A SURVEY OF RESEARCH PROJECTS INTO THE RELATION OF DRIVERS VISION TO ROAD ACCIDENTS IN OVERSEAS COUNTRIES AND SOUTH AFRICA

Official attitudes to drivers vision shows two different approaches. One regards the licence to drive as a privilege to be earned, the other states that no statistically significant relationship between bad vision and accidents has been established. Evidence from the reported research suggests that the time has come to change the latter attitude and introduce a re-testing programme. Some of the research papers reviewed show a relationship between bad vision and accidents. Other research shows that when drivers vision is not regularly retested, a large proportion continue to drive although their vision has deteriorated to a level far below that required to hold a licence. There are also papers to show a slight relation between subnormal vision and accidents only in those older than 55 years. There appears to be a relation between drivers who overtook or entered a major road badly due to poor vision in one eye reducing accurate depth perception. Also, although samples are small, a high percentage of drivers involved in accidents due to not seeing a vehicle at one side had one defective eye on that side. (TRRL)

• Corporate Authors:

  South African Optometric Association

  P.O. Box 2059
  Pretoria,   South Africa 

  South African Optometric Association

  P.O. Box 2059
  Pretoria,   South Africa 
• Authors:
  • Humphriss, D
• Publication Date: 1983-3

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 11-17
• Serial:
  • South African Optometrist
  • Publisher: South African Optometric Association

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age; Crashes; Driver licenses; Drivers; Driving tests; Inventory; Medical examinations and tests; Mental disorders; Research projects; Testing; Traffic crashes; Vision; Vision disorders
• Geographic Terms: South Africa
• Old TRIS Terms: Driver vision
• ITRD Terms: 1643: Accident; 1757: Age; 1772: Driver; 1550: Driving licence; 2134: Illness; 9035: Inventory; 2157: Medical examination; 8557: Research project; 8103: South Africa; 2066: Vision
• Subject Areas: Freight Transportation; Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00382100
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 30 1984 12:00AM