Overview
- The government has published a road safety strategy that moves proposals from consultation to ministerial decision under Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.
- One central proposal is to replace self-declaration with mandatory eyesight tests when drivers renew their licences at age 70 to confirm they meet the legal standard for vision.
- The strategy signals future work on cognitive fitness-to-drive checks and other assessments to identify drivers whose reaction times or focus may affect safety.
- Ministers would also push for more regular police roadside eyesight checks with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency able to revoke licences for those who fail, building on more than 10,000 revocations or refusals reported since last year.
- Any regulatory change would apply across England, Scotland and Wales because driver licensing is a reserved UK matter, and campaigners warn the measures could reduce older people’s independence and strain police and DVLA enforcement resources.