Police to check driver's eysight

Mrs_Arcanum

neilmcl wrote: »

Licences in this country are marked if you are required to wear glasses or contacts, it's code 01 on the back.

Do you mean New Zealand or somewhere else?

Nothing on the back of my UK licence and I need and wear glasses.

AdrianC

Mrs_Arcanum wrote: »

Do you mean New Zealand or somewhere else?

Nothing on the back of my UK licence and I need and wear glasses.

In the UK.

If you wore glasses for your driving test, then you will have 01 on your licence. When I was learning to drive, I got as far as my mock test before my instructor said "Right, I don't think we've done this yet, have we? Read that plate over there..."
Umm...
"Oh. !!!!!!. You've got a week..."

I didn't know I needed glasses for distance. I knew that the board in school wasn't exactly legible from the back, but how was I meant to know that wasn't normal...? If anything, my instructor should have checked during the first lesson, instead of waiting for the mock test.

Bigphil1474 wrote: »

While I agree completely that drivers should have eyesight to a minimum standard to drive, I've no idea how being able to read a number plate at 20m tells you anything

It is a ridiculously low standard, yes. But still a large swathe of drivers would fail it...


Surely nobody can realistically object to this finally being enforced...?


Just yesterday - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-45388249

AndyMc.....

Mrs_Arcanum wrote: »

Do you mean New Zealand or somewhere else?

Nothing on the back of my UK licence and I need and wear glasses.

It probably because you’ve never informed them.

Mrs_Arcanum

AndyMc..... wrote: »

It probably because you’ve never informed them.

Didn't need glasses when I passed my test and from the relevant site: -

You must tell DVLA if you’ve got any problem with your eyesight that affects both of your eyes, or the remaining eye if you only have one eye.

This doesn’t include being short or long sighted or colour blind. You also don’t need to say if you’ve had surgery to correct short sightedness and can meet the eyesight standards.

This to me is huge hole in the system that the unaware and stubborn can slip through.

Jackmydad

Norman_Castle wrote: »

How many people who claim they can read a number plate at 20 meters have actually measured the distance?
It would be really simple to set up voluntary tests outside supermarkets which most people visit. Free number plates from breakers yards fixed to a wall and a white line 20 meters away.
It can be left in place permanently and costs almost nothing.

I paced mine out, but I know that I pace out things reasonably accurately, and am "a bit over". In any case I moved back after to see when I "lost it" and that was way over 20m.
Which with my uncorrected eyesight is even more worrying.
I think I've said before that many years ago my OH and I were looking to see how far away we could read a car plate in the lane outside where we lived then.
(And no I don't spend my entire life checking my eyesight! )
Neighbour, who was about 60 then came past, and couldn't read the plate at all.
He was a driver too. :eek:

Mrs_Arcanum

Jackmydad wrote: »

I paced mine out, but I know that I pace out things reasonably accurately, and am "a bit over". In any case I moved back after to see when I "lost it" and that was way over 20m.
Which with my uncorrected eyesight is even more worrying.
I think I've said before that many years ago my OH and I were looking to see how far away we could read a car plate in the lane outside where we lived then.
(And no I don't spend my entire life checking my eyesight! )
Neighbour, who was about 60 then came past, and couldn't read the plate at all.
He was a driver too. :eek:

Given the speed on motorways, it does not seem nearly good enough to just be able to read a number plate at 20 meters. Surely being able to see and judge traffic ahead is essential?

kmb500

I hope they also crack down and revoke the licences of all drivers found to not check all three mirrors before, during and after every manouevre they make.

Mrs_Arcanum

kmb500 wrote: »

I hope they also crack down and revoke the licences of all drivers found to not check all three mirrors before, during and after every manouevre they make.

Bit of a job for pre '78 cars which may only have one quite legally. Even motor vehicles are only required to have two from that year.

AndyMc.....

Mrs_Arcanum wrote: »

Didn't need glasses when I passed my test and from the relevant site: -

You must tell DVLA if you’ve got any problem with your eyesight that affects both of your eyes, or the remaining eye if you only have one eye.

This doesn’t include being short or long sighted or colour blind. You also don’t need to say if you’ve had surgery to correct short sightedness and can meet the eyesight standards.

This to me is huge hole in the system that the unaware and stubborn can slip through.

So what I said was correct.

kmb500

Mrs_Arcanum wrote: »

Bit of a job for pre '78 cars which may only have one quite legally. Even motor vehicles are only required to have two from that year.

Also should revoke licences of people who can't detect sarcasm.