Campaign places driver vision under the spotlight

Police forces across the UK are taking part in a national road safety initiative to raise awareness of motorists’ legal obligation to meet minimum eyesight standards when driving on public roads.

The law requires that all motorists are able to read a car number plate from 20 metres (that’s about five car lengths); have a visual acuity of 6/12 measured on the Snellen scale (wearing prescription eyewear, if necessary) and have adequate field of vision. There are additional standards for lorry and bus drivers.

As part of the ‘Is Your Vision Roadworthy?’ campaign, participating forces will be undertaking roadside vision screenings, the results of which will be used to inform future road safety policy and campaigns.

The roadside vision screening will ask drivers to read a number plate from a distance of 20 metres. All tests will be conducted in good daylight conditions, using a registration plate affixed to a vehicle at the correct measured distance (20m), with the driver wearing any eyesight correction (eg: spectacles) worn at the time of driving.

Under legislation known as Cassie’s Law, drivers who fail a roadside number plate test could have their licence revoked on the spot if a police officer deems them to be unsafe to be on the road.