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How well can you see when you drive?

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A driver’s eyesight plays a crucial role in road safety. That is why traffic authorities insist on testing your eyes every 5 years. As expected, you can only drive on South Africa’s roads if you pass the said authorised eye test. Read on to see our safety tips around vision and driving and learn more about the importance of seeing well on the road. 1

What is meant by visibility and vision?

Visibility means clearly seeing an object on the road, while vision refers to your ability to see. These two criteria are crucial to road safety and how well you drive. 1

What’s the impact of poor eyesight on driving?

About 90% of all information you receive as a driver is visual. This means that most of your decisions are directly based on what your eyes have shown you. According to statistics, most accidents happen because of human error which can be mostly due to poor eyesight. 1

One out of four drivers need help

According to the Supaquick article of 2021, almost one driver out of every four needs help to see correctly. The good news is that about 80% of visual challenges can be prevented or treated. 1

Poor eyesight can cause a slow response

You wouldn’t think it, but driving with impaired vision at 50 km/hour means you need an extra three seconds to spot and interpret a road sign. 1

What eye test requirements do you need for safe driving?

Regular eye tests are crucial to ensure that your visibility and vision meet the minimum standards. During an eye test, you need to look at the Snellen chart, which has single letters in rows ranging in size from large to small as you go down the chart. 1

Minimum eyesight requirements for a South African driver’s licence

To qualify for a South African driver’s licence, you need to meet the minimum requirement according to the Snellen chart. Visual acuity is a measure of your eye’s’ ability to distinguish details and shapes of different objects at a certain distance. The legal minimum visual acuity is 20/40 for each eye and a visual field of 120 degrees. 1

Address your cataracts

Lower your chances of having an accident by correcting a cataract. Drivers with a cataract are 2.5 times more likely to have an accident.1

Avoid driving at night

Driving during the day is a better because fatal crashes at night are two to four times more likely to happen.1

Driving at night and glare

Naturally, you must concentrate and focus much more when driving at night compared to daylight driving. At night, your vision can be considerably restricted. Glare from headlights of oncoming cars can interfere with your vision and temporarily blind you. Cataracts in your eyes can also interfere with your vision during night driving. 1

Some tips for improved vision when driving at night

Check that all your windows and front and back windscreens are clean and not greasy. Wipe the outside of your headlights and check if the lamps inside are operating correctly. 1

Disclaimer

This article is designed to inform you, as a driver, of the dangers of poor eyesight. It also emphasises the need to sort out any eyesight issues for the sake of road safety. 1

Addressing poor eyesight when driving will make sure that you and other motorists are safe on the road. But are you safely covered with adequate car insurance? If you don’t know, don’t hesitate to contact us at PMD for more information based on our world-class expertise. We can show you our affordable car insurance products with unique benefits like fixed premiums* and a reduce to zero excess*. T’s and C’s apply.

If you plan to buy a financial services product, arrange a meeting with a certified financial advisor.

Source:

1https://www.supaquick.com/driving-and-your-eyesight

 

This article was prepared by Eric Sandmann in his personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own. The views and opinions in the article should not be attributed to anyone but the author unless expressly stated. Nothing in this article should be relied upon as advice, this publication is presented for informational purposes only. No person should act or refrain from acting in reliance on any information found in this article, without first obtaining proper financial advice from the appropriate professional. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, or completeness, of any information linked from, referred to, or contained in this article. The author reserves the right, to edit and change the content of this article.

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