It seems any old Thomas, Richard or Harold can drive a car these days.
Britain has some pretty lax rules when it comes to people of a certain age holding on to their licences.
Pass your test in your teens and you’re almost assured of the freedom of the road until you're approaching your dying days.
It’s an unavoidable biological fact that as we age our reflexes slow, eyesight and hearing deteriorate, the ability to make snap judgments goes.
The decline is so gradual that the owner is the last person to notice their losses. They’re likely to get a tad tetchy if you suggest they possess fewer marbles than in days gone by.
As a result, it’s undeniable that a number of elderly people - but clearly not all - become a liability when in control of a vehicle.
Currently, motorists must renew their driving licences every three years from age 70 onwards.
They’re supposed to have sufficient eyesight, but guess who is asked about their visual health - that’s right, you self-report.
It’s never easy to admit you’re not up to something and, when driving gives you certain freedoms, it’s easy to think, ‘My eyesight’s not that bad really and I drive carefully anyway’.
But those who cheat the system run the risk of becoming a menace on our roads.
Which is why a radical plan by the Government to ban motorists over 70 if they fail compulsory eye tests is common sense.
Forcing drivers to undertake an independent eye test every three years once they reach 70 is a no-brainer.
If you’re (with good reason) confident your eyes are up to scratch, then you have nothing to fear.
On the other hand, if you fall below the required standard, you’ll be doing yourself and other road users a favour by parking your motoring career.
The AA defends the silver drivers as it reckons the “big peaks” for road deaths are among young, new drivers and those over 80. However, it does concede that compulsory eye tests are a small price to pay.
So, presumably, many 70s to 80s have little to fear from the new proposal.
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