Kathleen Fancourt

I , Penelope Schofield, Senior Coroner, for the coroner area of West Sussex.

On 22 September 2021 I commenced an investigation into the death of Kathleen Grace FANCOURT aged 89. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 01 March 2023. The conclusion of the inquest was that Mrs Fancourt died an Accidental Death.

On Thursday 16th September 2021 on Broyle Road in Chichester, West Sussex, Kathleen Fancourt was on her mobility scooter waiting at a pedestrian crossing. The crossing light was green for pedestrians and red for traffic. As Mrs Fancourt commernced to cross the road she was hit by a Peugeot car driving over the crossing. The driver of the car was 95 years old and has since this incident pleaded guilty to an offence of dangerous driving.

During the course of the investigation my inquiries revealed matters giving rise to concern. In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken. In the circumstances it is my statutory duty to report to you. The MATTERS OF CONCERN are as follows: (brief summary of matters of concern)   This accident was caused by a driver who was 95 years old. At present there is no upper legal limit for drivers. Whilst drivers over 70 are required to apply for a new licence every 3 years there is no requirement for there to be any form of medical check to confirm their fitness to drive. It is left to a self declaration of any medical condition by the driver. There is a concern that if no checks are carried out a driver may be oblivous to their enduring medical condition and this may pose a serious risk to other road users. In 2020 (the last figures publicly available) there were 174 fatal accidents cause by drivers over the age of 70 years old. The Government ’ s own statistics confirm that “ driver illness or disability (mental or physical) ” was the 4th most common contributory factor to these deaths.

In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe you (and/or your organisation) have the power to take such action.