DVLA driving licence changes: Everything we know on 'biggest change in decades'

Elderly motorists face compulsory eye tests and the drink drive limit may be reduced in a radical shake-up on rules for the road.

Concern about the number of peoplebeing killed or seriously injured on Britain's roads has been rising. In April, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she is “open to considering” making older drivers pass eye tests to keep their driving licence. And the senior coroner for Lancashire, Dr James Adeley, sent a Prevention of Future Deaths report to the Transport Secretary which related to the deaths of four people killed by drivers with failing eyesight.

Mr Adeley warned that older drivers with “compromised” ability may cause further deaths after a woman was struck and became trapped under a car driven by an 89-year-old man in a Waitrose car park. Meanwhile, an exciting heatwave forecast with maps revealing the exact date a 39C heat plume will scorch the UK.

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Rosemary McAndrew, 64, died from chest injuries on July 5 last year after she was hit by a car “reversing at speed” while she was a pedestrian near the shop in Newark, Nottinghamshire. The car was driven by an elderly man who paramedics suspected “may have had a neurological event” while driving.

In the two years before the crash, the man’s mobility had reduced, he reported back and leg pains to his GP, and went to A&E in October 2023 with symptoms suspected to be the result of a mini stroke. He died of dementia and gangrene in both feet eight months after the collision.

And now changes to driving laws are set to be published by the government in the autumn, with ministers believing that the current safety messaging is not working. Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones said the proposals will be the "biggest shake-up to our driving laws for decades".

Eyesight test for elderly drivers

Under the shake-up over 70s could be forced to take an eye-test every three years to renew their licence and a driving ban for those who fail. The UK is one of only three European countries to rely on self-reporting of eyesight problems that affect driving.

Cutting drink drive limit

Ministers are also considering cutting the drink driving limit in England and Wales to match Scotland - a cut from 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath to 22 micrograms.

The government says it's impossible to say exactly how many drinks this is equal to as alcohol impacts people depending on factors such as weight, sex, and age. A maximum legal drink drive limit was first introduced in 1967.

On Britain's roads last year, 1,633 people were killed and almost 28,000 seriously injured in traffic incidents, and numbers have remained relatively constant following a large fall between 2000 and 2010. 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.

Tougher penalties for uninsured drivers

Motorists who drive vehicles which are uninsured could also face tougher penalties under the new rules as well as people who do not wear a seatbelt.

A Labour source said: “This Labour Government will deliver the first road safety strategy in a decade, imposing tougher penalties on those breaking the law, protecting road users and restoring order to our roads.”

Drug drive testing

Other proposals are reported to include allowing the police to bring prosecutions for drug-driving on the basis of roadside saliva tests rather than blood tests as increasing numbers of drivers are being caught with drugs in their system.

In 2012, government announced a new offence in regard to driving with a specific controlled drug in the body above that drug’s accepted limit. The aim was to reduce expense, effort and time wasted from prosecutions that fail because of difficulties proving a particular drug impaired a driver.

What the experts say

Motoring groups have hailed the plans to overhaul road safety laws as "much overdue" and "a step in the right direction".

Edmund King, AA president, said: "The time has come for a bold and proactive approach to road safety. This strategy is much overdue as road deaths have plateaued over the last decade. We believe these new measures will not only modernise our approach to saving lives but also provide renewed momentum in making our roads safer for everyone."

But he wants the plans to go further and is urging ministers to introduce limits on new drivers under the age of 21 transporting peer-age passengers for six months after passing their test.

Nicholas Lyes, director of policy and standards at IAM RoadSmart said: "In 2023, there were almost 100 serious injuries or fatalities caused by defective eyesight. These tragedies are avoidable. Every driver has a responsibility to ensure they have good enough eyesight for driving, but vision problems can become more frequent as we age, hence the focus on over-70s.

"This is a sensible step and motorists overall – even those aged 70 and above – support it. For most older drivers who are safe and ‘self-regulate’, these proposals are unlikely to be controversial."

Changes backed by politicians

"In no other circumstance would we accept 1,600 people dying [on the roads each year], with thousands more seriously injured, costing the NHS more than £2bn per year," a government source told the BBC.

"This Labour government will deliver the first Road Safety Strategy in a decade, imposing tougher penalties on those breaking the law, protecting road users and restoring order to our roads," the source added.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has also said she is behind plans to bring in compulsory eye tests for drivers over 70. "I think we need to make sure that people driving on our roads and using our streets are safe," she said.