The family of an 11-year-old boy who died after being run over by a speeding pensioner in Orpington is calling for GPs to sign-off driving licence renewals for over 70s.

David Lockyer, 75, had been drinking when he ploughed into schoolboy Josh Osborne as he crossed Court Lane on April 13, 2019.

The football and boxing loving youngster died two days later, while Lockyer was jailed for two years in January.

Josh Osborne

Josh Osborne

Josh’s mother Victoria Battman has now launched a petition, calling for the Government to require GPs sign off on licences for over 70s, so the DVLA can be made aware of any medical conditions an elderly driver has which may affect their ability to drive safely, rather than relying on declarations by the driver alone.

“The elderly man who killed my son Josh, or Joshy as our family called him, shouldn’t have been on the road,” she told The Sun.

"But, at the moment, responsibility for disclosing any problems affecting the ability to drive safely, is only down to the driver.

“People reluctant to give up their car can simply fail to disclose the true state of their health.”

At present, pensioners themselves declare any health problems which make driving inadvisable in their renewal application, without the involvement of a GP.

Evidence presented at his trial showed Lockyer’s licence expired months before the incident.

The jury heard from a collision investigator he was driving at 46mph in a 40mph zone, and began breaking just 0.4 seconds before the fatal collision.

Lockyer also admitted seeing two other children run across the road, describing a “near miss”, but still failed to slow down.

He fled the scene immediately after the crash, then was chased down and confronted by another driver who saw him speed away.

After he initially attempted to drive around the other motorist, Lockyer eventually returned to the scene, where he failed to give a breathalyser test.

Josh’s mother described the difficulty in knowing Lockyer was still on the road in the period between the crash and his conviction.

Victoria said: “The driver was arrested on the night of the accident. But he was then released on bail. He works in the village where we live.

"Our pain was compounded by seeing him continuing to drive every day, and hearing that he’d been in a local pub telling anyone who’d listen that the children were playing chicken in the road, which they weren’t.”

If the petition receives 100,000 signatures it will be debated in Parliament.

You can view it here