Last week, my daughter Ophelia passed her driving test. She has been looking forward to the freedom of being able to get herself from A to B independently for quite some time, and my husband and I are absolutely thrilled for her. But as we all know, being on the road is not always safe so as you can maybe imagine, these happy moments cause a dose of parental apprehension.
Among the many dangers on the road, I can’t help but think of how many times I have met patients who have continued to drive despite being told by their optometrist that they do not meet the legal standards. I have also met at least two patients who came in for low vision assessments and had driven to these appointments despite being far below the legal standards.
One of these, an elderly gentleman, was told by one of my locums that his vision was not good enough to drive and initially he and his wife argued his case with the optometrist. When she told the couple that he may not be able to see a pedestrian in the road or even recognise a red light, I was shocked to hear the gentleman’s wife had proclaimed that she was always with him in the car so knew to tell him when he needed to stop.
Eventually this patient did indeed stop driving but having the professional knowledge that there are people on the road who prioritise their need to independently get from A to B over the safety of themselves and others, scares me in a new way. The statistics around driving and eyesight have always been very concerning, but they take a whole new dimension now that my daughter is out on the road.
I’ve never been a cotton wool parent. However, it is estimated that more than 900,000 British drivers would fail a simple roadside vision screening. I don’t want her path to cross one of the 30% who have doubted whether their vision was good enough but got behind the wheel anyway. It is a fear of mine that she could be among the 3,000 people injured or killed each year by a driver with poor vision.
I made some content for one of my social media clients earlier this year and discovered that out of around 34 million drivers in the UK, 17 million admitted to having trouble with their vision while driving at night or in poor weather conditions. So, why is it that historically the number plate test could only legally be officially administered in good lighting and weather conditions when we have no light level or time of day driving restrictions?
Speaking of the number plate check, my daughter was required to do it prior to her driving test last week, but isn’t it absolutely crazy that under current rules it is likely to be the last time she will be required to undertake that check until she renews her license in 53 years at the age of 70?
Also, how was this simple number plate check deemed sufficient in the first place? I doubt many people testing themselves use a tape measure to ensure they are checking at exactly 20m, so results are surely bound to vary.
Also, if a simple number plate check was indeed completely adequate to decide if someone is fit to drive then would Zeiss have bothered making sure that the Humphreys in my practice could also run an Esterman test?
Regarding Esterman tests, the DVLA can require drivers with conditions such as glaucoma to have one, but it’s estimated that 50% of people with glaucoma don’t even know they have it yet. With most cases of glaucoma only picked up during a routine eye exam, and with 17.5 million Brits currently overdue for their routine eye exams I now find myself scared of, and not just for, that 50% of people currently unknowingly living with the silent thief of sight. How many of those people are on the road?
Research by Brunel University shows that blurred vision and simulated vision reduced to the current legal minimum can make motorists less able to read road signs and react to hazards, while also causing fatigue and impairing a motorist’s ability to maintain a consistent speed or stay in lane. Instead of telling drivers that they need to make sure they can simply read a number plate at 20m, why can’t motorists be required to have a routine eye examination and follow the advice of their optometrist?
This is surely a public safety issue that our workforce can easily help with and I simply do not understand why a routine eye exam is not a legal requirement for those who drive.
- Francesca Blackmore is owner and practice manager of Pearce & Blackmore Opticians in the Cardiff area.