By FREDA LEWIS-STEMPEL, MOTORING REPORTER
The Government is facing mounting pressure to bring in new vision tests for older drivers as part of efforts to bolster road safety.
This week, ministers responded to a Parliamentary question regarding the proposals, which would see all motorists aged 70 needing to obtain a current eye examination and include it with their application to renew their licence.
Currently, 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.
Labour is considering this process of self-reporting after groups including the Association of Optometrists have campaigned for legislative changes requiring all motorists to undergo vision screening upon initial licence application, during renewals, and through triennial assessments for those aged over seventy.
Department for Transport (DfT) statistics show 252 people were hurt in road collisions where below-par eyesight was reported in 2023 - the highest number since 2017 when 262 were injured.
Among the 252 instances were six deaths - two more than in 2017 - of which three were pedestrians.
The DfT data highlights that drivers with poor eyesight could be posing grave danger to others as well as themselves and has resulted in demands for the most significant shake-up of driving laws in a decade.
The Government has responded to a Parliamentary question regarding proposals to bring in new vision tests for older drivers, with safety proposals considering bringing in mandatory tests for drivers over 70
An update has come after Liberal Democrat Vikki Slade this week posed a written Parliamentary inquiry on the matter.
Slade asked Heidi Alexander: 'To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) requiring all drivers to submit a recent eye test result when applying for a driving license renewal and (b) broadening the required eye tests to include an assessment of (i) vision in reduced lighting, (ii) reaction times, and (iii) peripheral vision.'
In response, Simon Lightwood, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Transport, said that there was an onus on drivers to notify the DVLA if they are unfit to drive: 'All drivers, regardless of age, have a legal responsibility to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) if they develop a medical condition that may affect their ability to drive.
'The Government is considering the current process of self-declaration and the challenges posed by an ageing population where certain conditions, including vision conditions, may become more prevalent.
'In the meantime, the current renewal at age 70 process remains as is, and drivers must legally declare any vision or medical conditions that may affect their ability to drive.
'Any options for change will be subject to public consultation.'
The 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 within weeks.
Police forces across the country have already launched nationwide campaigns due to concerns regarding older drivers' visibility.
During random roadside checks, some 3,010 individuals were pulled over and asked to replicate the DVLA practical test requirement for learners (the only time any motorists are currently required to prove the quality of their vision) to read a vehicle's number plate from 20 metres and to be able to read at least six rows of letters on the Snellen wall chart.
In 50 instances, drivers were unable to read the characters on the registration plate.
Therefore, based on 1.7 per cent of the nation's 42million qualified motorist having poor eyesight, almost 720,650 drivers could be on the road despite not adhering to the legal minimum requirement.
Changes in eyesight are gradual so drivers may not be aware that their vision has deteriorated.
The Association of Optometrists has campaigned for legislative changes requiring all motorists to undergo vision screening upon initial licence application
Currently motorists over the age of 70 have to renew their driving licence every three years. This includes declaring they are medically fit to be behind the wheel without any tests. People must also report to the DVLA when they lose part or all of their sight.
Adam Sampson, Chief Executive of the Association of Optometrists (AOP) has warned that this model is outdated.
This comes after the AOP in November revealed that six in ten of its members had reported within the last month at least one instance of a customers with vision so poor that they should not be driving, though still had a valid licence.
Commenting in August, Sampson said: '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.'