According to a survey by the road safety charity Brake, 25% of drivers haven’t had a sight test in the past two years, 12% don’t bother to wear their prescribed glasses or contact lenses while driving and scariest of all – 4% have never even had their sight tested!
Statistics show that people with impaired vision are much more likely to be involved in a road crash; some estimates claim that they can cause up to 2,900 casualties per year. What is known is that eyesight can deteriorate rapidly without you noticing, hence experts recommend having an eyesight test at least every two years.
Confident that you have 20:20 vision? Take the Brake test at brake.org.uk/sharpenupinteractive and discover if you are right. Then challenge your friends and family to take it and see how they fare.
Brake is calling on all drivers to ensure that their vision is at a safe standard for driving, helping to keep themselves and others safe, through regular (at least two-yearly) eyesight tests and always wearing glasses or lenses if they’re needed. Brake also calls on the government to follow public opinion and introduce compulsory eyesight tests for drivers, a move favoured by almost nine in 10 (87%) people.
Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive of Brake, said: “Making sure your vision is up to scratch is crucial to safe driving. It’s vital for drivers to get their eyes checked professionally at least every two years – eyesight can deteriorate rapidly without you noticing. Our new ‘Sharpen up’ e-learning resource shows people the dangers of driving with poor eyesight, encouraging them to make that vital trip to the opticians. The resource is a powerful tool that shows that if you drive, it’s not just your own health and safety that you are risking if you neglect to get your eyesight checked, but also the lives of the people around you.”
Read the full story on the Brake website.
