Today (5th December 2024) our chair, Rob Heard, appeared on BBC Morning Live talking about Vision and Driving and how important it is that we all have good vision for driving. Rob has been working with Eye Health UK and the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) running a campaign across the country called ‘Is Your Vision RoadWorthy?’.

The results of the campaign were analysed and a report written by Dr Carol Hawley of Warwick Medical School and CARGY research. The report can be read in detail on the website Vision and Driving.

The campaign was the largest ever UK roadside vision screening survey and revealed a worrying number of motorists in Britain driving with sub-standard vision. The main findings in the report said:

• Police Forces across England and Wales conducted number plate tests on 3,010 motorists.
• 7% failed the number plate test – the equivalent of 720,642 motorists.
• 2% of all drivers stopped were issued police warnings or had their licence revoked.
• 4% of all drivers stopped had their driving licence revoked. Thirty-eight revocations were immediate (on the spot), and six were pending, awaiting action from DVLA.
• 40% of motorists had not had a sight test in the last two years, as recommended.
• One third of drivers had been prescribed corrective lenses for driving. Half of drivers who failed the roadside sight test were not wearing their required glasses when stopped by police.
• The roadside test failure rate was highest amongst older drivers. 10.2% of 81 to 90-year-olds failed.
• The number plate test is the most basic requirement of the UK’s legal eyesight standards for driving.

Rob Heard speaking with Gordon Smart on BBC Morning Live

Our chair said

“This report highlights that many people are still taking the risk to drive without knowing they have suitable vision for driving and failing to have an eyesight test every two years. Peoples’ sight deteriorates gradually, often without them being aware and often without them realising their sight may have fallen below the legal limit. 

Regular sight tests with an optometrist are an effective way of not only making sure we are safe to drive on the road, but also detecting medical conditions early so they can be treated, potentially extending a person’s driving career.” Rob Heard

To watch the BBC Morning Live programme then click on this link. Footage on the campaign starts at 14:49.