GEM Motoring Assist has joined the latest calls for urgent reform to outdated driver licensing rules.

It comes amid growing concerns over the number of UK motorists continuing to drive with dangerously impaired eyesight.

Recently a coroner labelled the British driver eyesight testing as “ineffective, unsafe, and unfit to meet the needs of society”.

Looking for change

James Luckhurst, Head of Road Safety at GEM Motoring Assist, has urged the government to introduce mandatory eyesight testing at every driving licence renewal, warning that the current self-certification system is putting lives at risk.

“Driving is a privilege, not a right,” said Luckhurst. “There will come a time for all of us when it’s no longer safe to drive — the key is recognising that moment before a serious incident occurs, not after.”

Recent fatal crashes have thrown the issue into the spotlight.

In 2022, Peter Gardner, 82, was jailed after causing the death of cyclist Jim Tassell, 70, near Andover.

Gardner’s eyesight was so poor he could only see three metres ahead — far below the legal requirement to read a number plate at 20 metres.

In separate incidents, four elderly pedestrians — Marie Cunningham, 79, Grace Foulds, 85, Peter Westwell, 80, and Anne Ferguson, 75 — were all killed by drivers who knowingly continued to drive despite failing vision.

One motorist, Glyn Jones, 68, couldn’t even see his steering wheel and was jailed for seven years.

Others ignored medical advice or concealed serious conditions such as cataracts.

HM Senior Coroner for Lancashire, Dr James Adeley, described the current system as “ineffective, unsafe, and unfit to meet the needs of society.”

His comments came as he investigated the deaths of the four elderly pedestrians who were struck and killed between 2021 and 2023 by motorists who knowingly drove with vision far below the legal standard.

Adeley condemned the nation’s eyesight regulations as among the “laxest in Europe,” urging reform in a report sent to the Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander.

Health and risk

Vision decline is a natural part of ageing, but experts say the danger is being ignored.

Research published by Medical Xpress estimates that over 720,000 UK drivers may currently be on the roads with defective eyesight.

Vision changes often go unnoticed, with many drivers unaware that their eyesight has deteriorated to dangerous levels.

By age 60, drivers are at increased risk of issues such as reduced contrast sensitivity, slower adaptation to light, and uncorrected refractive errors, all of which impair driving ability.

Yet the UK system still allows motorists over 70 to self-certify their vision every three years when renewing their licence — without any medical or optical verification.

One in four people say they are worried about someone they know driving with impaired vision, according to the Association of Optometrists.

What should be done?

GEM is among several road safety bodies backing reforms.

They support the Older Drivers Task Force’s call for eye tests to become mandatory at licence renewal, along with raising the age of self-certification to 75 and requiring proof of a recent vision check.

Luckhurst also champions the idea of a ‘Driver MOT’ — a three-yearly check-up to assess eyesight, reaction times and cognitive function.

“This isn’t about retesting every older driver. It’s about identifying when someone becomes a risk — before lives are lost,” he explained.

Additionally, GEM argues that opticians should be given a clear, direct route to report unfit drivers to the DVLA, something currently left to chance.

Free eye tests

The good news is that basic eye tests remain free on the NHS for people over 60.

Luckhurst urges everyone in that age group to take advantage of this service and start a conversation with family or friends if they have concerns about their driving vision.

“This isn’t about punishing older drivers or taking away independence,” he said. “It’s about safer roads for everyone — and making sure the freedom to drive doesn’t come at the cost of someone else’s life.”

The UK government is now looking to review and potentially tighten eyesight regulations for drivers following the damning coroner’s report.