Drivers who need glasses to drive should keep a spare pair in their car.

Breakdown provider Start Rescue is asking all drivers to ensure their eyesight is good.

Anyone who needs to wear glasses while driving should always carry a spare pair.

In some countries, this is already a legal obligation.

In focus

According to the College of Optometrists, 60% of UK drivers need prescription glasses to drive, yet a quarter of this group (24%) admit they do not always wear them while at the wheel.

This is despite the fact that 95% of sensory input to the brain for driving comes from the eyes.

Using prescription glasses or contact lenses makes driving safer.

They give drivers the best possible vision and reduce fatigue and glare caused by bright daylight, street lighting, and oncoming vehicles’ headlights.

Seeing the signs

“It is essential drivers can read road signs and judge where they are going, especially if they need to guide their car to safety in the event of a breakdown,” says Lee Puffett, Managing Director of Start Rescue.

“Even if you wear glasses or lenses all the time, we urge drivers to keep a spare pair in the car in case their usual ones are damaged or lost.”

Poor weather and nighttime darkness can leave broken-down drivers particularly vulnerable to others not wearing prescription glasses when they should.

According to research by the College of Optometrists, 42% of drivers also say they find driving challenging at night or in bad weather.

Sensible clarity

Daniel Hardiman-McCartney MBE FCOptom is a Clinical Adviser at the College of Optometrists and a practicing optometrist.

He says: “If you don’t need your glasses all the time, but have been advised to wear them driving, keep a pair in the glove compartment of your car. That way you always have them when you really do need them.”

Lee Puffett adds: “It’s also important to keep your glasses clean, as well as the car’s windscreen, to minimise glare and to see clearly. A spare pair of glasses in the car can be a life-saver and it’s the law in many European countries, such as France and Spain, so it’s vital if you are heading on holiday to the Continent.”

In good daylight, you must be able to read a vehicle number plate from a distance of 20 metres (or 20.5 metres for old-style number plates). If you want to do your own number plate test, when walking down a street or in a car park, 20 metres is about 5 car lengths.