Elderly drivers have shown support for new proposals which would see mandatory eyesight checks occur yearly as part of new safety campaigns.
Drivers across Northern Ireland have been particularly keen for new safety requirements which would allow them to stay on roads for longer.
The pledge of support follows reports released this week that suggested the Department for Transport could introduce mandatory eyesight checks for elderly drivers aged 70.
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The checks would help ensure that drivers remain in a roadworthy condition before setting off, which could add further preventative measures.
The new road safety strategy will include new rules for elderly drivers
|GETTY
A Labour source told GB News: "At the end of the last Labour Government, the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads was at a record low, but numbers have remained stubbornly high under successive Conservative Governments.
"In no other circumstance would we accept 1,600 people dying, with thousands more seriously injured, costing the NHS more than £2billion per year."
Mandatory eyesight checks would form part of the new road safety strategy, which is due to be published before the end of the year.
"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.
Now Anne Flanagan, who has been driving for 50 years, has expressed support for the measures by signing up to the Northern Ireland road safety campaign "Share the Road to Zero", and has encouraged fellow road users to get on board.
Flanagan had recently had her eyesight checked by professionals and discovered she needed to wear glasses while behind the wheel.
Instead of being hesitant to make the switch, she began noticing significant improvement in her vision when wearing glasses while driving.
Flanagan said: "I've always been very aware of the personal responsibility I have whenever I get behind the wheel. That personal responsibility came very much into sharp focus for me recently."
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The motorist explained that whenever she went for a routine eye test, she "had no idea" that she needed glasses for driving.
"When I put those glasses on for the first time, I couldn't believe the difference that they made," she revealed.
Flanagan shared: "Each of us has a responsibility to make our roads safer. Being a responsible road user also requires me to be conscious of how my health, my general health, and my eyesight can impact my driving."
Flanagan has now added her voice to the Department for Infrastructure's road safety campaign, which aims to reduce road deaths by encouraging drivers to take more responsibility and care on the roads.
Elderly drivers could face yearly eyesight checks under the new road proposals
| PAInfrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins said: "I want to thank Anne for highlighting important road safety messages by reminding us of steps we can take to be responsible road users."
The latest road statistics revealed that more than 95 per cent of road fatalities are due to "human error", with the Minister warning that drivers have a responsibility to ensure they are safe to drive before getting behind the wheel.
Kimmins added: "We can all make a difference and help save lives by taking more care when using the roads.
"If we do not change our own attitudes when we are using the roads, our death toll will continue to increase."