As another winter approaches, drivers’ vision standards in the UK have deteriorated to such an extent that police are resorting to random roadside checks (Optician 07.09.18).
Now research by Sightsavers has revealed 80% of UK drivers legally required to wear glasses or contact lenses failed to do so.
More than a third (35%) of drivers surveyed said they forgot to wear them on most days and over a quarter (27%) forgot every week. In comparison, only a fifth (22%) of people required to wear glasses or contact lenses say they always wear them while driving.
Three police forces in England have been cracking down on drivers with poor vision in order to improve road safety. Thames Valley, Hampshire and West Midlands police have been performing random sight checks on drivers by asking them to read a number plate from 20 metres away, the standard eye sight check that also takes place at the beginning of a practical driving test. If drivers failed this test, then their licences were rescinded on the spot and they were banned from driving. The police forces have said that the data collected from these tests will be used to further improve the understanding surrounding poor driver vision.
Sergeant Rob Heard, a representative of the three forces who took part, said: ‘Although the campaign month has finished, we are now working with partners nationally to take the results and strategies forward and hope to release more nationally at the end of the year when we have collated results from partners and other agencies as well. The police will still carry out 20 metres number plate checks on drivers when they have suspicion that a driver may have defective eyesight and those who cannot read a number plate in good daylight conditions will still have their licence revoked by the DVLA.
‘We recommend to all drivers not to become complacent about their vision but to have an eyesight test with an optician every two years that also involves a field of vision check. Having good vision is essential to safe driving and a regular eyesight test will assist with this, as well as pick up many medical conditions early and allow them to be treated.’
He added that the campaign had been a success and through speaking to many opticians, they all saw a 200-300% increase in people going in for eye examinations.
Vision Express and road safety charity Brake have been supporting this operation and calling for compulsory eye sight tests when people renew their licences, as well as stricter laws on driver vision. Currently, drivers only undergo a required eye sight check during their practical driving test and after receiving their licence, it is their responsibility to notify the DVLA if they have any vision problems.
Jay Ghadiali, director of professional services at Vision Express, said: ‘Our Eye Tests Save Lives campaign encourages drivers to ensure they’re maintaining good eye health and wearing glasses or lenses with up-to-date prescriptions. This is particularly important as the nights draw in. Our Vision Van continues to tour the country offering free eye tests to the public and raising awareness of the importance of regular eye tests – by making an eye test free and convenient, we hope we can have an impact. But we can’t do this alone – we are bringing together a consortium of MPs and road safety charities to push for real change. Getting the DVLA to add an eye test prompt to the licence renewal letters was a win for our campaign, but much more has to be done.’
Operation Close Pass found 5% of drivers failed basic vision requirements
Ghadiali added that Vision Express passionately believed the 20 metres test is outdated and ineffective. He said: ‘We wouldn’t consider not having a valid MOT for our car – yet there’s no legal requirement for drivers to have their vision verified as being adequate to get behind the wheel. At Vision Express, we are campaigning for driver eye testing every 10 years, which correlates to the frequency of when licences are renewed and would put the UK on a par with countries like the Republic of Ireland, which have far tighter controls. We’d also like to introduce more frequent testing for older drivers because sight naturally deteriorates as we age.’
Sightsavers has stated that the human cost for uncorrected refractive error is greater than most people realise. It is estimated that 89% of the 1.2 billion people with visual impairments actually live in low and middle-income countries, where it can be difficult to receive treatment due to finance problems.
Dominic Haslam, Sightsavers’ director of programme strategy, added: ‘Treating people for something as simple as refractive error is not often seen as lifesaving and yet we know there are millions of drivers on main roads around the world who can’t see properly. This issue affects all of us, in every country of the world. The biggest difference for people in developing countries is that they are less likely to have access to good quality eye health services, even glasses.’
Latest figures from West Midlands Police say that one in 20 drivers pulled over are failing basic vision tests. The force checked the vision of 81 motorists who were pulled over on the road as part of Operation Close Pass between March 1 and August 20. The test involved the drivers reading a number plate 20 metres away and four out of the 81 failed and had their licence revoked on the spot.
West Midlands Police Superintendent Dave Twyford, head of the Central Motorway Police Group, said: ‘It’s worrying that around 5% of drivers we’ve pulled over recently during Close Pass have failed the basic eyesight requirements. Not being able to see a hazard or react to a situation quickly enough can have catastrophic consequences and potentially cost lives.’
PC Mark Hodson, of West Midlands Police, added: ‘We have been routinely testing the eyesight of drivers for more than two years as part of Operation Close Pass. Drivers sometimes tell us “I didn’t see the cyclist” so we give them a roadside vision check. As part of the Brake campaign, our officers will be carrying out vision checks on all drivers who are pulled over on suspicion of committing a traffic offence or been involved in a collision.’
The power to revoke licences was introduced in 2013 under Cassie’s Law, named after 16-year-old Cassie McCord who died when an 87-year-old man lost control of his vehicle in Colchester, Essex. It was later discovered that he had failed a police eyesight test days earlier, but a legal loophole meant he was allowed to continue driving.