Drivers over 70 to face eye tests every three years

Drivers over the age of 70 will have to have their vision checked every three years, under plans to reform driving laws in Britain.

The changes are part of the government’s new road safety strategy, which will be published on Wednesday.

Other proposed measures include lowering the drink-driving limit in England to match the limit in Scotland, and giving penalty points for not wearing seatbelts.

These measures were first reported in August and are expected to be confirmed in this week’s strategy.

Last year, an inquest into the deaths of four people killed by drivers with failing vision said enforcement of eyesight standards on the roads was “ineffective and unsafe”.

HM Senior Coroner for Lancashire Dr James Adeley pointed out that the UK was one of only three countries to rely on self-reporting of visual conditions affecting the ability to drive.

He called the licensing system “the laxest in Europe”.