Mandatory sight tests for drivers over 70 considered

Mandatory sight tests for drivers over the age of 70 could be included as part of an overhaul of driving laws in the new road safety strategy, set to be published in the autumn.

Responding to the move, Adam Sampson, chief executive of the Association of Optometrists (AOP) said: "We welcome the potential changes to driving laws in England and Wales that will tighten up vision standards, as a long-overdue step toward modernising road safety.

“The introduction of compulsory sight tests for motorists over 70, alongside wider changes, signals a decisive break from complacency in the face of preventable tragedies.

“For too long, the UK has relied on a self-reporting model for visual standards - one of the laxest regimes in Europe - despite mounting evidence that it puts lives at risk. 

“We have long called for changes to a system that simply isn't working in the interest of public safety.

“The recent inquest into deaths caused by drivers with eyesight problems laid bare the human cost of inaction. Introducing routine sight tests for drivers is a proportionate and necessary response to ensure fitness to drive – and something that we have been clear about in our calls to Government.”

Dr Gillian Rudduck MCOptom, president of The College of Optometrists said: “An introduction of mandatory sight tests for drivers aged over 70 would be a welcome step in improving vision standards for drivers in the UK. But the rules could go further to ensure that UK standards are in alignment to those internationally. We are calling for a mandatory requirement for all drivers to submit evidence of an up-to-date sight test at licence application and renewal, every 10 years and then every 3 years from age 70, to align with age-related eye conditions and deterioration in visual function. This would enable early detection and treatment of eye conditions that may be otherwise asymptomatic, and utilises regulated sight tests that are delivered by registered optometrists on the High Street across the UK.”

The UK is one of only three European countries to rely on self-reporting of visual conditions that affect a person's ability to drive.

In April, HM Senior Coroner for Lancashire Dr James Adeley brought an inquest into four road deaths, in which the Association of Optometrists and College of Optometrists gave evidence.

Dr Adeley sent a report to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander to say action should be taken to prevent future deaths, after he found enforcement of visual legal standards for drivers was “unsafe”.