In focus: DfT weighs up compulsory eye tests for the over-70s driver

In July the Department for Transport (DfT) published its ‘Road Safety Statement 2019: A Lifetime of Road Safety’ to help drivers understand the importance of good eyesight. The report said the government would be considering mandatory eyesight tests for drivers at the age of 70 and at three-year intervals thereafter.

It also announced there would be a research programme and literature review in partnership with the Driver and Vehicle License Agency (DVLA) to assess whether poor vision had become a road safety problem in the UK and if there should be a particular vision test to identify drivers who posed a risk.