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Are you a haulier in need of an eye test? If you’re not sure, the answer is probably yes. In fact, the answer is probably yes for most people in the haulage industry. Recent studies have found that a scarily small portion of drivers have had vision checks since their driving test, and failing to do so can result in dire consequences… The Stats According to Vision Express, there are around 7.6 million licence holders in the UK who haven’t had an eye test since their driving exam, in which they were asked to read a number plate from a distance of 20m. If you’ve been operating a HGV and doing haulage jobs for a number of years, your eyesight is likely to be poorer than it used to be and you may well have to consider some form of vision correction. Vision Express have also stated that over 50% of motorists admitted to not always wearing their glasses or contacts while they were out on the roads, and two in three don’t even wear the right prescription. If you think you or any fellow drivers out there doing haulage jobs could be a culprit in making these risky eyesight choices, then it’s time to take action. You may not notice these things day-to-day, but if you find yourself squinting or it’s sometimes difficult to concentrate on the road due to blurriness, it is definitely recommended that you do something about it. Finding Solutions Policy makers are being urged to introduce compulsory eyesight checks for UK motorists every ten years after passing their driving test. The ‘Eye Tests Save Lives’ campaign has been running since 2015, with Vision Express working in collaboration with industry bodies, road safety charities and the police. The campaign has won multiple awards, and has had a huge impact in terms of raising awareness among the public. In 2017, Eye Tests Save Lives secured its first breakthrough commitment from DVLA, when the government agency promised to introduce an eye test renewal reminder to driving licence notices. Despite being a significant step forward, the campaigners are in agreement that more needs to be done. A Hopeful Future Those involved with the campaign have called on the government to explore new avenues of vision testing, and have proposed the following ideas: • Making efforts to discover how eye tests could be adapted to reflect vision deterioration with aging • Introducing full sight checks for all new drivers • Introducing more awareness initiatives about healthy eyesight • Making sure motorist eye checks are compulsory every ten years. Road safety is a hugely important aspect of haulage jobs due to the potential dangers of heavy goods vehicles, so if you’re a delivery driver, be sure to have your eyesight tested as soon as you can. With the trucking industry on board, the future is bound to be clear and bright – and even clearer with the right prescription. Author Plate Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Connecting logistics professionals across the UK and Europe through their website, Haulage Exchange provides services for matching haulage jobs with available drivers. Over 5,400 member companies are networked together through the Exchange to fill empty capacity, get new clients and form long-lasting business relationships.
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