Overview

• Liberal Democrat MP Vikki Slade asked ministers to assess requiring a recent eye test at licence renewal at age 70 and to expand checks to reduced‑light vision, reaction time and peripheral vision.
• Parliamentary under‑secretary Simon Lightwood said the government is considering the current self‑declaration system, with any proposals to go to public consultation and no immediate rule changes.
• Drivers aged over 70 currently renew every three years by self‑certifying their fitness to drive, with no mandatory medical approval or retest at renewal.
• The Association of Optometrists is pressing for statutory checks at licence application and renewal, plus triannual tests for over‑70s, citing a survey of 910 optometrists and an estimate that about one in ten drivers have sub‑standard vision.
• Some experts suggest a three‑yearly 'driver MOT' assessing reaction speed, eyesight and awareness as a lighter‑touch alternative to mandatory retesting.