Driver eyesight: operators reminded about duty of care27 January 2020

Fleet management organisation Fleet Operations is urging operators to ensure that drivers have regular eyesight tests, following the release of official figures showing thousands of drivers lose their licence each year in the UK due to poor eyesight.

DVLA figures reveal that 19,644 drivers had their licences revoked between January 2017 and September 2019 because their eyesight did not meet the required standard. The figures were provided to insurance company Direct Line following a Freedom of Information request.

The law stipulates that all drivers must be able to read a number plate in daylight from a distance of 20 metres. However, this is a “rudimentary eyesight check”, says Richard Hipkiss, managing director of Fleet Operations, and the onus is on the driver to advise DVLA if his or her eyesight fails to meet the statutory minimum.

“All employers have a duty of care,” he says, adding that operators should remind drivers that the DVLA recommends an eyesight test every two years as a minimum.

Fleet Operations also wants a mandatory eyesight test to be included as part of the 10-yearly photocard licence renewal process.

Author
Laura Cork

Related Companies
Fleet Operations Ltd

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