Elderly drivers over the age of 70 have to have their sight checked every three years by law under new plans

Older drivers will be required to have eye tests as part of a series of road safety reforms.

Drivers aged 70 and over will no longer be able to self-report vision problems to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) after coroners warned the system could be abused.

These crackdowns could also result in drivers receiving demerit points if passengers are caught not wearing seatbelts, and alcohol limits could be further tightened.

The reforms are the most far-reaching since the Road Safety Act was passed under Tony Blair’s government in 2006.

Approximately 1,633 people died and more than 27,000 were seriously injured in traffic accidents in 2024; This means that one person dies every 18 minutes.

Almost a quarter (24 per cent) of drivers killed on Britain’s roads were aged 70 or over; This led to the most dramatic policy proposals in a series of reforms.

Twelve reports on preventing future deaths since 2019 have raised significant concerns about the current self-reporting system.

Only two European countries use this method to detect drivers with visual impairment.

Meanwhile, the drink-driving limit could be reduced from 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath to 22 micrograms; This means even one liter can be risky for some drivers, given that people process alcohol at different rates.

Nearly a quarter of car passenger deaths are caused by not wearing a seatbelt, but currently only licensed passengers can receive penalty points.

The government hopes these reforms can help it meet its target of reducing deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by 65 per cent by 2035.

It comes after a leading coroner told Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander (pictured) last summer that the UK’s licensing rules were the ‘latest’ in Europe.

Edmund King, Chairman of the Automobile Association (AA), said: ‘The move to make eye tests compulsory for older drivers is clearly welcome, particularly as the likelihood of a crash increases when someone is over 70 and peaks significantly at age 86 over 80, and vision is often a factor of concern.

‘Eye tests are already free for people over 60, and healthcare professionals recommend these exams every two years provided they can help diagnose other underlying conditions.’

It comes after a leading coroner wrote to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander in the summer to say the UK’s licensing rules were the ‘latest’ in Europe.

Lancashire’s senior coroner, Dr. James Adeley has published a report aimed at preventing future deaths after finding four people were killed by visually impaired drivers.

Mary Cunningham, 79, Grace Foulds, 85, Anne Ferguson, 75, and Peter Westwell, 80, died in road traffic collisions where the driver had poor eyesight, an inquest in Preston heard.

Dr Adeley stated in his report: ‘All four deaths shared the same feature; ‘The driver’s visibility was well below the standard required for driving.’

Visual ability tests for driving have not changed since the 1930s; The remaining threshold was being able to read the license plate from a distance of around 20 meters or 66 ft.

Audi driver Glyn Jones, 68, plowed into friends Ms Cunningham and Ms Foulds as they crossed the road in Southport on November 30, 2021.

He was unable to see due to a condition called severe ‘bilateral keratoconus’, but ignored medical advice that his eyesight was too poor.

Ms Ferguson was killed by van driver Vernon Law, 72, who went to an optician a month before the crash in Rochdale in July 2023 and was told he had cataracts in both eyes. Following her death, her husband committed suicide.

Pedestrian Mr Westwell also died when he was hit by a Honda Jazz driven by 81-year-old Neil Pemberton in Langho on 17 March 2022.

Pemberton made no attempt to brake and accelerated at 48mph in a 30mph zone.

The inquest heard Pemberton had a long history of bilateral eye disease and was warned twice not to drive before reporting to ophthalmologists that he was not a driver. He repeatedly failed to report his condition in person.

In his announcement to prevent future deaths, Dr. Adeley told the Department for Transport (DfT): ‘In my view, there is a risk of deaths occurring in the future if action is not taken.’

While motoring groups largely supported the measures, Age UK argued the eye test rule discriminated against older drivers.

Charity director Caroline Abrahams told the Daily Mail: ‘Having regular eye tests as we get older is certainly good for our eye health – the NHS recommends every two years – but this doesn’t automatically mean mandatory eye testing is appropriate at age 70.

‘People can develop eye problems at any age, so why limit such an approach to just 70-year-olds and not young drivers?

‘A regular eye test may be a better idea for drivers of all ages, less susceptible to accusations of ageism; But we need to see all the evidence to form a final opinion.’

Abrahams added: ‘Another aspect is that the most recently published official statistics on road crashes reveal a trend towards an increase in the number of fatal or serious crashes involving older drivers; This is of course something we need to take seriously, but without more information it’s hard to say exactly why this is; this is a prerequisite for proposing effective solutions.

‘Of course, based on the data we have seen, there is no reason to assume that eye problems are behind a significant proportion of these accidents.

‘So, although there is a case for mandatory regular eye examinations for drivers of all ages, it is not clear whether this would have a major impact on the number of serious crashes involving older drivers.’