Eye health and driving were once again at the centre of the conversation as the optical industry undertook activity for Road Safety Week (November 17-23).
The main campaign by organisers Brake focused on the 1,700 people who die on UK roads every year and the 30,000 who receive life-changing injuries.
The charity shared the stories of road crash victims and made a call for the very highest standard of care for every person affected.
Online contact lens retailer Vision Direct analysed Department for Transport data and highlighted that over the last 10 years in the UK, ‘uncorrected or defective eyesight’ was listed as a road safety factor in 62 road fatalities and 2,648 casualties.
Hampshire, Kent and West Sussex had the highest number of casualties caused by sight-related issues in that time with 109, 103 and 100, respectively.
Roadside checks
In October and November, regional police forces conducted roadside vision screening and shared information with drivers about how to keep their vision clear in all light conditions.
The police’s activity was part of the National Police Chiefs’ Councils’ ‘Operation Dark Night’ road safety initiative, which highlighted motorists’ legal obligation to ensure their vision was roadworthy every time they got behind the wheel.
Officers in Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire took part in the campaign and asked drivers to read a number plate from a distance of 20m. Tests were conducted in good daylight conditions and the driver wore any vision correction required for driving.
Roads policing inspector Ian Wills said: ‘Most drivers know that worn or defective tyres on their vehicle can result in a fine and penalty points, but they are less likely to realise that driving with uncorrected defective eyesight is punishable with a fine of up to £1,000, three penalty points and possible disqualification. It can also increase your risk of a collision occurring.
‘Ninety percent of the information a driver uses is visual, so we want to use the roadside screening to raise awareness of the fundamental importance of good eyesight. Drivers who fail to meet the required standards are not only breaking the law but putting themselves and other road users at risk.’
The police campaign noted that as British Summer Time ended and the nights began to draw in, more people would find themselves on the road after dark, which was when motorists could start to notice problems with their eyesight.
It also highlighted problems with focusing and being dazzled by glare from oncoming headlights when driving at night.
Chief constable Jo Shiner, national police chief constable lead for roads policing, said: ‘Personal responsibility is the starting point for safer roads. Making sure your eyesight meets the standards of vision for driving is important and something only you can do to keep yourself and all other road users safe while driving.’
Government research
Research into the causes of night-time headlight glare has been commissioned by the government after campaigning that involved the College of Optometrists and the RAC breakdown insurance company.
The College said headlight glare was a modern-day problem that resulted in many drivers, particularly older motorists, refraining from driving in the dark because of safety concerns.
The professional body’s survey from 2023 found 76% of UK drivers found glare to be an issue when driving at night.
It added that the introduction of brighter LED headlamps and the increasing number of larger SUV-type vehicles on the road combined to create uncomfortable glare from oncoming traffic.
‘We need to fully understand all the factors that cause glare though and that requires the support of central policy makers and funding,’ the College said.
The commitment to researching this area was made by the previous government but the College said work had been done to ensure the new government kept this pledge.
The Department for Transport has commissioned TRL to undertake initial research to understand the factors that can cause glare and how to address them, with a scientific review undertaken by stakeholders including the College.
Mike Bowen, director of research at the College of Optometrists, said: ‘Having been an important and instrumental voice in bringing about this decision by the Department for Transport, the College is pleased to see TRL now working with the government to further investigate the questions relating to headlight glare.
‘We look forward to supporting TRL in the future as this research progresses and seeing the eventual results of the project, which will inform and support the motoring industry in making vehicles safer for all road users at night.’
A project started in October 2024, will run into the spring of 2025, whereby an instrumented car will measure light levels experienced by drivers during real driving on UK roads.
Factors such as the vehicles around the instrumented car, weather conditions and ambient lighting, will also be measured, to build a complete understanding of the conditions that were most likely to give rise to high brightness levels and glare.
