Keep an eye on drivers’ sight - India

"An eye test carried out on 1,000 drivers in the city of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM in INDIA gave a less than encouraging result – 560 had defective eyesight.

Drivers’ defective eyesight and their rampant misuse of headlights are fast becoming a hazard for road users and a matter of grave concern for law enforcing agencies.

An eye test carried out by the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (Natpac) in the city among 1,000 drivers revealed that 560 of them, mostly in the 40-50 age group, had defective eyesight.

According to Natpac scientist T. Elangovan, 10 per cent of the drivers had serious problems like tunnel vision, blurred vision and colour blindness.

According to a senior police official, increase in night time road accidents involving heavy vehicles is mainly due to poor eyesight of the drivers.

Other major culprits are the drivers’ reluctance to dim headlights, misuse of high-beams and use of halogen bulbs in headlights.

Two-wheeler and light motor vehicle drivers often complain that they get blinded by the high-beams used by luxury buses and heavy vehicles, especially those transporting cargo. High-beams are banned in the city. But, all four-wheelers and heavy vehicles prefer to move with the high-beam switched on.

There have also been several instances of two-wheelers and cars colliding with traffic dividers and lamp posts after the drivers are momentarily dazed by the high-beam from the approaching vehicles.

Many vehicles, especially luxury buses, install additional powerful headlights after getting the vehicle registered. The additional lights are removed when the vehicles are taken for CF (Certificate of Fitness) test, Motor Vehicle Department officials say."