Confederation calls for extra tests for drivers

The Optical Confederation has responded to the government's Strategic Framework for Road Safety by pointing out that the number of licences revoked for poor eyesight does not equate to the 1.8 million people in the UK estimated to have vision below the driving standard.

It pointed out that only 4,000 people had their licences revoked in 2010, highlighting that with an ageing population, the number of people with vision below 6/12 would increase to 4 million by 2050 in the UK. The submission to the Transport Select Committee Inquiry stated that the Confederation was very concerned that the current screening of drivers' vision in the UK - the number plate test - was inadequate, as was the lack of any further vision assessment until self-declaration at the age of 70.