RoadPeace, the national charity supporting victims of road crashes and campaigning for road danger reduction, cautiously welcomes changes proposed by the Government as part of their forthcoming road safety strategy.
Proposals said to be on the table include compulsory eye tests for drivers over 70, a reduction in the drink-drive limit in England and Wales to match Scotland’s stricter laws, and the introduction of penalty points for passengers not wearing seatbelts.
Our Thanks and Thoughts with the Cunningham Family
RoadPeace strongly supports the introduction of compulsory eye tests for drivers aged over 70, a move that aligns with safety practices in many other European countries
Poor eyesight has been a tragic contributory factor in many fatal collisions, and ensuring that all drivers meet a clear vision standard is a vital step toward preventing avoidable deaths.
RoadPeace commends the work done by the family of Marie Cunningham, as part of their ‘Sight Safe’ Campaign. Marie and her friend, Grace Foulds, were killed by a driver who was told on 9 occasions that his vision did not meet the standard to drive. The Cunningham family has ardently campaigned for change ever since. An inquest into the deaths of Marie and Grace, and Anne Ferguson and Peter Westwell, (also killed by drivers whose vision did not meet the required standard) was held in April 2025, and saw HM Senior Coroner for Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen, Dr James Adeley, describing our licensing system as the “laxest in Europe”.
We applaud this proposed change, recognising how vital good vision is to keeping all road users safe. Our thoughts remain with the Cunningham family, and we honour their dedication in turning personal loss into a legacy that will help protect others.
The Cunningham message to all drivers is this: We have to earn the right to drive. If it’s time to retire from driving, then you need to do so gracefully.
Our Hopes for More
We very much look forward to seeing the detail of the Road Safety Strategy and hope for a formal consultation process. While these are positive indications from the Government, we also want to see measures which close the current legislative loophole regarding drivers who fail to remain at the scene, address the disproportionate number of young and newly-qualified drivers in road crashes, and implement steps to suspend the licences of drivers who are charged with an offence carrying a mandatory disqualification before they reach court. Additional measures could include timely signposting to support services, the provision of Family Liaison Officers in dedicated roles, ensuring high quality, better-resourced investigations and mechanisms to ensure these are abided by, such as tagging for serial offenders. We hope to see a greater emphasis put on post-crash care, until such time as Vision Zero is achieved.