Driving: Eyesight

(asked on 7th February 2025) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring all drivers to complete a DVLA eye test.


Answered by
Lilian Greenwood Portrait
Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This question was answered on 14th February 2025

All drivers have an ongoing legal responsibility to ensure that they meet the vision standards for driving, which includes being able to read a number plate from 20 metres, wearing glasses or corrective lenses if needed. Drivers must notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) at any time of a change in their health or vision which may affect their ability to meet the appropriate standards.

The Department for Transport supports the National Health Service’s recommendation that adults should have their eyes tested every two years and the DVLA encourages drivers to regularly check their own vision by reading a number plate from 20 metres and arranging a formal vision test when required. There are no current plans to introduce mandatory eyesight testing of all drivers.

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