Figures Don't Add Up Over Driving Licences Revoked For Poor Eye Sight

numbers of drivers with poor eye sight on the road differs to licences revoked

In what seems like the latest in a long line of queries and questions regarding eye testing and its regularity for UK drivers, the Optical Confederation has raised concerns regarding the estimated number of motorists on UK roads that have an eye condition or vision related problem in comparison to the actual number of people who have had their driving licence revoked for poor eyesight.

The issue that has been raised by the OC is another point queried in the hope of seeing current eye testing procedures for motorists highlighted as inadequate and out dated, requiring immediate and thorough attention. Currently, estimates regarding the number of people in the UK with visual abilities less than that required by law to drive, stands at around 1.8 million. This figure is expected to continually increase over the next 40 years to around the 4 million mark as increased life expectancies and improved public health will see larger volumes of elderly people make up our population in what is already described as an 'ageing community'. Latest figures show that although the number of potentially dangerous drivers on our roads stands in the millions, only 4000 licences were actually revoked in the last year.

As it stands, eye testing of drivers currently revolves around the age old number plate examination, where potential motorists are required to correctly read a legal UK registration plate from a set distance. At the age of 70, self declaration of your visual status is the next assessment point, meaning a gap of what could be 53 years between tests, a period far too long according to experts who believe that visual deterioration should be measured on a much shorter time scale, in line with EU directives. On this point, the OC recommends that the government's Strategic Framework for Road Safety falls in line with measures taken on the continent, making eye tests compulsory every 10 years, and every 5 years for the over 65's. The desire to keep our roads safe is not so as to remove drivers necessarily, but make sure that those driving receive treatment where required so that they may continue, but without causing danger to themselves and those around them. Those whose eyesight is below the 6/12 requirement, and whose visual abilities cannot be improved, would in the interests of safety, have their licences revoked. To go one step further, as called for in a number of other quarters, the Optical Confederation would also like to see changes implemented regarding the tester themselves, with qualified optical specialists taking charge of examinations over the current driving test instructors procedure.

Image: siraphat / FreeDigitalPhotos.net