Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that drivers are meeting the eyesight standards for driving.

Driver licensing is devolved in Northern Ireland. In Great Britain, drivers are required by law to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) if they develop a medical condition that may affect safe driving or if they are no longer able to meet the required eyesight standards for driving. When the DVLA is notified, an investigation will be carried out and the driver may be required to undertake a formal assessment of vision, which must be carried out by a professional optometrist on specialised equipment. The DVLA may also act on information received from third parties. These types of notifications are most commonly received from the police, healthcare professionals, family, friends or neighbours.

If the police suspect that the driver of a vehicle does not meet the required standards of vision, then they can conduct a roadside vision test which requires the licence holder to be able to read a number plate from 20 metres in good daylight. If the police notify the DVLA that a driver has failed the test the licence will be revoked. If the driver does pass the eyesight test, the police can still notify the DVLA if they suspect that the driver has a medical condition or poor eyesight. The DVLA will then investigate to ensure the driver can meet the required standards.

The Government supports the NHS’s advice that adults should have their eyes tested every two years. This recommendation is included in many of the DVLA’s application forms and information leaflets about driving. Optometrists and ophthalmologists also play an important part by advising their patients of the implications of their vision on driving and the effect of their eye condition or any treatment that they are receiving. The General Medical Council and General Optical Council guidance confirms that it is appropriate for practitioners to notify the DVLA directly about a patient that is medically unfit to drive where the patient cannot or will notify themselves.