Retired academic, 90, died from injuries sustained in a car crash where she mixed up the foot pedals.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The former university education lecturer and author Dorothy Nias was on a dual carriageway when she accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake and careened over a roundabout before hitting a lamppost.

She confused her brake and accelerator pedals and, in an attempt to prevent hitting the vehicles in front of her in lane one, she moved to lane two.

The pensioner never recovered fully from multiple injuries she sustained and died from complications five months later, aged 90.

During an inquest, it emerged relatives had urged fiercely ‘independent’ Cheltenham Ladies’ College and Oxford University-educated Miss Nias to stop driving following a series of ‘minor incidents’ in the run-up to the accident.

OFFICIAL CAUSE OF DEATH

Coroner Emma Hillson recorded the cause of death as an accident but has sent a prevention of future deaths report to Transport Secretary Louise Haigh and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency chief executive Julie Lennard.

Noting the total lack of oversight when drivers aged over 70 renew their licence every three years, she said: ‘In my opinion, action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe your organisations have the power to take such action.’

Miss Nias was travelling downhill towards the roundabout on the A39 near Truro in Cornwall on June 14 last year when her automatic Honda Jazz sped up and veered across the road.

It hit the lamppost and spun around before coming to rest in the opposite direction to which she had been travelling.