A national road safety campaign is highlighting drivers’ eyesight.

Despite calls for mandatory driver eyesight tests, politicians have failed to focus on the issue.

Now the police are running a campaign concentrating on motorists’ legal obligation to ensure their vision is roadworthy every time they get behind the wheel.

Clear view

Warwickshire Police are making eyesight checks fundamental to the campaign.

Officers will conduct roadside vision screenings and share important information about how motorists can keep their vision clear in all light conditions.

It comes as part of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) ‘Operation Dark Night’ road safety initiative.

Now British Summer Time has ended, and the nights begin to draw in, more drivers will find themselves on the road after dark.

Last year, the AA reported that crash levels can rise by as much as a quarter in the darker months between October and December.

The darkness

As the nights draws in, motorists may begin to notice problems with their eyesight.

Low light levels enlarge the pupil and accentuate any focusing errors – no matter how minor – causing blur.

Trouble focusing or being dazzled by glare from oncoming headlights when driving at night can indicate that your vision is falling below the minimum eyesight standards.

Inspector Si Paull of Warwickshire Police said: “Most drivers know that worn or defective tyres on their vehicle can result in a fine and penalty points, but they are less likely to realise that driving with uncorrected defective eyesight is punishable with a fine of up to £1,000, three penalty points and possible disqualification and also can increase your risk of a collision occurring.

“Ninety per cent of the information a driver uses is visual,” Inspector Paull added, “so we want to use the roadside screening to raise awareness of the fundamental importance of good eyesight. Drivers who fail to meet the required standards are not only breaking the law but putting themselves and other road users at risk.”

What do you see?

The voluntary roadside vision screening will ask drivers to read a number plate from a distance of 20 metres.

All tests will be conducted in good daylight conditions, using a registration plate affixed to a vehicle at the correct measured distance (20m), with the driver wearing any eyesight correction (eg: spectacles) worn at the time of driving.

Under legislation known as Cassie’s Law,  drivers who fail a roadside number plate test could have their licence revoked on the spot if a police officer deems them to be unsafe to be on the road.

 

Other penalties for not meeting the legal eyesight standards include a possible fine or penalty points on your licence.

Officers can request an urgent revocation of a licence through the DVLA if they believe the safety of other road users will be put at risk if a driver remains on the road.

The power was introduced in 2013 under Cassie’s Law, named after 16-year-old Cassie McCord, who died when an 87-year-old man lost control of his vehicle in Colchester, Essex.

It later emerged he had failed a police eyesight test days earlier, but a legal loophole meant he was allowed to continue driving.

It’s beside you

In addition to the 20m number plate test the legal eyesight standards require motorists to have adequate fields of vision.

The DVLA must also be notified about certain eyesight conditions.

There are different standards for bus and lorry drivers (Group 2).

Full details of the legal eyesight standards for all motorists can be found at gov.uk/driving-eyesight-rules.

Vision can decline gradually without you realising, so eye experts recommend all motorists have regular sight tests – every two years unless advised otherwise by their optometrist – to help ensure your vision remains roadworthy.

Time to focus

Chief Constable Jo Shiner, National Police Chief Constable Lead Roads Policing comments: “Personal responsibility is the starting point for safer roads.  Making sure your eyesight meets the standards of vision for driving is really important and something only you can do to keep yourself and all other road users safe while driving.”

Results from the nationwide roadside vision screening activity will be released in the new year.

For practical advice and information about vision and driving, including a driving after dark checklist, visit VisionAndDriving.info.