{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreihlsfahfa5atoxcrucsbm6y6sk4cnc2r77szxrswv7fqp5u3eaxgy",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:oznbnvgr7dmvddiyvr7dih52/app.bsky.feed.post/3megzmjv5mtu2"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreifviermthx2hjswfw3cnx6xvume4tplcdzbs7du2hkpsoeodmirym"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "size": 77696
  },
  "path": "/lifestyle/cars/driving-laws-older-motorists-eye-tests-support",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-09T16:38:55.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Motorists could face lifetime imprisonment for road offences under new proposals",
    "Ferrari unveils new Luce electric car with unique interior inspired by Apple iPhone designer",
    "DVLA to launch new number plate changes next month with drivers risking £1,000 fine",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nRoad safety campaigners have supported measures that would give the green light to have elderly drivers take mandatory eyesight tests every three years.\n\nLabour launched the first Road Safety Strategy in more than a decade earlier this year as it aims to modernise road rules and reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on the road.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nIt aims to cut deaths and serious injuries by 65 per cent by 2035 through a number of measures impacting millions of drivers over the coming years.\n\nOne of the most wide-ranging plans would see elderly drivers forced to take mandatory eyesight tests once they turn 70 amid concerns over the current self-declaration system.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe Department for Transport has launched a consultation that seeks views on introducing new measures for drivers over 70, as well as mandatory eyesight tests as part of the licence renewal process.\n\nOnce a motorist turns 70, they are required to renew their licence every three years, rather than every decade for drivers in younger age categories.\n\nLabour highlighted that 2024 saw 1,224 killed or seriously injured older car driver casualties, an increase of seven per cent compared to 2014.\n\nJames Luckhurst, GEM's head of road safety, has welcomed the consultation on older motorists and indicates that this would improve the quality of driving on the roads.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nHe added: \"We are encouraged that the Government appears to accept that the current eyesight regulations are inadequate.\n\n\"Reform in this area would make a significant contribution to meeting the new national targets for reducing deaths and serious injuries on our roads.\"\n\nTo meet legal guidelines, drivers must be able to read a number plate from 20 meters away, or roughly the length of five parked cars.\n\nThey must also meet the minimum eyesight standard for driving by having a visual acuity of at least decimal 0.5 (6/12) measured on the Snellen scale.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * Motorists could face lifetime imprisonment for road offences under new proposals\n  * Ferrari unveils new Luce electric car with unique interior inspired by Apple iPhone designer\n  * DVLA to launch new number plate changes next month with drivers risking £1,000 fine\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe experts from GEM added that gradual deterioration of eyesight can happen so slowly that drivers fail to recognise that anything is actually happening.\n\nAdditionally, the NHS recommends that people get their eyesight tested every two years, or sooner if they notice changes in their vision.\n\nDrivers must tell the DVLA if they have an eye condition that affects both eyes and may impact their ability to drive safely.\n\nFailure to report a medical condition that could lead to an accident on the road could see them slapped with a hefty fine and even prosecuted.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nLocal Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood suggested that considerations could be given to introduce other measures, including \"cognitive assessments\".\n\nThe consultation acknowledges that motorists face \"cognitive decline, deteriorating vision and increased frailty\" as part of the natural ageing process.\n\nAlongside eye tests and cognitive assessments, the Government suggested that medical assessments could be introduced, in addition to increasing the involvement of healthcare professionals in the licence renewal process.\n\nDepending on responses to the consultation, the Government could make it a legal requirement for healthcare professionals to report their patients to the DVLA when they are no longer fit to drive.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards:The GB News Editorial Charter **",
  "title": "Driving laws are 'inadequate' amid calls for older motorists to face eye and 'cognitive' tests"
}