These drivers will no longer be able to self-report any eye issues
Those who fail the test will be banned from the roads under Government plans (Image: Getty)
Older drivers will no longer be able to report any eye problems themselves and will be required to undergo tests every three years. The mandatory eye tests apply to those over 70, and those who fail will be banned from the roads under Government plans.
While over-70s could previously self-report any eye issues to the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), they will now have to take the tests every three years if new rules are given the go-ahead. Ministers are also considering reducing the drink driving limit to match Scotland’s level and requiring all passengers, rather than just drivers, to wear seat belts.
The plans come amid the rising deaths on Britain’s roads (Image: Getty)
The plans, which were published today, amount to the biggest shake-up of road safety laws in 20 years. The last significant changes to road safety laws were the Road Safety Act, passed under Sir Tony Blair in 2006, which made causing death by careless driving an offence.
The plans come amid the rising deaths on Britain’s roads, with serious road incidents rising by almost 20% since 2010 and the number of drivers over 60 involved in collisions leading to death or serious injury rising by 47% since 2010.
Figures revealed that while nearly 28,000 were injured in road traffic accidents in 2024, accidents also led to a total of 1,633 deaths.
Local transport minister, Lilian Greenwood, said: “We know driving can be very important for older people’s wellbeing and help them to live independently, but we must also make sure everyone is safe on our roads.
“As the country’s older population grows, our plans in the first Road Safety Strategy in more than a decade, will preserve personal freedoms where possible with action to save lives.”
Ministers felt they had a “responsibility” to take road incidents seriously and work at bringing the numbers down, a government source told The Times.
They said: “It cannot be right that one person is killed or seriously injured on our roads every 18 minutes. Just think of the impact on those people and their families. We cannot sit by and simply do nothing.”
Edmund King, president of AA, told the newspaper that such a strategy was “long overdue”, adding that it is “in everyone’s interests to tackle road safety and bring the levels of death and serious injuries down significantly.”
Mr King said that other countries, like Australia and Canada, have seen improvements with the introduction of their new measures to help young drivers, reducing “death and serious injury from between 20% and up to 40%.”
