Author Archives: olderdriversforum

Is Your Vision Roadworthy?

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Today our chair Rob Heard MBE, Eye Health UK and University of Warwick have launched our third annual roadside vision screening campaign to raise awareness of eyesight rules for motorists called the ‘Is Your Vision Roadworthy?’

We are working with Police Forces and Road Safety Partnerships across the UK to conduct 20 metre number plate tests and run community engagement activities to remind motorists of their legal obligation to meet the legal eyesight standards.

 

The campaign, which runs from Monday 27th October – Sunday 9th November 2025, was supported by senior road policing officials at its official launch during the UKROEd road safety conference last week. Photos shows: Rob Heard MBE, CC Jo Shiner, PCC lead Joy Allen BA Hons MSc MBA and Chief Supt Marc Clothier

David Cartwight chair of the charity Eye Health UK explains: “Road safety starts with clear vision. Ninety percent of the information a driver uses is visual, yet many motorists are unaware of their legal responsibility to meet eyesight standards for driving. Worryingly, when we last surveyed motorists’ vision 4 in 10 drivers had not had a sight test in the last two years, as recommended.”

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.

Rob Heard MBE, chair of the Older Drivers Forum, said: “This campaign is a timely reminder of motorists’ responsibility to ensure their vision is fit to drive and highlights the fact that routine sight tests are important safety checks, just like an MOT is for your car. It also keeps the issue of vision and driving in the spotlight ahead of the Department of Transport’s forthcoming Road Safety Strategy.”
Results from the nationwide roadside vision screening activity will be released in the new year and form part of the campaign’s ongoing advocacy work.

Visit the campaign website https://www.visionanddriving.info for practical advice and information about keeping vision roadworthy as well as information about the legal eyesight standards and eye conditions that need to be notified to the DVLA / DVA.

If you wish details of the Resource Pack on how you can support this campaign then please get in contact with me

#isyourvisionroadworthy

 

Headlight Glare – BBC Request

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Driving at night can be tricky and often more so as we get older.

Your eyesight changes in later life and this may make it harder to see road signs and other road users, especially in low light.

Did you know that between the ages of 15 and 65 the recovery time from glare increases from 2 to 9 seconds. This may be why as we get older we don’t like to drive at night. Older drivers frequently have difficulty seeing in poor light conditions as our eyes become less able to react quickly to changes in light. As we get older we also start have difficulty with colours and contrasts in poor light.

The BBC Transport Correspondent would like to interview a person who can tell them how they’ve reduced or stopped driving at night, and the impact that might have had on their life.  If you are interested then please email us 

FREE Webinar – ‘Driving Safely in Winter – Time For Change’

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Saturday 25 October 10:00am Community Webinar
‘DRIVING SAFELY IN WINTER.
TIME FOR CHANGE.’  

 With the clocks going back on 26 October and temperatures dropping drivers need to prepare for the challenges of winter driving.

AA analysis found a 11% increase in collisions in the two-week period after the clocks go back. RAC Foundation found 75% of these collisions occur in the afternoon, when it is darker due to the earlier evening.    

This webinar provides advice for mature driver on how to sharpen driving skills, prepare their car and plan journeys to reflect winter driving conditions.

We will also give advice on drivers’ considering retiring from driving. 

To register for this event, click on this link https://tinyurl.com/msjr3w6e

This information is of value to any driver, so why not ask your family to join you!

Also please share this information with anyone you think it would be of value.     

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All our work is voluntary. To donate email odfglos@gmail.com and we will provide bank details of Gloucestershire Older Persons Association (charity number: 1124977) under whose charitable status we operate.

 

 

We need YOUR help to shape the future of the Older Drivers Forum Website

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We need YOUR help to shape the future of the Older Drivers Forum Website

Thank you for being a subscriber or follower of the Older Drivers Forum website.

We’re excited to be developing a brand-new, world-class Mature / Older Drivers Forum website, designed to go the extra mile in helping keep people safe on our roads.

Our aim is to provide clear, accessible, and practical information for:

  • Mature drivers
  • Their families and carers
  • Health care professionals
  • Road safety professionals

But to make this new website as effective, supportive and user-friendly as possible, we need YOUR help.

We’d be very grateful if you could take just 10–15 minutes to complete a short online questionnaire about your experience of using the website, and how you think it could be improved.  Your responses will remain anonymous.  Your feedback will directly shape the design, layout, and content of the new website — ensuring it meets your needs and expectations.  There will also be an opportunity to join a small online focus group to share your views in more detail.

If you are willing to help us, please click here to go directly to the questionnaire: https://warwick.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bBYxecxizOKhF8q

Your support and input are invaluable in helping us create a resource that will make a real difference. Thank you for being part of this important step forward.