If you need glasses for driving and forget to put them when you hit the road, you’re not alone.
Research by Churchill has found that 10% of drivers in the UK who need glasses admit they don’t wear them for driving.
If you shun your specs, you could be one of the million people driving with eyesight that falls below the UK legal minimum requirement.
You could be prosecuted if you don’t meet the ‘standards of vision for driving’ which states you must be able to read a car number plate from 20 metres.
If you need glasses or contact lenses to meet the minimum standard, that’s ok, just make sure you wear them!
Get an eyesight test
If you’re not sure whether you need glasses for driving, it’s better to be safe than sorry and book yourself in for an eye test.
Our research uncovered some eye-opening statistics:
· 25% of UK adults haven’t had their vision tested in the past two years.
· 2.8 million people have never had an eye test as an adult.
· A quarter of people who drive without their glasses can’t read road signs.
· 21% of drivers reported having a ‘near miss’ because they weren’t wearing their glasses.
Most concerning of all, 29% of people said they had an accident because they couldn’t see clearly!
Churchill’s Head of Motor Insurance, Nicholas Mantel, wants everybody to do their bit to help make our roads safer.
He said: “Our roads are safest when every driver takes responsibility not only for their vehicle but also for their own health and capability to drive safely. It’s important that drivers have regular eye tests to ensure that they’re fit to drive.
“Eyesight tends to deteriorate slowly, so drivers may not notice the decline in vision unless they get regular tests. Blurred or poor vision can lead to delayed decision-making and response, increasing the risk of accidents.
“For those who do have glasses or lenses for driving, it is important to wear them to, keep yourself and others safer on the road.”
Tips for driving safely
To help you stay safe on the roads, we’ve rounded up simple advice:
- If you need glasses or contact lenses, wear them every time you drive – even for short journeys.
- Keep some spare glasses in the car in case something happens to your main pair – in some countries, this is a legal requirement.
- If you wear contact lenses, keep a pair of glasses handy in case you need to take them out for any reason.
You can read more advice from vision experts at the College of Optometrists including driving at night, what kind of lenses to wear, and when to get an eye test.
