One in seven young drivers put themselves and their passengers in danger because of poor visibility and problems with their eyesight, it has been revealed. The shocking figures emerged following a poll of 2,000 motorists, which found one in seven drivers under the age of 24 to be suffering from eyesight problems.
The study also unearthed the near misses experienced by the average driver – a lucky third have driven onto a roundabout and narrowly missed being hit by a car from their right because they didn’t see them.
While one in four drivers only just avoided a serious crash because a vehicle came out of nowhere.
The research was commissioned by Thinkaboutyoureyes to mark the launch of a new winter driving campaign ahead of Road Safety Week next week.
Thinkaboutyoureyes optician Andy Hepworth said:
“It’s worrying to find the younger generations are struggling to see properly on the road and it makes you wonder what their vision will be like in years to come.
“We need to nip these bad habits in the bud now and get youngsters to take note of the importance of good eyesight.
“Drivers can make the road safer by getting their eyes tested at least every two years, even if they think their vision is fine, and immediately if they notice their vision deteriorating.”
More than 40% of the drivers studied are required to wear glasses while driving, yet one in ten road users admitted they don’t always wear them when behind the wheel.
A strained fifth of respondents claimed they have difficulty reading the registration plate on the car in front of them.
Bad experiences as a passenger were also common with a quarter of the study genuinely having cause to worry about their driver’s vision when being given a lift.
In these cases, one in three people who had worries about their driver’s sight went as far as to get out of the car.
Thinkaboutyoureyes optician Andy Hepworth added:
“Winter sees the launch of the Think About Your Eyes campaign to identify poor eyesight on the road and urge drivers to take extra care as the nights draw in and visibility worsens.”
The campaign has specialist independent opticians around the UK running roadside spot checks and offering advice in-store to help keep the roads safe.
Find your local optician by visiting www.thinkaboutyoureyes.co.uk which also hosts information on spotting the signs of vision deterioration and how to self-test in between routine eye exams.
