Motoring groups have welcomed government plans to overhaul road safety laws that could result in over-70s being banned if they fail eyesight tests but have implored ministers to go further with measures they believe could protect younger drivers and their passengers.
Ministers are considering cutting the drink-drive limit in England and Wales and introducing mandatory eye tests for older drivers, the Times reported on Monday. The proposals also reportedly include tougher penalties for uninsured driving and failing to wear a seatbelt – but not measures to stop inexperienced drivers being responsible for the safety of groups of their friends.
On Great 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 after a large drop between 2000 and 2010.
“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,” said the AA’s president, Edmund King.
“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.”
Vision checks for older drivers and targeting drink and drug drivers were “practical steps that can make a real difference”, he said. But failing to introduce limits on new drivers transporting peer-age passengers for six months was “a major oversight”, he added.
Nicholas Lyes, the director of policy and standards at the road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, said: “Given progress on reducing fatal and serious collisions has stalled in recent years, we welcome the UK government’s ambition to publish an updated road safety strategy with the reported measures being a step in the right direction.
“While many drivers over the age of 70 are safe and competent, health issues and confidence can have an impact on driving abilities, so it is sensible to review whether changes need to be made.
“We would also support reducing the drink-drive limit in England and Wales, alongside measures to target drug-driving. However, these would require significantly more backing for roads policing teams to effectively enforce new laws.”
A Labour source said: “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 £2bn per year.”
Meanwhile, the number of people killed in drink-driving incidents has increased over the past decade, reaching a 13-year high in 2022 and prompting concern that existing road safety measures are no longer working.
Under the plans being considered by the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, the drink-drive limit in England and Wales could be brought in line with Scotland and the rest of Europe with a cut from 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath to 22 micrograms.
The UK is one of only three European countries to rely on self-reporting of eyesight problems that affect driving, leading ministers to consider compulsory eye tests every three years for drivers aged older than 70, and a driving ban for those who fail.
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.
The Labour source added the government would “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 strategy is due to be published in autumn, and all proposals will be subject to consultation.
