Calls for mandatory eye tests for over-70s to continue driving after the number of 90-year-olds with a driver's license doubled in the past decade

The number of 90-year-olds and older with a driver's license has doubled in ten years, prompting calls for mandatory eye tests to increase road safety.

A record number of 153,000 older Brits were fully licensed in November, almost a quarter of the total in that age group.

The eldest was 109, but it is not known whether she is still on the way. This compares with 77,000 a decade earlier and is the highest since such records began in 2012.

Now the AA has called on motorists to take an eye test so they can still drive after the age of 70. Currently, driver's license holders are not subject to mandatory checks, regardless of their age.

The Department for Transport said over-70s must renew their driving licenses every three years and disclose if a medical condition affects their driving ability (stock photo)

AA president Edmund King said that 'one check to improve road safety would be for people over the age of 70 to demonstrate regular eye tests when renewing their driving license and also stricter guidance from GPs'.

But he added that giving up driving, which is a lifeline for many, should be based on medical and family advice, and not an “arbitrary age”.

He also pointed out: 'If driving restrictions based on age and safety were introduced, we would be more likely to restrict young drivers than older drivers.'

The Department for Transport says over-70s must renew their driving license every three years and disclose if a medical condition affects their driving ability.