Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Call for compulsory eye tests for drivers
MOTORISTS should face compulsory sight tests every 10 years to stay on the road, leading eye experts have said.
More than a third (35%) of optometrists have seen patients in the last month who continue to drive despite being told their vision is below the legal standard, according to the Association of Optometrists (AOP).
Britain has some of the most relaxed vision requirements in Europe. There is no mandatory eye exam apart from having to read a number plate on a parked vehicle 20 metres away at the start of the practical driving test. That means a 17-year-old can continue to drive for the rest of their life with no further checks.
Seven people were killed and 63 were seriously injured in accidents on Britain’s roads last year when “uncorrected, defective eyesight” was a contributory factor, Department for Transport data shows.
Motorists must tell the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) if they have problems with their eyesight but their licence will continue to be renewed if they do not admit to having difficulties.
Nine out of 10 (91%) optometrists believe the rules are insufficient.
A separate poll of 2,007 road users found 30% have driven despite doubting their vision was adequate.
The survey also found only 40% would stop driving if they were told their vision — even with glasses or contact lenses — was below the legal standard for driving.
Natalie Wade, 28, suffered fatal injuries when she was knocked down by a car driven by a partially-sighted driver who had failed to declare his vision problems.
The accident happened as she was using a pelican crossing while shopping for her wedding dress near her home in Essex in February 2006.
The driver, John Thorpe, 78, was due to stand trial for causing death by dangerous driving but died before the case reached court. He was blind in one eye and had poor sight in the other. Ms Wade’s family have campaigned for regular sight tests to be made compulsory.
The AOP has launched a Don’t Swerve A Sight Test campaign. Optometrist and AOP board member Dr Julie Anne-Little claimed Britain “falls behind many other countries” due to self-reporting.
She said: “Because sight changes can be gradual, often people won’t realise their vision has deteriorated over time.”
Steve Gooding, of the RAC Foundation, said: “Just as motorists should be routinely monitoring their vehicles, so they should also be regularly checking their own fitness to drive.”