Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Police clamp down on drivers without glasses

A new survery by Police on England and wales has found that as many as 1 in 4 drivers could be driving illeagally due to poor eyesight, the survey carried out in
conjuction with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has shocked many in the poice force as this sort of thing is not viewed as a danger when driving.
Eye doctors have been calling for drivers to be offered free eye test for some time now.
“A number of eye conditions will affect your driving; for example cataracts will increase glare from lights at night, so if you have any concerns you should visit
your local opticians to get your eyes checked". It only takes a matter f muniutes and you could have a new pair of glasses within the hour at some shops.

As many as 1 in 5 drivers said they had never had an eye test, this means that any changes in sight, including not being able to see road signs clearly or wearing
the wrong glasses for driving, are going undetected, this could be a huge problem aspically for older drivers whos eyesight natuarally deteriorates through age.

The goverment has set down legal guidlines about the drivers vision, they state that driving with uncorrected, defective vision is an offence and carries a fine
of up to £1,000, three penalty points on your license or possible disqualification.
Drivers must also be able to read a number plate in daylight from a distance of 20.5 metres. If a driver cannot meet this standard
they are breaking the law and their insurance may be invalid.

This latest news comes at a bad time as the goverment want to focus the media's attention on the drink driving campaign they are pushing over christmas, many are
saying that the goverment should fund free eye tests for drivers to reduct the risks of accidents. Also this may mean they have to give more help to people who need 
prescription glasses as these can be quite exspensive.

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