Can you see the road?
It’s common sense that good eyesight is a basic requirement for safe driving? But are you sure that your that your eyesight is as good as it can be?
Did you know that Poor vision will increase the risk of a collision due to the driver’s inability to recognise and react in time to hazards? The DVLA, The Telegraph, and the BBC are suggesting that we all undergo a sight test every five years. This is also a sentiment recommended by the road safety charity Brake.
Reduced visual clarity
Poor vision is believed to be massively under-reported and crash causation data indicates that it is difficult to determine if eyesight was to blame. Some accidents probably occur because drivers are unaware they have deteriorating vision and have not corrected it nor reported it to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
Untreated eye conditions tend to occur gradually over time. In some cases, someone could lose up to 40% of their vision yet be unaware that they have a problem.
Philip Gomm of the RAC Foundation said: “We subject our cars to yearly MoT checks, so why take less care about our own bodies given that human factors account for most accidents? The best evidence is that drivers should have a vision check at least every five years, increasing to every two years after the age of 60.”
Brake for change
Road safety charity Brake agrees, describing the current test as “a throwback to the Sixties” and not fit for purpose. It believes 2,900 casualties each year are caused by drivers with poor vision. A Brake spokesman said: “It fails to measure for visual acuity and visual field, and allows people to drive with eyesight that makes them unsafe.
The Royal College of Optometrists estimates that between 2-3% of drivers have vision which falls below the minimum standard required for driving.
If you wish to check that your vision meets the current standard call 01484 907090 to book an appointment
