New UK driving rule could see over 70s barred from the roads if they fail a compulsory test

In an overhaul of road safety measures in the UK, a new driving rule could be enforced that would affect drivers over the age of 70, as well as cracking down on seatbelt usage and drink-driving.

There are always ways to improve road safety, as incidents continue to occur every day.

Even without driver error, sometimes the roads are just destined for dilemmas – we’ve seen as much as the US has rolled out autonomous vehicles, and still problems persist.

But in a bid to clean up some of the issues on UK roads, the government looks set to finally introduce compulsory tests for over-70s that would see them banned from driving if they fail.

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UK set to tighten its laws in major motoring reform

The biggest countries and states in the world are all looking at their driving laws this year in a renewed effort to make our vehicular journeys as safe as possible.

The UK specifically is reportedly looking at changing its laws early in 2026, as drivers continue to fall foul of hazards.

In a report from The Times, British ministers are considering cracking down on drink driving and seatbelt usage.

Recent studies suggest that around one quarter of road accidents involve one party not wearing a seatbelt, and now this could be enough to warrant points on their driver’s licenses – even if the issue wasn’t their fault.

As for drink-driving, the current legal limit in the UK is around 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath, which is around 2.5 pints of lager, or a small glass of wine, depending on body size.

That, though, could be cut down to 22mg in the new law changes.

But the biggest impact is coming the way of elderly drivers over the age of 70.

Over-70s may soon need to face compulsory tests in new driving rule

The new driving rule will mean that over-70s will have to undergo compulsory eye tests to be able to keep their license.

The drivers would need to have a test every three years, which would replace the UK’s current system that relies on elderly road users reporting eyesight issues themselves.

If the test is failed, the elderly drivers would have their driver’s license revoked.

There are also reports of the eyetest also having a mental concentration element to it, to ensure that the over-70s drivers can maintain focus on the road over long periods of time.

There’s currently no timeline on these laws coming into play, but Ministers are believed to have it high on the priority list.

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