Will the UK’s new eye-test driving laws affect you?
Proposed regulations could force compulsory vision tests on millions of older motorists.
Proposed regulations could force compulsory vision tests on millions of older motorists.
Mandatory eye tests for drivers aged 70 and above are part of sweeping government proposals aimed at reducing death and serious injury on Britain's roads.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander says the safety shake-up is targeted at reducing fatalities and injury by 65% in just ten years, with an even-more-ambitious target of 70% for children under 16.
Approximately four people die on Britain's roads every day, with thousands more seriously injured annually. Through targeted action on speeding, drink driving and eye tests for older drivers, the government says thousands of these tragedies can be prevented.
“Every life lost on our roads is a tragedy that devastates families and communities,” says Alexander. “For too long, progress on road safety has stalled. This strategy marks a turning point.
“We are taking decisive action to make our roads safer for everyone, from new drivers taking their first lessons to older motorists wanting to maintain their independence. The measures will save thousands of lives over the coming decade.’
As well as slashing the drink-drive limit and introducing a minimum six-month training period for learners, eye and possibly cognitive tests for motorists aged 70 and over are likely to be phased in too. A consultation process on the measures ends on 31 March before the new law is debated in Parliament.
Statistically, older drivers are involved in a high number of road accidents – nearly a quarter of all motorists killed on UK roads in 2024 were 70 or above, while 12% of all collision casualties involved older drivers.
Edmund King, president of the AA, told Saga: “It is important that the new Road Safety Review covers eyesight tests. A move to make eye tests for older drivers mandatory is obviously welcome.
“The likelihood of crashes does increase once someone is over the age of 70 and markedly shoots up over the age of 80 to a peak at age 86, with eyesight often a worrying factor. The AA believes all drivers should have an eye test every two years.”
Eye tests are free for people over the age of 60, while healthcare professionals advise them every two years, given they can help with diagnosis of other underlying conditions too.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, says improving road safety is in the interests of everyone.
“The new strategy suggests drivers will have to show proof of good eyesight when they renew their licence at 70 and every three years thereafter, whereas now they are only required to self-certify,” she explains.
“We believe that requiring evidence from an eye test, together with raising the age at which this is required to 75, would be a balanced, evidence-based approach. But to do the first without the second feels disproportionately negative, so far as older drivers are concerned. The overwhelming majority already take their responsibility to be safe on the road very seriously.”
When a previous government’s Older Drivers Taskforce looked at the eyesight issue in detail several years ago, it recommended a move away from self-certification, with a proposal to raise the age when drivers had to renew their licence to 75.
The taskforce pointed out that 70 was chosen quite arbitrarily in 1971, when life expectancy was 68 for men and 72 for women. Both have since increased quite substantially and vehicles are also safer than they were all those years ago too.
Andrew Steptoe, director of ELSA (English Longitudinal Study of Ageing), says necessary steps must be implemented to protect the elderly who have given up their licences.
“Older people are at great risk of becoming socially isolated as people of their generation pass away and younger family members move to set up their own households,” he stresses.
Steptoe adds that if the number of elderly non-drivers increases then there should be efforts to offset any reductions in social contact and to maintain active engagement with friends, family and the community.
David Richards is chairman of motorsport group Prodrive and a former chairman of Aston Martin. The 73-year-old won the 1981 World Rally Championship as co-driver with the flying Finn, Ari Vatanen, and later ran the iconic Subaru Rally Team, with driver Colin McRae.
“Obviously, anything that reduces the number of deaths on the road is a good thing,” Richards says.
“It is hard for anyone to tell an elderly relation that now is the right time to hang up their car keys – official guidelines like this should make it much less stressful for everybody.
“Older people rely on cars so much for their mobility but the government needs to get the balance right. I hope, when the time comes, I will know when I should call it a day on the road.”
Want to get involved? Email your response to the government at Mandatory Eyesight Testing Consultation.
(Hero image credit: GettyImages)
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