Free Eye Tests for Professional Road Haulage Drivers as Police Crackdown on Truckers

UK – The 'Vision Van' which we detailed in a piece in March, which roams the country testing the eyesight of the general public, makes its next stops at Vision Express at Tesco in Hanley, Staffordshire (13 September), and Knutsford TruckFest, Cheshire (15 and 16 September). Co-sponsored by the Road Haulage Association (RHA) the van aims to illustrate the importance of good or corrected sight particularly to HGV drivers.

RHA members are entitled to a free eye test via an online voucher system and the test doesn’t just check whether you need glasses, but it can also identify a number of underlying health problems, such as diabetes, glaucoma, high blood pressure and macular degeneration.

The free test for RHA members doesn’t need to be taken aboard the Vision Van, but can be had at any branch of Vision Express, co-sponsors of the scheme. Just as well for any truck drivers in the Thames Valley, Hampshire and West Midlands regions as local police have all announced a crackdown on defective eyesight in their respective areas this month.

Data from the tests will be used to improve understanding of the extent of poor driver vision on UK roads which is thought to be hugely underestimated. Motorists will be required to read a number plate from 20 metres. Anyone who fails will have their licence revoked.

It cannot be stressed too much how important good sight is for professional drivers and, as RHA Chief Executive, Richard Burnett says:

“Road safety is our number one priority and any measures to make roads even safer are a good thing for all of us. Diagnosing poor eyesight saves lives.”