Good vision is fundamental to safe driving — with approximately 90% of the information a driver processes being visual. Yet in the UK, most drivers are never required to undertake a formal eyesight test after passing their practical driving test.

This presentation will outline the current legal standards and eyesight requirements for drivers in the UK, including the Group 1 number plate test, self-declaration processes, DVLA requirements, and the enforcement powers available to police, including the use of Cassie’s Law .

The presentation will examine national data relating to roadside eyesight test failures, licence revocations and collision risk, alongside evidence showing increasing failure rates with age. It will also explore common age-related eye conditions affecting drivers - including reduced visual acuity, restricted visual fields, glare recovery issues and night vision deterioration - and explain why gradual visual decline often goes unnoticed by drivers themselves.

The presentation will discuss the real-world consequences of poor vision behind the wheel, both in terms of road safety outcomes and individual legal responsibility.

Drawing on findings from the NPCC-supported “Is Your Vision Roadworthy?” campaign, including results from national police activity in 2024 and 2026, the talk will consider proposals for the future — including policy reform, preventive testing approaches and improved enforcement consistency.

Finally, the presentation will challenge road safety professionals to consider what can collectively be done next, including: promoting regular optician-led eyesight testing, strengthening awareness campaigns, and embedding vision more firmly within the Road Safety Strategy.

Rob Heard, Road Safety & Older Drivers Consultant

Rob Heard is the founder and Chairperson of the Older Drivers Forum and a nationally recognised expert on older drivers, regularly being interviewed by TV, radio and other media on the subject. He has presented at numerous conferences on how we can help and support mature and older drivers to carry on driving safely for longer, but also when is the right time to retire from driving. 

Rob has previously been in the Police Force for 30 years, being part of the Roads Policing department for 27 years. Rob is passionate about road safety and prior to retirement he was the Sergeant in charge of road safety for Hampshire and Thames Valley Police. Rob was a senior investigating officer for road deaths, and instigated the Older Drivers Forum following several serious and fatal incidents involving older drivers. 

The Older Drivers Forum is a partnership approach and since its creation in 2013 has enjoyed great success in reducing older driver incidents and increasing help and support to not only older drivers, but other interested parties. Rob has assisted other areas across the country to set up their own schemes to help and support this vulnerable group.

He is a member of the National Older Drivers Task Force and co-author of the Task Force report published as a national strategy to the UK government in November 2021. 

Rob has won numerous national awards for his work with older drivers, including a lifetime achievement award from Road Safety Support, and winner of ‘Outstanding Contribution to Road Safety’ from the National Police Chiefs Council. In the 2025 New Years Honours list, Rob was awarded an MBE for his work in road safety and particularly mature and older drivers. He now works as a road safety consultant, specialising in older drivers and is a Driver Awareness Trainer for UKROEd.