Older motorists could soon be forced to take an eye test in order to keep their driving licence, under new plans considered by the Transport Secretary.
Experts have consistently called for measures to be introduced to ensure everyone on the road meets the legal requirements to get behind the wheel.
Speaking to the Commons Transport Select Committee, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was "open to considering" new rules to enforce eye tests for certain motorists.
In the coming months, the Government is expected to introduce a new Road Safety Strategy, which would be the first published update in more than a decade.
Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailingmotoring@gbnews.uk
Elderly drivers could soon be required to take a mandatory eyesight test
GETTY/PA
It comes after a senior coroner submitted a report to the Department for Transport and the Transport Secretary, saying that vision issues were the reason for the deaths of four people in Lancashire.
Dr James Adeley, HM Senior Coroner for Lancashire, ruled that four people - Marie Cunningham, 79, Grace Foulds, 85, Peter Westwell, 80, and 75-year-old Anne Ferguson - were killed by drivers with eyesight below the legal standard.
He added that the UK had the "laxest" licensing system for drivers in Europe, before describing it as "ineffective, unsafe and unfit to meet the needs of society".
In response to the report, the Transport Secretary said: "I know that reading that report will be very distressing for the families of the victims who were killed.
"That, of course, was a situation where the optician had suggested to (four) individuals that they needed to advise the authorities that they had a medical condition which affected their eyesight and where they shouldn't be driving.
"And of course, that didn't happen. So I am open to considering the evidence on this issue."
She confirmed that the Department for Transport would release a new Road Safety Strategy, which should be released later this year.
Motorists are required to self-certify whether they are fit to drive a vehicle, even though experts have pointed out numerous flaws with this system.
The minimum standard of vision for driving states that drivers must be able to read a car number plate made after 2001 from 20 metres. They must also have a visual acuity of at least decimal 0.5 (6/12) measured on the Snellen scale.
Rob Heard, chairman of the Older Drivers' Forum, called for a compulsory eyesight test when they turn 70, at which point they need to renew their licence every three years, rather than every 10 years for younger motorists.
Other road safety experts have called for a fitness check whenever someone renews their licence to ensure they are safe on the road and will not put other motorists at risk.
With the impending release of a new Road Safety Strategy, the Government could push for licence holders to prove that they are still capable of driving with a formal test, rather than self-certification.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Elderly motorists are required to inform the DVLA about medical conditions when they renew their licence GETTYA spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: "The NHS recommends adults should have their eyes tested every two years and drivers are legally required to inform the DVLA if they have a condition which affects their eyesight.
"We are committed to improving road safety and continue to explore ways to achieve this."
