Over 70s could face driving ban for failing eyesight checks
Expected government proposals could also see drink-drive limit reduced in England and Wales...
Drivers over 70 could be subject to compulsory eye tests – and face having their licence revoked if they fail – under new proposals being considered by the government.
The plans are expected to form part of a new road safety strategy due to be unveiled in the autumn in response to growing frustrations that the number of deaths and serious injuries on the road remain stubbornly high.
According to a report in The Times, other moves under consideration include the drink-drive limit in England and Wales being reduced to match that of Scotland. This would mean the threshold being dropped from 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath to just 22 micrograms. That is generally accepted to mean drinking a pint of beer or a glass of wine could push drivers over the limit.
It’s also understood the government plans to issue penalty points for passengers not wearing a seatbelt, although the details of this measure are not yet known. There could also be new tests for conditions such as dementia.
In April, senior coroner for Lancashire, Dr James Adeley sent a report to the Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander saying the UK’s driving licensing system was the “laxest in Europe,” following an inquest into the death of three people killed by a driver whose eyesight was insufficient to meet the minimum requirements.
The UK is one of only three countries to rely on drivers self-reporting visual conditions which impact the ability to drive.
Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme this morning, the President of the AA, Edmund King said that drivers over 70 were still “relatively safe,” but the small cost of eye tests were a “small price to pay” for improved safety on the roads.
However, King pointed to the high levels of deaths among young, inexperienced drivers. Last October, the AA recommended drivers under 21 should be prevented from carrying passengers of a similar age during their first six months of driving. The AA’s recommendations for a graduated driving licence already exist in Northern Ireland, but the Department for Transport said at the time, such rules were not on the table.
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