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Driving in mist or fog is tricky and dangerous, your visibility is restricted, you can't see potential hazards and don't have as long as you normally would to react. That's why its crazy that some drivers are experiencing these kind of issues all of the time because their eyesight is far from 20:20.
The problem is twofold: some drivers are simply breaking the rules of the road by not wearing glasses or lenses when they need to; others are living in ignorance and because they have neglected to get their eyes tested, can't see properly but don't realise it.
A nationwide poll of 3000 drivers, commissioned by opticians Specsavers, showed that one in three had not had their eyes tested in over two years. Shockingly 6% had not had an eye test in more than a decade and nearly a quarter of those who needed to wear glasses behind the wheel admitted they often don't bother.
For businesses, this issue has been pushed to the fore by new legislation, set to be introduced in 2011, that stipulates how often business drivers should be tested. The current proposal is that it should be every five years for holders of commercial licences and holders of private licences will be tested every 10 to 15 years (which seems too long to me!).
Many companies do provide eye care for their drivers and take this issue very seriously but this policy is often focused at company car drivers. This leaves non-company car drivers, drivers at those companies who don't have this kind of policy and those who don't work to take the initiative themselves, something that many are not doing.
We sometimes hear stories about older drivers who either have an accident or are stopped by the police only to find that that their sight is very poor. But while older drivers do pose a risk, they are not the problem as your eyes can deteriorate at absolutely any age, no matter how old or young you are.
This issue isn't a new one; there are pieces of research going back several years that have highlighted the problem. Drivers are putting themselves at risk not only of accidents, but also of prosecution, as driving with uncorrected vision is an offence and can carry a fine of up to £1000, three penalty points and possible disqualification. That's why companies should do all that they can to influence drivers, and the drivers themselves must take responsibility.
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