Many surveys conducted for the recent years vividly show that most of US motorists do not keep up to speed with their eyesight changes. This results in a fact that eyesight of a third of motorists is so bad that this can easily cause dangerous situations on the road.
The same researches report that great deals of drivers don’t check their eyes often enough so they are just not aware of the changes in their vision. This often results in their inability to read road signs in a proper way or react to various traffic situations. The researches also show that 33 per cent of those rivers who didn’t manage to pass their eyesight test said that they had no idea that the state of their eyes was so bad and that is why they took no measures to correct their vision.
Specialists recommend the drivers to take an eyesight test every two years as this allows to spot many eye-related disorders and thus helps to maintain eye vision in a proper state. Besides of slight eye problems regular testing helps detect serious disorders such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy which are especially characteristic of elderly drivers. Driving performance can be affected by numerous eyesight conditions, for instance cataracts are often guilty of increasing glare from bright lights at night. However it is possible to deal with this and opticians can give you a good piece of advice.
What Does Law Prescribes?
If the police have any reason to think that a driver does not meet legal eyesight standards, they can stop him or her and test the eyesight. There exist the following eyesight legal standards for drivers:
• If drivers are prescribed lenses or glasses to correct their vision, they must always wear them at the wheel.
• Driving with defective vision is considered to be an offence and leads to penalty of around $1 500.
• In good light motorists must be able to read a number plate from a distance of 20.5 meters. If a driver can not meet this standard when asked it means that he or she commits an offence which can lead to insurance invalidity.
Elderly Drivers
It is especially important to control the eyesight for elderly drivers. If you are around 50 years old such notions as the glare from the sun or street lights bring you more and more troubles. It is also more difficult for such motorists to refocus after being briefly blinded by a bright light. To avoid this you can use sun glasses. You can also avoid glare by not driving late afternoon and late at night, when this happens very often.
Self Assessment
All drivers of any age should keep in mind that eyesight changes may not be apparent very often. That is why it is imperative for every motorist have the eyesight tested at least once per two years. This should be carried out by a professional and qualified optician. Very important to remember that if you have not spotted any changes of your vision this does not mean at all that your eyesight meets legal standards for drivers. To remain a safe motorist check your eyesight regularly and in this case you’ll keep safe not only yourself but also other drivers and pedestrians.