Roadside eye tests for Littlehampton motorists help combat “blind driving”

Motorists across Littlehampton could be pulled over and have their sight tested as part of a new initiative to combat the danger of “blind driving”.

Arun’s Road Safety Action Group, part of the Safer Arun Partnership, will pull over motorists and give them eye tests to ensure their sight meets the required standards over the coming weeks.

Under current legislation, a learner driver will fail a driving test if he or she cannot read a number plate 20 metres away. But according to the Royal National Institute for the Blind, a third of drivers in Britain, around 13m people, could be breaking the law and putting themselves and others in danger because of poor vision, or “blind driving”.

In order to combat the problem, Arun’s Road Safety Action Group, which is made up of representatives from Sussex Police and West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, is backing the national THINK! campaign by carrying out random on-the-spot eye checks over the coming weeks. Last month 64 people were stopped in one day in Littlehampton. One person failed to pass the sight test.

Inspector Phil Nicholas, from the Sussex Police Road Policing Unit, said:
"For most people, eyesight deteriorates with age. Unfortunately the change can be so gradual that we compensate without realising it, which leads to many road users driving with uncorrected defects.

“These operations are continuing in towns across Sussex over the next few months as part of a campaign to raise awareness of this issue. The risks of someone driving with uncorrected eyesight and the danger it exposes to other road users is all too clear. It is our recommendation that a driver should have their eyesight checked at least every two years, more often if advised by a health professional. If you have been prescribed glasses or lenses for driving you must wear them, even on the shortest of trips."

Failing the new roadside tests will mean that drivers are informed that they could be risking a fine, disqualification, or invalidating their motor insurance.

Police will advise them to seek an optician's advice immediately.
For drivers with seriously defective eyesight, police will take action to prevent them from getting behind the wheel of their car again until they receive medical advice. It is a criminal offence to fail to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) of any eyesight condition likely to cause you to be a source of danger to other road users.
Arun’s Road Safety Action Group was set up a year ago as a sub group of the Safer Arun Partnership to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads.

As the group approaches its first birthday, figures show a 10% reduction in the number of casualties compared to the previous year, down to 428 in 2009 from 476 in 2008 and a 14% reduction in the number of those killed or seriously injured for the same period, down from 86 in 2008 to 74 in 2009.
Throughout the year the group has targeted accident hot spots across the district carrying out both education and enforcement.

Lindsay Freegard, the Deputy District Commander of West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service and chair of the group, said,“We know that this reduction is not down to just down to one new group but, equally, the efforts of all concerned have contributed to these reductions and our overall aim of seeing fewer casualties on our roads.

“Our first year has also highlighted the many and varied challenges that exist in order to meet our targets. There is a lot to be done to ensure we continue to reduce the number of people hurt or killed on our roads.”