Drivers over 70 to face eye tests every three years

Drivers over the age of 70 will have to have their vision checked every three years, under plans to reform driving laws in Britain.

The changes are part of the government’s new road safety strategy, which will be published on Wednesday.

Other proposed measures, which were first reported in August, include lowering the drink-driving limit in England to match the limit in Scotland, and giving penalty points for not wearing seatbelts.

Nearly one in four car drivers killed in 2024 were aged 70 or older, according to government figures.

Drivers in the UK must be able to read a number plate from 20 metres away, according to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

But currently, drivers of any age are not required to prove their skills or health once they obtain their licence.

Drivers must tell the DVLA if they become unfit to drive, but this is a self-reporting system.

Edmund King, president of the AA motoring organisation, said: “Eye tests are free for people over the age of 60 anyway and healthcare professionals advise them every two years given they can help with diagnosis of other underlying conditions.

“In fact, the AA advises everyone to have an eye test every two years.”

Moira Hutchings, 71, from Farnborough said eye tests for older drivers were “definitely a good idea”.

“I have annual eyesight tests as I have always had problems,” she said.

Hutchings wears glasses but was recently told that she could legally drive without a corrective lens for her left eye.

“I wouldn’t dream of doing so,” she said. “How anyone cannot, at my age, be checked out is beyond me.”

Robert Owens, also 71, from Wrexham, thinks the government should go further and require drivers of all ages to take regular health checks. “This issue does not purely affect the over-70s,” he said.

Owens described cars as “lethal weapons” and said he gets an eye test once a year.

“My first question [for the optician] is am I optically fit to drive, and thankfully I have been to date.

“If they said no I would no longer drive.”

NHS eye tests are free for over-60s across the UK. Some other groups are also eligible for NHS-funded eye tests in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The NHS in Scotland provides free eye tests for all age groups.

Dr Peter Hampson, clinical and policy director at the Association of Optometrists, said: “Sight often deteriorates gradually, meaning drivers may not realise their vision no longer meets legal standards.

“Even small changes can cause drivers to react slower and increase the risk of serious collisions.

“This simple change to the law would bring the UK into line with much of Europe.”

Lilian Greenwood, local transport minister, said: “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.”

But Prof Andrew Steptoe, director of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, said measures needed to be put in place to protect older people who have surrendered their licences.

“If more older people are unable to drive, efforts need to be made to offset any reductions in social contact and to maintain active engagement with friends, family and the community.”

Age UK said it supported the change, but said eye tests alone would not lead to a significant reduction in car crashes.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said that most older drivers “take very seriously their responsibility to be safe on the road”.

Last year, an inquest into the deaths of four people killed by drivers with failing vision said enforcement of eyesight standards on the roads was “ineffective and unsafe”.

HM Senior Coroner for Lancashire Dr James Adeley pointed out that the UK was one of only three countries to rely on self-reporting of visual conditions affecting the ability to drive.

In the report, which was handed to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, he said: “Self-reporting of visual conditions permits drivers to lie about their current driving status to those performing an ophthalmic assessment and avoid warnings not to drive.

“Drivers may also admit they drive but then ignore instructions not to drive and fail to notify the DVLA.”

Rebecca Guy, senior policy manager at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: “Regular vision checks are a sensible way to reduce risk as we age, but the priority must be a system that supports people to drive safely for as long as possible, while ensuring timely action is taken when health or eyesight could put them or others in danger.”

Additional reporting by James Kelly