Drivers over 70 will have their eyes tested every three years

Drivers over 70 face eye tests every three years to keep their licences.

The proposal is being considered by the Department for Transport to ‘identify drivers who pose a collision risk’.

If they fail a test they could have their licences revoked, The Times reported.

The plans come after the Duke of Edinburgh collided with a car near Sandringham in January, injuring two women.

Prince Philip, who was 97, gave up his licence three weeks later.

Some 67 per cent of people aged 70 or over had a full licence in 2018 – twice as many as in the mid-Nineties. More than 4,600 drivers over 70 had licences revoked due to their eyesight last year.

Licences expire when drivers reach 70. It is up to them to confirm their sight is good enough if they ask for a new one.

A DfT spokesman said: ‘We want to find out more about how eyesight testing could play a role in reducing fatalities.’

But Caroline Abrahams, of Age UK, said: ‘We are not aware of evidence showing poor sight is a significant cause of accidents among older drivers.’