70% of drivers take the car without seeing properly

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More visual health problems are detected among the over-65s, but the number of accidents is lower

Professional drivers have better vision than the Spanish average and take better care of their visual health, as this is essential in their job. However, among non-professional drivers, there are still cases of
lack of attentiveness on the importance of vision behind the wheel. This is one of the conclusions of the study ‘The state of vision for drivers in Spain, 2022’, presented today at a press conference by the public utility association, Vision and Life, in collaboration with Correos Express.

The study (almost 1,700 registered visual tests), resulting from the “I am not a lynx” campaign that assessed the vision of thousands of drivers -users and professionals- in Spain over the summer thanks to the support of the Directorate-General for Transport (DGT), the Servei Català de Trànsit and Traffic Directorate of the Basque Government, is trying to update the data of the last one published by the association itself in 2017 on this matter. s
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The report shows that the state of vision has improved slightly since 2017: “We believe that so many years of education and awareness campaigns help us raise awareness of eye care.
vision and its importance when drivingn“, To explain
Salvador Alsina, chairman of Vision and Life. However, there is still room for improvement: “out of the total sample, we see that 16.4% of the total think they don’t have good vision, but still keep driving,” explains Alsina.

However, the relationship between accidents and visual impairment is confirmed, which was first demonstrated in 2017: “those with a visual acuity of less than 0.4 had up to three times more accidents. Now, in 2022, we know that those who have parts registered with their insurer in the past three years will have worse vision. It is observed in the worst results in terms of field of view, sharpness, contrast sensitivity and increased use of optical equipment,” explains Elisenda Ibáñez, coordinator of Vision and Life.

In addition, this study analyzes for the first time the visual status of professional drivers, including car, van, trailer and bus drivers, as well as drivers, motorcyclists and taxi drivers. Although it is a preliminary analysis that will be expanded in 2023, it has been found that this segment of professional drivers has better vision than non-professional drivers. Although they drive for longer hours, and most of them in low light (2.7% between 2 and 4 am and 11.5% between 4 and 6 am), their accident rate is only 7.3% higher . In addition, they offer better results in field of view, 3D vision, contrast sensitivity and less use of glasses (64.7% compared to 77.4% of the user). «You can see how the professional takes better care of his vision, as this is an essential tool in his daily life. For example, it is striking that only 0.7% has a vision of less than 0.8, a figure that amounts to 5.44% in the total sample,” explains Ibáñez.

Most worryingly, the number of drivers who do not exceed the legally required minimum requirements for obtaining a driving license and yet continue to drive: “currently on our roads there are about 1.5 million drivers (5.44%) who do not reach 0.8 , which is required of professional drivers.In addition, there are 558,900 drivers (2.04%) who do not meet the 0.5, the minimum required by law.These people are not allowed to get behind the wheel, for their safety and that of the people around them away,” explains Ibáñez.

Similarly, it is observed how the eyesight of drivers over 65 years of age is significantly worse than the average of the sample, although their crash rate is also lower. “It seems that, as noted in previous studies, the person tends to shorten or limit their driving time, reducing the risk and thus the low number of accidents,” explains Alsina.

If we focus on visually impaired people who have paid part of their insurance in the last three years, we see that they represent 1.01% of the total, which amounts to 275,458 drivers. “It is important to note that in 2020 the number of journeys has fallen drastically, so this data should continue to be monitored in the coming years to make a real comparison in terms of circulation and journeys,” explains Alsina.

Source: La Verdad

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