ALMOST half of company car drivers (45.6%) on UK roads have not had an eyesight test in the last three years, and nearly 30% have not had their sight tested in the past five years, or at all.
The statistics come as a result of analysis conducted by online driver assessment and e-driver training specialist E-Training World, which examined data from 340 drivers from some of the UK’s biggest fleet operators who have recently completed the company’s online risk assessment.
And even though eyesight tests are recommended annually, and many company car policies stipulate a yearly examination, only a quarter of drivers surveyed had had an eyesight test within the last 12 months.
Describing the results as ‘shocking’, Graham Hurdle, managing director of E-Training World, added: ‘For companies with fleets, who do not stipulate the frequency of eyesight tests in their company handbook, and do not check whether company vehicle drivers have had their eyes tested, it could land the directors in hot water. If a serious blameworthy accident occurs and it turns out that that driver was not safe because they could not see, the company directors may find themselves facing some close interrogation from the Health and Safety Executive or the police.’
It is a legal requirement for drivers to be able to read a standard size number plate (with glasses or corrective lenses if necessary) from 20.5 metres (67 feet) or 20 metres (65 feet) where narrower characters (50mm) wide are displayed. (E-Training World: October 23).
If you have any comments on this article and would like to let us know please click here
