
Over 70s face UK driving bans if they fail eye tests
The shake-up could also see the drink drive limit in England and Wales to be lowered in line with Scotland's laws.
Under the plans being considered by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, the drink-drive limit in England and Wales could be cut from 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath to 22 micrograms.
🏠 Moved home? You must update your:
➡ driving licence
➡ vehicle log book (V5C)
➡ Direct Debit for vehicle tax
➡ private number plate documentshttps://t.co/4oRx6mVOue#NewHome #DVLADigital pic.twitter.com/0WxiQfNJv3 — Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (@DVLAgovuk) August 8, 2025
This figure would be in line with Scotland, which cut its drink-drive limit in 2014, and the rest of Europe, where no other country has a limit as high as that in England and Wales.
Ministers are also considering tougher penalties for uninsured drivers and failing to wear a seatbelt.
Last year, 1,633 people were killed and almost 28,000 seriously injured in traffic incidents, and numbers have remained relatively constant following a large fall between 2000 and 2010.
A Labour source said: 'At the end of the last Labour government, the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads was at a record low, but numbers have remained stubbornly high under successive Conservative governments.
'In no other circumstance would we accept 1,600 people dying, with thousands more seriously injured, costing the NHS more than £2 billion per year.'
Recommended Reading:
Meanwhile, the number of people killed in drink-driving incidents has risen over the past decade, reaching a 13-year high in 2022 and prompting concern that existing road safety measures are no longer working.
Other proposals are reported to include allowing the police to bring prosecutions for drug-driving on the basis of roadside saliva tests rather than blood tests as increasing numbers of drivers are being caught with drugs in their system.
The Labour source added: 'This Labour Government will deliver the first road safety strategy in a decade, imposing tougher penalties on those breaking the law, protecting road users and restoring order to our roads.'
The strategy is due to be published in the autumn, and all proposals will be subject to consultation.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
19 minutes ago
- Reuters
Gold rebounds from two-week low; Trump-Zelenskiy meeting in focus
Aug 18 (Reuters) - Gold rose after hitting a two-week low, supported by lower U.S. Treasury yields as investors awaited U.S. President Donald Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European leaders to discuss a peace deal with Russia. Spot gold was up 0.3% at $3,345.64 per ounce, as of 0156 GMT on Monday, after hitting its lowest level since August 1. U.S. gold futures for December delivery rose 0.3% to $3,391.80. "Gold was on the back foot to start the day, but ... was able to reverse course with buyers stepping up to around the $3,330 level as a value play. U.S. treasury yields gave up some of Friday's gains which also helped to make life easier for the gold price," said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade. European leaders are set to join Zelenskiy for discussions with Trump. Russia would relinquish tiny pockets of occupied Ukraine and Kyiv would cede swathes of its eastern land which Moscow has been unable to capture, under peace proposals discussed by Russia's Vladimir Putin and Trump at their Alaska summit, sources briefed on Moscow's thinking said. "We are seeing limited moves in either direction ahead of what could be some lively meetings in the White House this week with Zelenskiy back in town," Waterer said. Meanwhile, benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yields eased from more than two-week high level. Investors are also looking ahead to the Federal Reserve's annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Economists polled by Reuters largely expect the Fed to announce a rate cut in September, its first this year, with a possible second cut by the year-end amid mounting U.S. economy woes. Non-yielding bullion, considered a safe-haven assets during periods of uncertainity, tends to perform well in low-interest-rate environment. Elsewhere, spot silver rose 0.3% to $38.08 per ounce, platinum gained 0.8% to $1,346.61 and palladium was up 1.3% to $1,126.85.


BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Global News Podcast European leaders to join Trump-Zelensky meeting
Several European leaders are to join the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, in Washington on Monday, where he's due to hold talks with Donald Trump at the White House. During a virtual meeting in Brussels, the "coalition of the willing" said they would seek robust security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of any deal with Russia. Earlier the US president's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said land concessions to Russia would be a choice for Ukraine. Also: huge crowds have gathered in Israel calling for a hostage deal and an end to the war in Gaza; and the actor Terence Stamp, who starred as Superman villain General Zod, dies aged 87. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@

Rhyl Journal
an hour ago
- Rhyl Journal
Starmer and European allies travel to Washington with Zelensky for crunch talks
The Prime Minister and six other political leaders will travel to Washington DC on Monday, with the aim of protecting Ukraine from having to submit to Russian land grabs as a price for peace. Those joining Sir Keir include France's Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Friedrich Merz, Italy's Giorgia Meloni and Alexander Stubb, president of Finland. Nato chief Mark Rutte and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen are also attending. Mr Zelensky is expecting to face calls from the US president to concede to full Russian control of Donetsk and Luhansk, two mineral-rich regions of Ukraine that are mostly occupied by Vladimir Putin's forces. In exchange for these demands, the Russian president would reportedly withdraw his forces from other areas of Ukraine and accept a Nato-like guarantee that Ukraine would be protected from further incursion. The European leaders have said it is up to Ukraine to decide how it wishes to end the war, and hailed Mr Zelensky's commitment to a peace that is both 'just and lasting'. Mr Trump has appeared to drop his calls for a ceasefire after a summit in Alaska with his Russian counterpart on Friday. Mr Putin has long refused to agree to a ceasefire as a precondition for talks to end the war, prompting fears that Russia could continue gaining ground in Ukraine as negotiations take place. The US president has instead said he wants to focus a long-term peace deal, though his secretary of state Marco Rubio has signalled a deal is 'still a long ways off'. There will be 'additional consequences' for Russia if it does not agree to a peace deal, Mr Rubio added, though he suggested fresh financial sanctions would be unlikely to force Mr Putin to the negotiating table. Ms von der Leyen suggested at a press conference on Sunday that both a ceasefire and a peace deal would have the same impact: to 'stop the killing'. Appearing alongside her, Ukraine's Mr Zelensky appeared to agree, though he also signalled his preference for a ceasefire. 'It's impossible to do this under the pressure of weapons. So it's necessary to cease fire and work quickly on a final deal,' he said. European leaders are also keen to hear from Mr Trump after he signalled he would provide a security guarantee to the coalition of the willing. The coalition, which is aimed at deterring future Russian aggression once peace is agreed, has argued it needs an American backstop, likely in the form of air support, to succeed. Over the weekend, Sir Keir was among the leaders who welcomed suggestions from Mr Trump that he was open to providing a guarantee, but details of what support would be provided were scant. Following a meeting of the coalition on Sunday afternoon, a Downing Street spokesman said Sir Keir praised Mr Zelensky's desire for a 'just and lasting peace' in Ukraine. Leaders of the coalition 'reaffirmed their continued support to Ukraine' at the meeting chaired by the PM and Mr Macron, No 10 added. The French president, meanwhile, said the European delegation will ask Mr Trump to back its plans to bolster Ukraine's armed forces. Ahead of their Oval Office encounter, the allies are likely to be mindful of the previous occasion Mr Zelensky visited Mr Trump in the White House. February's public spat, which saw Vice President JD Vance accuse Mr Zelensky of not being thankful enough to the US, resulted in American aid to Ukraine being temporarily halted.