Member Article

Employers short-sighted about eye health of staff, indicates YouGov poll for Road Safety Week 2017

Vision Express offers up free eye tests to prevent Britain’s five million-plus population who drive for work from risking their licence and livelihood.

Vision Express is urging employers to open their eyes to the risks posed by staff who drive for work but are failing to have regular eye tests, says new research released by the national optical retailer for Road Safety Week 2017 (20-26 November).

Undertaken by YouGov, it reveals that a quarter of people in the UK who drive for work are not having regular eye tests. Worse still, 6% haven’t had one in at least 10 years, and 2% have never had their eyes tested.

Worryingly, two thirds (64%) of employers have never discussed the importance of meeting the minimum eyesight requirement to drive with employees who get behind the wheel as part of their job.

Driving more than 25,000 miles a year is reportedly the third most dangerous job in the UK, behind deep sea diving and coal mining , with a business driver covering 25,000 miles or more per year having a 1 in 8,000 chance of being killed at work .

However, the study points to a potential safety crisis for all road users – especially with 13% confessing they wouldn’t inform the DVLA if their eyesight was too poor to drive.

The findings come amid a sharp increase in UK road traffic by people driving for work. Buoyed by a surge in online shopping and on-demand deliveries, more vans than ever are travelling on UK roads .Taxis and private hire vehicles are on the rise too, as the latest Department for Transport figures show a 16% increase year-on-year in England alone.

In 2016, there were 44,048 work-related road casualties , and it is estimated that crashes involving a driver with poor vision causes 2,900 casualties each year.

A quarter of the drivers surveyed in Vision Express’ research considered sub-standard sight to be among the most significant road safety hazards and almost nine in 10 (86%) claimed to feel unsafe if other road users have poor vision.

The research also found that over a third (39%) of people said their job would be at risk if their eyesight did not meet the minimum requirement to drive. More than a quarter (27%) feared they would lose their job if they were unable to drive.

Jonathan Lawson, Vision Express CEO, comments: “Driving on company business is typically the most dangerous activity an employee undertakes on behalf of the business . “And, our research found that over a third (39%) of people said their job would be at risk if their eyesight did not meet the minimum requirement to drive and more than a quarter (27%) feared they would lose their job if they were unable to drive.

“Many people don’t realise that changes in sight can be gradual, and it’s possible to lose up to 40% of your vision before even noticing it . Tellingly, the vast majority (93%) of drivers in our research believed they did meet the legal eyesight requirement for driving, yet over half (56%) couldn’t identify what this is, so there is a clear need to educate drivers about vision – particularly that half of all sight loss is preventable .

“These facts alone highlight that employers should be doing much more to advise employees about the importance of having an eye test.”

For most people, their only mandatory vision check is reading a registration plate from 20 metres away as part of a driving test. Reports estimate five million drivers on UK roads would fail this if they had to take it again .

Jonathan adds: “The Health and Safety Executive estimates that a third of all road traffic accidents involve someone who is at work , so ensuring these individuals have eye sight that is up to scratch can have a huge impact on improving road safety – and it’s an issue that we urge employers to take seriously. The impact – and potential costs - of a workforce with deteriorating vision is significant.”

Vision Express offers a number of schemes for companies of all sizes who wish to offer eye care as part of an employee benefits package. And with a corporate partnership with Vision Express, free eye tests are offered to all employees, at no cost to the organisation.

Vision Express is supporting Road Safety Week by offering free eye tests via a voucher, downloadable until 26 November from the Vision Express website. The voucher can be redeemed until 31 December 2017 at any of approximately 400 Vision Express stores across the UK and Ireland.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Vision Express .