‘DON’T MAKE A SPECTACLE OF YOURSELF’
Journalist, photographer, songwriter and film-maker, Nick Berkeley of Bikerglory on the blind stupidity of not being able to see properly
The UK likes to see itself as setting a kind of benchmark for driving standards, a view reinforced by the experience of motorised mayhem in exotic locations.
So it might come as something of a shock to discover that in a key aspect of road safety, the UK falls behind many EU territories, Italy included. That aspect is vision. The UK licence-holder is not required to undergo any kind of sight test by a health professional, unless the individual self-reports a problem. Even then, the baseline result deemed acceptable isn’t among the highest: it wouldn’t satisfy the standard in Bulgaria (to take just one example). In addition to visual acuity, some EU territories also test for twilight response, colour vision and peripheral vision.
All of which could be included in a UK sight test. But since it is voluntary, most people simply don’t bother. Yet the ability to read a static number plate at 20 metres in daylight tells you little about your visual performance and would not be sufficient to obtain a licence in 24 European countries. Evaluation and enhancement of visual performance is just as relevant to those who only ride on track or dirt. The key component that separates the best from the rest is sight, because rapid visual response buys the most valuable commodity: time. While lesser mortals struggle to organise themselves when half-a-dozen bikes join them at the entry point, or to spot the space on the blind side when about to get nailed by a couple of wing forwards, the chosen ones have no such problems because for them, everyone else is in relative slo-mo. Max Biaggi said he could recognise individual faces in the crowd while blasting down the straight at Mugello.
While sports vision training helps those trying to compete with the naturally blessed gods of the arena, the rest of us want to be certain that we’re maximising both our safety and our performance. So where does this leave you? Booking a sight test. If you haven’t been for two years and you’re over 50 there are no excuses. If you’re younger and can’t remember the last time you were tested, there are still no excuses. You’ll either be reassured, or possibly end up with the most effective mod any of us can ever make: better vision. Do it now.