Member News
24th September 2010
There is "no scientific basis" for the current eye sight test given to new drivers, warns Heather Marshall of the Eye Health Alliance.
Speaking to ePolitix.com, Marshall explains that the eye health sector is keen to exploit the opportunity presented by the formation of a new government and the party conference season to push for stricter vision examinations in driving tests.
"This year the focus of our stand at the party conferences is our driving campaign. We will be encouraging MPs to come along and support it," she says.
"The focus is to demonstrate the current inadequacies of the distance number plate test.
"We shall also be carrying out a poll of delegates to guage the level of support for more regular eyesight checks for drivers.
"We are quite concerned that the number plate test, which has been in existence since the 1930s, is not only outdated but has no scientific basis."
The Eye Health Alliance is a coalition of organisations in the eye care sector including professional bodies and patient groups, working together to promote eye health for everyone.
Currently new drivers have to show they can read a number plate at a distance of 20.5 metres in order to get a licence. It is then not until they reach 70 years old that they are required to declare that they are fit to drive.
In the intervening years the onus is on the driver to report themselves to the DVLA if they have any problems with their vision. But the Eye Health Alliance is concerned that a lot of a drivers are not even aware of what the legal requirements are.
Marshall warns that one of the main problems with many eyesight conditions is that a driver's vision can deteriorate gradually and they may not be aware that they have a problem with their vision.
She says: "We're calling for the number plate test to be replaced with a proper screening programme but then for your vision to be checked every ten years when you have to renew your licence. It is recommended that all adults have an eye test every two years, so the majority of drivers will already have their vision checked. If not, they should at the very least, be required to have their distance and side vision checked by a health professional every ten years."
She is hopeful this change can be made now because of the change of government.
"We are trying to convince the government and its agencies that we need to have a better system to ensure all drivers are not putting themselves at risk unnecessarily," she says.
"We also need to do quite a bit of work in terms of raising awareness amongst drivers, as they have responsibility for looking after their eyesight and ensuring they have good vision to drive safely.
"We're particularly hopeful because Mike Penning, the road safety minister, was a shadow health spokesperson, so will be aware of the importance of good eye health."
The Eye Health Alliance is part of the Health Hotel and will be hosting a fringe event at the Labour Party conference in Manchester on early intervention, with a panel including Guardian columnist Jackie Ashley and Professor Julian Le Grand of the LSE.
There will also be a fringe meeting at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham chaired by Rosie Boycott, an ambassador for the Alzheimer's Society, with panellists including the chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, Steve Field.
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.