News: Lives at risk because drivers are too vain to wear their glasses
I can see clearly now: drivers who fail to wear their glasses are warned they could face jail
VANITY MEANS thousands of motorists are endangering lives on the road by refusing to wear glasses when driving, a recent survey has found.
The poll asked 1,000 drivers who wear spectacles whether they used them when required. The results showed that one in eight drivers who are legally required to wear glasses when behind the wheel decided not to, meaning thousands of poor-sighted drivers could be using UK roads on a daily basis.
It’s younger rather than older drivers who are the worst offenders. Those under 44 years of age were 15 times more likely to leave their glasses behind when driving compared to the over-55s. The survey, carried out for Focus eye clinics, found that 43% of those who admitted to ditching specs when driving said it was down to vanity reasons. Others merely forgot to put them on or found it too much hassle to constantly carry a spare pair in the car.
Police warned that if a motorist is involved in a serious accident that causes a fatality and officers discover they weren’t wearing prescribed glasses, they could face the charge of causing death by dangerous driving, which carries a 15-year prison sentence.
The Highway Code states: “If you need to wear glasses (or contact lenses) to do this, you MUST wear them at all times while driving. The police have the power to require a driver to undertake an eyesight test.”
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