professionals would be obliged to inform the DVLA if a patient was diagnosed with a “notifiable” condition.

The campaign has gained traction and has now won the support of their MP, Andrew Griffith.

Anne and Lucy (Image: Anne Rance)

Mr Griffith, Conservative MP for Arundel and the South Downs, said: “Anne and Lucy have been incredibly brave in sharing their experience and it has been my pleasure to support them as their MP.

“I have written to a minister on their behalf and have requested a meeting with Anne, Lucy and a transport minister. I welcome further discussion on this important subject which has been a life-changing event in Anne’s and Lucy’s lives.”

Lucy has now also launched a petition to urge the government to respond to the campaign and debate the issue in Parliament.