Fashionable sunglasses put drivers' lives at risk

A new survey reveals that some 12 million fashion-conscious women in the UK could be risking their lives by wearing unsuitable sunglasses for driving.

The 'Summer Driving Vision' survey for UK insurer Sheilas' Wheels showed that fewer than one in five women choose sunglasses specifically for driving, with three-fifths of the 766 women drivers surveyed in July by YouGov opting for style over safety.

The Eyecare Trust was also commissioned to carry out an audit of five fashionable high-street sunglasses, with three found to be unsuitable for driving. It warned against sunglasses with pink and blue lenses which could distort vision and wide-sided sunglasses, worn by 9 per cent of women when driving, were criticised for limiting peripheral vision. Very dark lenses preventing full visibility affected almost one in 10 British women and it described category 4 filter lenses as illegal to wear while driving.