Eyesight rules for drivers declared unsafe as DfT considers changes

The Government is understood to be reassessing eyesight rules for drivers after a coroner labelled the UK’s licensing system the “laxest in Europe”.

An inquest into the deaths of four people killed by drivers with poor eyesight found enforcement of visual legal standards for motorists “ineffective and unsafe”.

In a report sent to transport secretary Heidi Alexander, HM senior coroner for Lancashire, Dr James Adeley, said action is required to prevent future deaths.

The UK is the only European country to issue licences without any visual checks for a continuous period up to the age of 70.

It is understood that the Department for Transport (DfT) will consider changes to eyesight requirements for driving as part of the Government's road safety strategy.  

It is thought the strategy could be published by the end of the year, after which ministers would consult on any proposed changes, the BBC reported.

Adeley conducted the inquests of Marie Cunningham, 79, Grace Foulds, 85, Peter Westwell, 80, and Anne Ferguson, 75, at Preston Coroner's Court.

Cunningham and Foulds were struck by Glyn Jones, 68, in his Audi A3 as they crossed the road in Southport, Merseyside, in 2021.

Jones, who was jailed for seven years and four months, was aware for some years before the collision that his sight was insufficient to meet the minimum requirement to drive a car but failed to declare it to the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).  

Westwell was hit by Neil Pemberton, 81, as he crossed the road in Langho, near Blackburn, I 2022.

Pemberton, who was jailed for 32 months, had a long history of eye disease and was informed on several occasions by different clinicians that he should not drive, the inquest heard.

He also repeatedly failed to declare his sight deficit on multiple licence applications to the DVLA.

Ferguson died when she was struck by a van driven by Vernon Law, 72, in Whitworth, Rochdale, in 2023.

A month before Law was told he had cataracts in both eyes, but he lied to an optometrist that he did not drive.

Law, who was jailed for four years, also failed to declare his sight issues on multiple licence applications to the DVLA.

Adeley said: “The four fatalities shared the same feature that the driver’s sight was well below the standard required to drive a car.

“The current system for 'ensuring' drivers meet the visual legal standards is ineffective, unsafe and unfit to meet the needs of society as evidenced by the deaths of Marie Cunningham, Grace Foulds, Anne Ferguson and Peter Westwell where the DVLA continued to provide licences to drivers who had failed to meet the legal sight requirements.”

The DfT said it would consider the coroner's report. A spokesperson added: “The NHS recommends adults should have their eyes tested every two years and drivers are legally required to inform the DVLA if they have a condition which affects their eyesight.

“We are committed to improving road safety and continue to explore ways to achieve this.”

Rob Heard, chairman of the Older Drivers' Forum, has called for it to be made compulsory for opticians and GPs to check a person's eyesight once they turn 70, and inform the DVLA via an online system.