At present motorists aged 70 and over are required to complete a form every three years on which they must declare any medical condition. The DVLA may also require a driver who declares a condition to be examined by a doctor. But according to The Times many elderly drivers don’t fill in the forms honestly.
Research commissioned by the DVLA implied that the system was being widely abused, with only 10 per cent of people with a notifable condition admitting it on forms.
According to Christopher Bullock Chief Executive of The Institute of Advanced Motorists, GP’s often did not want to be the ones to judge drivers’ ability, because although they could assess a person’s sight and mobility, they may not be able to judge their other attributes.
Figures from The Royal Institute For The Blind imply that one in three in the UK are taking to the road without a recent eye test. Over ninety per cent of the information to drive safely is visual and human vision, declines with advancing age. Legally, anyone who drives is required to be able to read a car licence plate from a distance of 20.5 metres.
Driving with poor eye sight is a criminal offence which could result in a fine. Although drivers have their vision checked when they have their driving test this is only a basic test to check how far you can see in the distance. Drivers are not legally required to have an eye test until they are 70 years old, although it is recommended that all drivers have an eye test at least every 2 years, even if you think your eye sight is normal.
If you need to wear glasses or contact lenses you are allowed to wear them for the test and you must also wear them whenever you are driving. If you do not wear your glasses or contact lenses when driving you are breaking the law. If you drive when you cannot see clearly and you do not meet the visual requirements, you could be fined up to £1,000, receive three penalty points or be disqualified from driving.
