Poor Eyesight=Poor Driving, English Survey Says

Posted & filed under Auto Safety, insurance news, UK Car Insurance.

This should be a no-brainer but a car insurance company in the UK, LV=, has released the results of a study of British drivers which shows that people with poor eyesight are still driving, without wearing glasses or corrective lenses. Specifically, 4.2 million drivers in the UK have admitted that they still drive despite having less-than-perfect vision, and another 1.1 million motorists have glasses or contacts but don’t actually wear them while driving.

By the numbers, of 53% of surveyed drivers who do not currently wear prescribed contact lenses or glasses, roughly 23% of them say their sight is “not perfect,” and 11% confess that they have difficulties seeing at night, while about 6% cop to having poor vision in bad weather. Despite this, a third of these very same drivers also admit that they haven’t had their eyes tested in the past five years and 13 percent of them add that either their last eye test was more than ten years ago, or have simply never had one at all.

Under British law, aside from a brief test during the driving exam that involves being able to read a license plate, drivers are not required to have any kind of eye exam until they reach the age of seventy, though medical experts generally agree that anyone driving a motor vehicle should have his or her eyes tested at least once every two years, even if they think nothing is wrong.

Speaking of that license plate test, when LV= tested 256 randomly-selected motorists almost ten percent of them were unable to read a license plate from about 20 meters (+/- 66 feet) away on their first try. With drivers over the age of 55, that percentage increased to 18 percent.

Those found driving when they can’t see clearly and don’t meet the required vision criteria could be fined 1,000 pounds, receive three penalty points on their licenses, or have their driving privileges suspended. If an accident is caused by their lack of vision, a reckless or dangerous driving charge could be placed, and there is the possibility of a prison sentence.

According to optician Tony Russel, who works with the online company SelectSpecs.com, “Eye care is often neglected, especially by people who have never worn glasses before. Regardless of how accurate you feel your eyesight is, it generally changes over time and it may not be immediately noticeable because you tend to get used to imperfect vision as it slowly deteriorates. It is recommended that you have your eyes checked at least every two years.”