Renewing driving licence

The eyesight test will be with glasses or contact lenses if needed why would it be anything else, most of us need glasses at 70 plus

How do the DVLA know if drivers are speeding, driving drunk etc unless the police catch them? It’s the same RocknRoll, we know the law, we obey it.

Wearing prescription specs for driving is what we do and will continue to do. It’s not a shambles, it’s an improvement

I don’t understand it at all.
Everyone who wears glasses has failed an eyesight test, so what kind of test are they going to do? Test that you have correct glasses? That you are wearing them? It sounds a shambles.
Part of the driving test is an eyesight test which you take wearing your glasses, if you need them. Will it be like that?
I am due for free eyesight test from specsavers paid by the NHS, will that prescription be enough? I get tested every two years which Specsavers encourage as they want you to get new glasses. Everyone over 40 has some kind of age related eyesight problem, it’s normal. So are they testing to see if you wear glasses?
is it time to take out shares in specsavers? How will the dvla know if you wear glasses or not?

Before renewing my licence last year when I reached 70 I booked an eye examination. Although I'd had no problems I needed new glasses as my prescription had changed. I wanted to be sure I was being honest when completing the tick box exercise required. However many people don't take this seriously. I realise that giving up driving is a difficult thing, especially where public transport is limited, but that is no excuse for driving when unsafe. I know lots of people my age who only drive locally and prefer not to drive at night but I worry they may not be fully competent when they do drive.
I still drive 200 miles to visit my DS and family a few times a year, as well as other longish distances, but I don't enjoy long distance driving these days. I need more breaks than when younger, but I trust I will know if I need to stop.
Since these proposals to require eye tests after 70 I've read comments from people who think their aged parents are no longer safe but they won't consider giving up. I was shocked to see a programme where the police did stops to do eye tests and many much younger people failed the test. One was sent home to get her glasses and when she returned she still failed! Unfortunately eyesight deteriorates graduslly for most people and we may adjust to not seeing well enough and not be aware that we no longer see clearly. Maybe we all need to have regular tests to prove our eye sight is good enough. As for cognitive tests and reaction times etc I expect it will eventually have to be brought in, but at great expense I imagine. For anyone who has lost someone to an unfit driver I'm sure they would think it is a price worth paying and can't come soon enough.

I've just walked down the drive to see whether I can read the number plate from the required distance - I can - phew!!

Now -reading the computer screen is quite another matter ........

Chatting to my DD who lives in Australia, I mentioned about the eyesight and driving licences,

She was amazed we are so lax! I think over there whenever you renew your licence, at any age, your eyesight has to be checked by GP or optician, if glasses/contact lenses are needed, you end up with ‘Spectacles’ recorded on your licence. Then if you are stopped by the police, and you aren’t wearing them….

They also have young drivers on P plates for 3 years after passing test, certainly in the state she lives in.

Far ahead of us in many ways.

Doctors will already advise people who shouldn’t be driving. My optician told me at my recent eye test that I passed the driving eye test.

I believe requiring eye tests for our age group is necessary. I didn’t drive at night for two years as cateracts caused lights to blur. Surgery sorted that.

I’m 76 and still driving daily. I use motorways but with less enjoyment because they’re so busy and fast. Friends are beginning to discuss feeling less confident, driving more slowly. We should be responsible of course

Please be vigilant when renewing driving licences………..there are at least two scams running just now whereby they charge for renewing through a 3rd party …….even a change in address can cost a great deal!

M0nica

The irony is that the accident that was the final straw that triggered this decision involved a man of 68 who had been warned 10 years previously that his eyesight was below that required for driving ie when he was 58. He had continued driving despite many warningsfromdoctors, opticians and, I understand, even the DVLA. Eventually he killed three pedestrians.

This new law would not havestopped this accident. It is not the age of the driver that matters, but their fitness to drive.

So maybe doctors and opticians should be required to report drivers to the DVLA if they are unfit to drive whatever their age

The irony is that the accident that was the final straw that triggered this decision involved a man of 68 who had been warned 10 years previously that his eyesight was below that required for driving ie when he was 58. He had continued driving despite many warningsfromdoctors, opticians and, I understand, even the DVLA. Eventually he killed three pedestrians.

This new law would not havestopped this accident. It is not the age of the driver that matters, but their fitness to drive.

Current plans are an eyesight test only at 70, then every 3 yrs everyone at that age gets a free eye check all it would need is a certificate from your optician confirming you have met the standard needed.

By the time we are 75 most of us are having eye checks every
3 Yrs so it should be no big deal. So yes some of us will have to get our eyes checked sooner, it seems a small price to pay.

I have just completed this online. Do it on the gov.uk site though, it is free.
There are some questions to answer, and a list of medical questions; if none of these apply to you then completing the form is straightforward. I guess if you have any of the medical conditions on the list, then you will need to see your GP.
Cut your old licence in half and send back to DVLA
I think renewing your licence at 70 is not new?
My licence arrived within the week.

Fully support this proposed change to the law. However, I would like the Government to go further and insist on a mini driving test, possibly with a qualified advanced driver. I am 77 and still drive, although not on motorways. I would hate to give up my car but the current DVLA form for over 70's where they trust the driver to be honest is asking for trouble and never checked up on.
Drink driving laws are being altered too. The Government intend to reduce the amount of alcohol before a driver is over the limit. Again, go further and make it zero tolerance.

I think if you need to maintain the C1 entitlement to drive a bigger vehicle such as a motorhome or small van, then the OP is correct, otherwise the renewed license automatically removes this entitlement.

I have just renewed my driving licence online, carefully ensuring that I was on the genuine .gov site. It took minutes to do.

today it is said that if you fail the eyesight test after 70 then you will be banned from driving . so my question is does that mean if you are under 70 and fail you can continue?

I think eyesight tests should be compulsory (at least every 5 years) if you drive a car. Regardless of age

I've just re-applied over the weekend and wasn't asked for anything. I did say no to all the conditions on their list, however. Perhaps, if you say 'yes' to any of them they might need to know the extent to which it could affect your driving?

The changes being suggested are:

Changes to the eyesight test. A compulsory annual eye test from either (suggested) 70 or 75.

There seemed to be more chat on Today about young drivers.

A good thing too. Too many deaths caused by drivers with poor vision. Proper, automatic reporting by GP or optician should be mandatory, as drivers will not do so.

But there are changes planned. This was discussed on this morning's BBC R4 Today programme.

Poppyred

Jaxjacky

It’s all proposed, not law and renewal is free

It’s not free. It’s £14 on the Gov.uk website

If you paid Poppy it was either not straightforward or a scam site.

Its free...I did my mums for her....just a couple of questions ....very easy to navigate

Ive just renewed mine. It is free. Had to confirm if I had any of the medical issues on form and if I had prescribed glasses. Had to provide a new photograph.

And it's definitely free.

There has been a thread on this in the last few weeks. I think the consensus was that it's only necessary to state that one is ok to drive. I think the OP has been looking at the wrong website - also the earlier OP too.

Not £14 , it is free if you are over 70, unless you have maybe changed your name.