United Kingdom a little short sighted on drivers eyesight !

How many times have you heard the refrain "sorry mate, I didn't see you" (See Stop SMIDSY) from a driver who has just performed a manouvre which has caused inconvenience, concern or white-knuckle braking and avoidance tactics when you have been out cycling.

Oftentimes we think it is down  to lack of awareness of how much space to give to people who are cycling,  poor concentration or sometimes irresponsible or aggressive drivers.

However, it may literally be that UK drivers' eyesight is so poor that they are a hazard to any other road users. A 2011 report on Driver Vision Screening in Europe highlights how the eyesight testing regime for drivers in the United Kingdom is substandard when compared to most of the other EU and non-EU countries in Europe.

Whilst, some people will argue that an association of optometrists, opticians, contact lenses and glasses manufacturers (*) has a vested interest in promoting eye tests, the report highlights how poor the United Kingdom is in terms of testing eyesight both before and after a driving license is issued when compared to most other European countries.  In some cases, it would appear that the UK is not meeting the requirements cntained in the EC directives.

The EC Directives on Driving Licences should be implemented in all the EU Member States. The goal is to harmonise the underlying standards and systems of driver licensing across the EU. The 2006 Directive set a deadline of January 2011 for Member States to report their plan for implementation to the European Commission. The 2009 Directive updated the minimum visual requirements that drivers should meet in order to drive safely, and set a deadline of August 2010 for implementation.  The test categories highlighted in the report included:

Initial Eyesight Assessment

Directive 2009/113/EC specifies that Group 1 applicants for a first driving licence should have an ‘appropriate investigation of vision to ensure they have adequate visual acuity for driving’ and ‘where there is reason to doubt an applicant’s vision is adequate, he or she will be examined by a competent medical authority’.

 

Initial Eyesight Assessment for Group 1

Five European countries rely on the Licence Plate Test as their sole  assessment of vision. ECOO,EUROM and EUROMCONTACT believe this practice is unacceptable as the Licence Plate Test is not performed under  controlled conditions, and the results are not directly comparable with the underlying European standards which  specify an assessment of visual acuity.

Who Performs the Initial Eyesight Assessment?

The EC Directive states that the assessment of visual acuity (Group 1)should be performed by a competent authority.

Who Performs the Initial Eyesight Assessment (Group 1)

Five countries reported that the assessment of vision is performed by a driving test centre employee, who performs the Licence Plate Test.

Reassessment of Drivers’ Vision

Vision regularly changes with age. Many drivers do not notice a gradual change in their visual status and can therefore be unaware that they fall below the required standard. The erport highlights concerns that there is no requirement in the EC Directives for ongoing assessment of Group 1 drivers' vision on renewal. This is in contrast with Group 2 licence holders who require an assessment to be performed every five years when renewing their licence.  

But the distinction between Group 1 and Group 2 drivers has blurred in the modern economy. Couriers, taxi drivers, and many sales people all effectively drive for a living, and  there has been a significant rise in long-distance commuting.  These are all classified as Group 1 drivers, yet many spend at least as much time driving as those classified as Group 2 (or traditionally vocational drivers), and should therefore be subject to similar assessments of vision.   A majority of Member States already require a further assessment of vision by a competent  professional.

Reassessments of Vision Later in Driving Career

(Group 1)

However, there is no requirement for a further assessment of vision for Group 1in Austria, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the UK. In the UK drivers are expected to self-assess that their vision meets the standards, and to state that they meet the standards at three-year intervals from the age of 70.

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It is not very encouraging that the United Kingdom is in the bottom league in each of the eyesight test tables. 

Perhaps it is time that the Department for Transport had their eyes tested so that they can read the small print of the EC Directives and introduce policies to make sure British drivers can actually see where they are going!

 

(*) The European Council of Optometry and Optics (ECOO) represents the 75,000 optometrists, opticians and optical retail outlets.
 

EUROM I represents the national associations of manufacturers of corrective lenses, frames, and instruments for opticians (700 companies).

EUROMCONTACT represents the national associations and the international manufacturers

of contact lenses and contact lens care products.