Elderly drivers look set to feel the sting of Labour’s latest rule update, will Andy Burnham intervene before it’s too late.
Andy Burnham must look at older driver eyesight rules (Image: Getty)
Older drivers above the age of 70 could have their wallets raided under new plans by Labour. Andy Burnham has to intervene now. I do support the idea of introducing mandatory eyesight tests for older road users. Safety is vital, but how this is implemented is crucial and any ideas of charging pensioners would be wrong.
Motorists above the age of 70 currently pay nothing to renew their driving licence every three years. But will this be the same if mandatory vision checks come into effect? It doesn’t look like it.
Older drivers could be at risk of having their wallets raided for eyetests (Image: Getty)
The Department for Transport’s consultation on eye health has explained that while using the existing NHS eyesight test is still being looked into, it’s probably unlikely this will happen.
The NHS test only contains one element of the vision standards for driving with the assessment focussing on acuity and not field vision. This means the Government is likely to develop a bespoke new test. Who will pay for this?
The report explains that if they don’t use the free NHS test, consideration “could be given to the cost being split between government and the licence holder”.
So it looks like pensioners will foot a part of their bill for a mandatory check they probably don’t want introduced. That free driving licence renewal will effectively become a paid one. A hammer blow for those who want to retain their freedoms into later life. What are the long-term consequences? And could it push people off the roads for good? Quite possibly.
Previous research has suggested that as many as 54% of over 50s were considering placing self-imposed limits on driving to save money amid the cost-of-living crisis.
Elderly drivers could soon face mandatory eyesight tests to stay on the road (Image: Getty)
Data from Age UK has also suggested that as many as 3.4 million pensioners (28%), are struggling financially. According to the study, nearly half have been struggling for three years or more. Extra charges just to stay on the road could be one expense too far for cash-strapped families.
Andy Burnham has very much inherited older driver eyesight legislation. But the new Prime Minister still has an opportunity to intervene.
Make sure that older driver eyesight tests are completely free. Maybe not indefinitely, but at least have a transition period until vision checks become the accepted mainstream.
The policy is likely to be unpopular among pensioners as it is. Making over-70s pay out for a policy they didn’t want basically out of nowhere will be cruel. This must change.