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Spectacle-less drivers invalidate their Car Insurance

Tue, 01 Nov 2005

Poor-sighted motorists who drive without their glasses could be invalidating their Car Insurance policies.

New research from Privilege Insurance concludes that people who drive without glasses or contact lenses could be putting other road users at risk and may find their insurance company will not pay out if they are involved in an accident.

Around 55 per cent of UK drivers have a prescription for either glasses or contact lenses, with one in five admitting that they have drove without them – equally around three million motorists. The research also discovered that around half a million drivers confess they regularly drive without wearing their glasses or contact lenses, even though they have less than perfect eyesight.

Deacon Harle, chief executive of the Institute of Optometry, said: "Reduced vision can have a significant and probably dangerous effect on driver competence."

"Even more disturbing is the number of people with prescriptions but who forget to put their glasses on before driving, despite admitting they couldn't even read a number plate from 20.5 metres- the legal requirement," added Ian Parker, managing director of Privilege Insurance.


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