Quarter of drivers fail eyesight tests
One in four Surrey drivers cannot see well enough to be on the roads and pose a greater risk of causing crashes, according to checks carried out on drivers’ eyesight by Specsavers on its ‘Drive Safe’ roadshow trailer at this year’s Surrey Heath Show...
If similar results are recorded elsewhere it means that millions of drivers across the UK, including at-work motorists, could be getting behind the wheel illegally. The Specsavers ‘Drive Safe’ trailer visits motoring events and county shows nationwide advising drivers on their eyesight.
The minimum legal visual distance requirement for driving is to be able to read an ‘old style’ number plates from a distance of 20.5 metres or 20 metres if the ‘new style’ number plate is used. New-style number plates were introduced on September 1, 2001 and start with two letters. Despite a substantial number failing the test, 82% of those drivers surveyed thought that regular eye examinations should be compulsory when renewing a driving licence.
Wolseley, the UK’s leading distributor of plumbing and heating products, which is championing the Government’s ‘Driving for Better Business’ initiative managed by RoadSafe, offers free eyesight tests to all at-work drivers every two years. The initiative was introduced two-and-a-half-years ago by Paul Gallemore, head of health, safety and environment at Wolseley, as part of the company’s comprehensive occupational road risk management programme, which involves around 7,500 drivers. A similar initiative at the company where Mr Gallemore previously worked revealed that of 50 drivers initially tested, 70% found they needed prescription glasses or improvements to their existing prescription. He said: “This just shows how endemic poor vision can be and why it is vital that drivers undergo regular eyesight checks.”