BBC expert Rav Wilding November eyesight test rule warning 'licence revoked at roadside'

A BBC expert has warned viewers 'we need to be aware of' the reasons behind a crackdown which could result in motorists having their licence revoked. Speaking on BBC Morning Live, former police officer Rav Wilding revealed police are pulling over drivers and testing their eyesight. Mr Wilding explained that people who fail could have their driving licence confiscated on the spot and face a £1,000 fine. He told hosts Gethin Jones and Helen Skelton: "This is really important.

We're talking about something that's currently happening in Chester. It's called Operation Insight, but it's happening around the UK as well with other forces where they're stopping vehicles and requiring a roadside eye test to make sure that drivers are up to the required standard, legal standard to drive a car on the roads". He clarified the debate on precisely what the test involves — and what drivers must do to pass. He said: "It is something that I think we should be aware of because there are a lot of drivers that are below the minimum standard and you might not know what the standard actually is.

And the test really quite simply is reading a normal car license plate from 20m away. "That is the same as five parked cars together. If you're in a street , you're outside your home, you're walking along the foot path and you just want to count and see how far away that distance will be, it's actually, quite, it is quite far. When I did my motorcycle test, I'd already had my car licence for many, many years. "I had to redo the eyesight test as part of it like everyone would .

Even though I've got 2020 vision, I thought, 'Wow, actually that's a harder test than I thought it was going to be.' So, it's worth just having a go if you're walking along the street just to see if you can read that license plate from 20m away." Host Gethin asked: "But people do want to be responsible drivers. So what do you do if you don't think you can do that? If you've got concerns about it?". Rav cautioned that the last thing anyone wants is to be pulled over by police, fail the test on the spot and risk having their licence revoked immediately.

He warned: "What you don't want to happen is you be pulled over by police to do the test and fail because if you do, you can actually have your licence revoked. It can be taken away on the spot. If you were to then try and continue to drive, that is an offence in itself because you currently don't have a licence, and you actually have to reapply to get your licence back via the DVLA, and you'd have to have proof of having an eyesight test that meets the required standards."

He went on to urge anyone with doubts to book an eye test without delay, pointing out that many people don't get them as frequently as they should: "So, you don't want that to happen. If you've got any doubts, I would say it's best to have an eyesight test. Now, lots of people don't have them as regularly as you know we would like to have. So, if you're over the age of 60 in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, you can get them free. Scotland, they are free.

Over 60 with certain medical conditions. You can also get them free. "So if you have something like glaucoma, you may be able to get a free eye test. It's worth checking where you are because you could be entitled. Over the age of 70, you need to declare you are fit to drive to reapply for your licence every 3 years via the DVLA. Now, if you have to declare a medical condition that affects your eyesight, you do have to support that with documentation that shows that you have met the required eyesight standards.

So you have to have a test there as well." Under a new Department for Transport (DfT) Road Safety Strategy plan, drivers aged 70 and over will no longer be able to rely on self-declaration when renewing their driving licence every three years. Instead, they will face compulsory vision testing - officials have consulted on this plan but the results of this have not yet been published. The proposals set out that older motorists will need their eyesight formally assessed every three years as part of the renewal process.

The DfT consultation period — which ran from 7 January 2026 to 11 May 2026 — has now closed, with the government currently analysing the feedback alongside organisations such as The College of Optometrists and the Association of Optometrists. Alongside the strategy, police forces across the UK are continuing to run the Is Your Vision Roadworthy? campaign, carrying out 20-metre number plate checks. Under Cassie's Law, any driver who fails a roadside check can have their licence revoked immediately if deemed unsafe.

Mr Wilding went on to say: "If you fail it, you could get three points on your licence. You could get up to a £1,000 fine. But let's not forget what is far far more serious is the potential danger to yourself, to your passengers, and other road users and pedestrians. That is a much bigger concern that should make people think, do you know what? Let's just make sure my eyes are up to that standard that they should be."