Motorists in Great Britain over the age of 70 could face a ban from driving if they fail compulsory eyesight checks, under sweeping proposals to reform road safety laws. The plans, which also include reducing the drink-drive limit in England and Wales and introducing penalty points for failing to wear a seatbelt, are part of a new government road safety strategy due this autumn.
The proposals follow a Lancashire coroner’s warning that the UK has “the laxest” licensing system in Europe after four people were killed by drivers with poor eyesight. In April, HM Senior Coroner Dr James Adeley wrote to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, saying the current reliance on self-reporting visual impairments was “ineffective, unsafe and unfit.” The UK is among only three European countries not to require formal vision checks for licence renewals.
Under the new rules, drivers aged 70 and above would have to pass an eye test every three years when renewing their licence. Ministers are also considering mandatory medical tests for conditions such as dementia. Edmund King, president of the AA, said compulsory eye tests were “a small price to pay” for safety, though he defended older drivers as generally safe on the roads.
The shake-up also proposes cutting the legal drink-driving limit in England and Wales from 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath to 22 micrograms — the same as in Scotland. Police could also be allowed to rely on roadside saliva tests, rather than blood tests, to prosecute drug-driving cases.
Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones described the plans as the biggest reform of driving laws “for decades,” though stressed they remain under consultation. The government has ruled out, for now, introducing graduated licences for young drivers.
Campaigners say the changes could save lives. Rob Heard, founder of the Older Drivers Forum, said he supports eyesight checks “for all ages,” while former optician Kay Hine argued that drivers should be required to hold a “vision fitness to drive” certificate, in line with much of Europe.
Road deaths in the UK total around 1,600 annually, costing the NHS more than £2bn. “In no other circumstance would we accept that many people dying,” a government source said, vowing that the Labour government’s strategy would “protect road users and restore order to our roads.”
