Personal injury news

Motorists urged to get eyes checked to prevent accidents

The risk of road traffic accidents could increase as 2.7 million motorists admit that they would fail a driving test due to poor eyesight if they were to retake it.

The new research by car insurance provider Esure, has revealed that almost 50% of drivers have confessed that their vision has deteriorated since they first took their practical driving test.

In 2006 a total of 1,597 drivers were banned from the road as a result of their failing vision. Three years on, in 2009, this figure has doubled with 4,009 motorists driven off the roads by poor eyesight.

The research found that 42% of motorists admitted to slowing down and having to squint at sign posts in order to read them while a further 28% of people asked passengers to read road signs for them.

The average motorist reportedly takes an eyesight test every three years, however one in ten drivers admit to not having had an eye examination in the last decade.

Drivers who are suffering from failing eyesight have been urged by insurance companies to get their eyes tested by an optician to decrease the risk of causing a road traffic accident and causing personal injury to pedestrians and other road users.