Being aware of NEW RULES ABOUT DRIVERS OVER 70

Compulsory eye tests for older drivers could make our roads safer and have medical benefits

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Currently, DVLA rules regarding eyesight and driving aren't closely enforced and are widely ignored. There’s been no requirement for most drivers to have eyesight checks since taking their driving test, when you’re asked to read a number plate 20 metres away. Drivers renew their licence at the age of 70 by simply declaring they can still pass the number-plate test.

Although it’s uncertain exactly how many drivers can’t see well enough to meet legal requirements, a recent UK police roadside survey of 900 motorists found that one in 45 — with an average age of 69 — failed the number-plate test, so possibly a million drivers on our roads cannot see well enough to drive safely. As eye health deteriorates with age, most will be older people, the number increasing as our population ages. Gradual visual deterioration and loss from chronic conditions such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, diabetic and hypertensive eye disease may go unnoticed, leading some drivers to fail to realise just how bad their eyesight is.