Noa and Tougher Driver Eyesight Regulations
The National Optometric Association is the umbrella body for eye specialist. For the last three years the Association has been at the forefront for the call for an overhaul of the driving license architecture with respect to curbing impaired driving. A fortnight ago, I told you of their visit to the leadership of the Federal Road Safety Corps on the eve of the World sight day to re-enforce this same call. The result of that visit was the constitution of a working group to fine-tune these and other issues that hopefully will trigger a further reduction in road traffic crashes in the country.
Last week we had a maiden meeting where some of the experience shared reminded me of my experience sometime in 2014, when a friend of mine engaged me in a very interesting discussion on the procedure for obtaining a driver’s license. The discussion was not about him since he already had a driver’s license. The discussion centred on his 16years old son, David. David, like he told me is a sports freak who spends the better part of his time in the gym building up muscles. As a result of this daily routine, he had developed a muscular frame similar to a 25years old. Restless, smart and highly intelligent, David daily antics includes driving his parents’ car to the gym without a valid driver’s license or guide on the ground that he does not need any one babysitting him. This James Bond behavior was driving my friends nuts and really frustrating him .His anxiety was worsened by his inability to navigate through the rule to process a driver license for the energetic young man .David penchant for driving his father’s car without a valid license once resulted in a near miss road traffic crash that but for the mercies of God could have claimed his life.
In the course of our discussion, I patiently guided my friend through the process, emphasizing the need to do the needful in line with the laid down rules including ensuring that his son undergoes an eye examination to ascertain his sight. The thought of an eye test as a precondition startled my friend who was quick to ask if it is was really necessary for him to undergo the eye examination to be qualified for a driver license. Reluctantly though, my friend agreed and diligently took David through the process. David has since gotten a driver’s license immediately he clocked 18 and has been doing quite well for his age .I know there are families who have had to carry similar cross. Some get so desperate and willingly lie on oath in other to jerk up their wards age just to procure a driver’s license while others are responsible enough to follow the process by doing the needful as provided by the law.
I do not know if you are among such parents or among those who think that short-circuiting the process by not going for an eye examination is a smart move. For your safety and the safety of others, your need to know that the National Road Traffic Regulations, 2012, remains our encyclopedia and should be a must have document for drivers or would be drivers as it contains all you need to know as a car owner or driver. In Section 57:3,it stipulates that an applicant for a driver’s license shall undergo vision acuity and general medical fitness examination as a prerequisite for obtaining a driver’s license? This examination includes the following; blood pressure assessment for hypertension, blood sugar for diabetes, visual acuity and color blindness, chronic arthritis, e.g. screening for epilepsy an dear defects. You should also know that the acuity and medical fitness can only be carried out in only government hospital?
There are other provisions contained in the regulations such as that which stipulates that only a person not below the age of 18years among other criteria can apply for a driver’s license. Such applicant must attend a certified driving school, attend and pass a driving test conducted by the vehicle inspection officer and present himself for biometric capture at the driver’s license center. The rule contains other conditions for an applicant for a commercial driver’s license who must not be below 26years.
It was the provision on eye examination that came under scrutiny when we jaw jawed with officials of the Association who believe that curbing impaired driving in the country in keeping with the Corporate strategy of the Federal Road Safety Corps requires a rejig of the current process for licensing .
While pondering on some of the issues raised by the group, I again remembered I recently stumbled on a material that has gotten me pondering on certain global developments that are critical to raising the bar on our interventions too. Before I share these developments with you, please allow me to share with you the highpoint of the concerns of the Association which borders on the absence of a national standard and the engagement of professionals for a thorough test among others. But before I ran you through the full details of the concern as captured by the National President of theAssociation, let me take you through the interesting development in the United Kingdom where despite the feat achieved in road traffic crash reduction, there is presently an increasing clamor by stakeholders on the need to review the procedure for driver’s license. Report surfed indicates that there isa grounds well of opinion in favor of a long overdue change; three quarters of its members back ‘long-overdue’ changes to driver eyesight regulations. In a survey of over 2,500, the road safety members under the auspices of GEM Motoring Assist ,75 percent of respondents are routing for mandatory eye testing for anyone returning to driving.
This call is coming on the heels of a court ban or medical revocation – with 71 percent also in favor of requiring a current eye test certificate to be provided at the time of renewing a photo card license. Statistics available at the Driver and vehicle licensingAgency (DVLA) indicates that nearly 50,000 motorists had their license revoked or refused between 2012 and 2016 due to poor vision.