Overview
- Freedom of information data published in mid‑May show the DVLA cancelled 10,794 licences for drivers aged 70–79, 8,060 for ages 80–89 and 1,202 for those 90 or older, with combined reporting of roughly tens of thousands of vision‑related withdrawals or refusals across Britain.
- The Department for Transport is consulting on proposals that could require over‑70s to take an eyesight test at renewal every three years and is also considering targeted cognitive checks for ageing motorists, but no statutory changes have yet been made.
- The DVLA already holds legal power to remove or refuse licences on medical safety grounds when it becomes aware that a condition, commonly failing eyesight, makes a driver unsafe to be on the road.
- Public reaction is split: a petition organised by Kathleen Cavanagh has won more than 1,000 signatures opposing age‑only testing as discriminatory, while some older drivers and motoring experts say mandatory checks would give reassurance and could improve road safety.
- Experts and industry research cited rising collision rates linked to eyesight issues and record thousands of licence revocations over recent years, and ministers plan a broader road‑safety strategy in the autumn that could fold these consultation outcomes into formal rules.