Road safety campaigners have supported measures that would give the green light to have elderly drivers take mandatory eyesight tests every three years.
Labour launched the first Road Safety Strategy in more than a decade earlier this year as it aims to modernise road rules and reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on the road.
It aims to cut deaths and serious injuries by 65 per cent by 2035 through a number of measures impacting millions of drivers over the coming years.
One of the most wide-ranging plans would see elderly drivers forced to take mandatory eyesight tests once they turn 70 amid concerns over the current self-declaration system.
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The Department for Transport has launched a consultation that seeks views on introducing new measures for drivers over 70, as well as mandatory eyesight tests as part of the licence renewal process.
Once a motorist turns 70, they are required to renew their licence every three years, rather than every decade for drivers in younger age categories.
Labour highlighted that 2024 saw 1,224 killed or seriously injured older car driver casualties, an increase of seven per cent compared to 2014.
James Luckhurst, GEM's head of road safety, has welcomed the consultation on older motorists and indicates that this would improve the quality of driving on the roads.
Experts have supported proposals for elderly drivers to face mandatory eyesight tests
|GETTY
He added: "We are encouraged that the Government appears to accept that the current eyesight regulations are inadequate.
"Reform in this area would make a significant contribution to meeting the new national targets for reducing deaths and serious injuries on our roads."
To meet legal guidelines, drivers must be able to read a number plate from 20 meters away, or roughly the length of five parked cars.
They must also meet the minimum eyesight standard for driving by having a visual acuity of at least decimal 0.5 (6/12) measured on the Snellen scale.
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Adults are recommended to get an eye test every two years
| PAThe experts from GEM added that gradual deterioration of eyesight can happen so slowly that drivers fail to recognise that anything is actually happening.
Additionally, the NHS recommends that people get their eyesight tested every two years, or sooner if they notice changes in their vision.
Drivers must tell the DVLA if they have an eye condition that affects both eyes and may impact their ability to drive safely.
Failure to report a medical condition that could lead to an accident on the road could see them slapped with a hefty fine and even prosecuted.
Drivers over the age of 70 could also face 'cognitive assessments' soon
| GETTYLocal Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood suggested that considerations could be given to introduce other measures, including "cognitive assessments".
The consultation acknowledges that motorists face "cognitive decline, deteriorating vision and increased frailty" as part of the natural ageing process.
Alongside eye tests and cognitive assessments, the Government suggested that medical assessments could be introduced, in addition to increasing the involvement of healthcare professionals in the licence renewal process.
Depending on responses to the consultation, the Government could make it a legal requirement for healthcare professionals to report their patients to the DVLA when they are no longer fit to drive.