In focus: Should drivers’ eyesight be legally regulated?

In 2018, John Snelgrove, a Hertfordshire based dispensing optician, wrote to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) asking it to recommend eye care professionals inform all drivers whether their eyesight is legally good enough to drive.

Snelgrove decided to send the letter in the first place due to a ‘number of people who are driving at any age who cannot read the number plate at the 20-metre distance.’ He said: ‘This is contributing to accidents and the current DVLA requirement of self-certification until age 70 is not sufficient in my opinion.’

Currently, the only legal eye test drivers are required to take is during their practical driving test, where they have to be able to read a car’s licence plate from 20 metres away before they can proceed with the rest of the test.