Five million television viewers this week saw a mother describing her feelings after her daughter had been killed by a driver with defective vision.
The broadcast was shown on ITVÕs GMTV national breakfast television programme, and formed part of an item which featured the Eyecare TrustÕs driversÕ vision campaign a month before the start of National Eye Week (September 23-29).
DriversÕ vision is the theme of this yearÕs promotional week (News, August 16), which includes roadside police checks on motoristsÕ vision.
GMTV went live to one of the checks, near Dorking, Surrey, where drivers were being stopped for speeding.
ÔPolice donÕt have powers to stop people for random sight checks,Õ said Adrian Knowles, Eyecare Trust publicity coordinator, Ôso they have to stop them for something else, in this case speeding. The police were saying they wouldnÕt give them a ticket if they agreed to take a sight test, which worked quite well for us.Õ
Back in the studio GMTVÕs presenters spoke to the bereaved mother, highlighting the human cost of driving when visually impaired.
National Eye Week coincides with a new effort to increase Eyecare Trust membership in which larger firms can join as ÔpatronsÕ and practitioners contribute to become Ôfriends of the TrustÕ.
