Motorists over 70 could be banned from the roads if they fail compulsory eye tests under a radical shake-up of driving laws in Great Britain.

Plans also include reducing the drink-driving limit in both England and Wales to be in line with Scotland's laws, and giving people points on their licence for not wearing a seatbelt.

The move comes after an inquest into four deaths caused by drivers with failing eyesight saw a coroner call the UK's licensing system the "laxest in Europe".

The changes are expected to be included in a new road safety strategy set to be published by the government in the autumn, with ministers believing that the current safety messaging is not working.

No plans to change passenger rules for new young drivers a 'major oversight', AA says

"In no other circumstance would we accept 1,600 people dying [on the roads each year], with thousands more seriously injured, costing the NHS more than £2bn per year," a government source told the BBC.

"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 source added.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said she supports the plans to bring in compulsory eye tests for drivers over 70.

"I think we need to make sure that people driving on our roads and using our streets are safe," she said.

In April, HM Senior Coroner for Lancashire Dr James Adeley sent a report to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander to say action should be taken to prevent future deaths, after he found enforcement of visual legal standards for drivers was unsafe.

Following the inquest, a source close to the transport secretary told the BBC the government accepted that the rules "need to be reassessed".

The UK is one of only three European countries to rely on self-reporting of visual conditions affecting the ability to drive.

Now, a new requirement being prepared by the transport secretary could make eye tests for the over-70s compulsory when they renew their driving licence every three years.

However, Peter Browne, 73, from Great Yarmouth, told the BBC that he has tried to get an appointment to get his sight checked but is unable to get one.

He says he has glaucoma and has reported it to the DVLA but that he has not stopped driving.

"I'm quite frustrated," he said. "If it was found that my eyesight was not of sufficient level to drive, would it be my fault or the NHS for not being able to give me an appointment?"

Edmund King, president of the AA, defended drivers like Peter over the age of 70, saying they "are still relatively safe" - although acknowledged bringing in a compulsory eye test was "a small price to pay" for safety.

"When you look at road deaths the big peaks are with young, new drivers and then older drivers - although older drivers it does tend