The United Kingdom is considering plans to introduce a mandatory eye test for older road users to reduce road deaths and injuries. According to news media BBC and Sky News, people over 70 may face a driving ban in the future if they fail a mandatory eye test.

In 2024, 1,633 people were killed in traffic and almost 28,000 seriously injured in traffic incidents, and numbers have remained relatively constant after a significant fall between 2000 and 2010.

“In no other circumstance would we accept 1,600 people dying, with thousands more seriously injured, costing the NHS more than £2bn a year,” said a government official. Therefore, the British government is working on strict measures to reduce the number of traffic victims.

Stricter measures

Meanwhile, the number of people killed in drink-driving incidents has risen over the past decade, reaching a 13-year high in 2022 and prompting concern that existing road safety measures are no longer working. The government, therefore, also considers a lower drink-drive limit and stricter penalties for drivers who drive without insurance or seatbelts.

Other proposals are reported to include allowing the police to bring prosecutions for drug-driving based on roadside saliva tests rather than blood tests, as increasing numbers of drivers are being caught with drugs in their system. The strategy is due to be published in the autumn, and all proposals will be subject to consultation.

Other countries

Many other European countries already have age-related medical/vision checks, but the details vary a lot by country. Some countries require regular medical or vision checks at older ages, while others don’t.

In Finland, for instance, regular medical checks are required in connection with licence renewal starting at age 70 and thereafter at defined intervals. In Denmark, age-linked medical checks are in place, with more frequent renewals/checks as age increases. Sweden generally doesn’t have age-related controls.

Spain has been tightening medical checks recently. Driver’s licenses must be renewed more frequently after a certain age – every five years after 65 – and renewals include a medical/vision check at authorized Driver Recognition Centers.

‘Discriminatory’

Belgium does not require drivers over a certain age to undergo licence renewal or a vision test purely based on age. The EU’s proposed 70+ licence restrictions faced resistance in Belgium, with government officials labeling them “discriminatory.”

In the Netherlands, a licence is renewed every ten years for up to 75 years. After the age of 75, a medical review is required every five years. The Netherlands leans more on self-reporting and doctor feedback rather than systematic state-mandated age checks, and doctors are not required to report impaired drivers due to privacy laws.

France and Germany don’t have age-based renewal for private driver’s licences either.