You ever get on the beltway and wondered how some drivers ever managed to get a licence. I mean they weave and bob thru traffic, you think you got a front row seat at a championship fight, get so close you can smell their cologne or ride so close on your rear end, you want to take out a warrant for sexual assault. Well so do the police in the UK. Starting this month, every motorist stopped by the police will be required to read a licence plate from 65 feet away. Drivers who fail will have their licence immediately revoked on the spot. Police spokesman Sgt Rob Heard said, “Not being able to see a hazard or react to a situation quickly enough can have catastrophic consequences.” He warned that officers would be carrying out eyesight checks at every opportunity. In 2013 a 16-year-old named Cassie McCord died when an 87-year-old man lost control of his vehicle. It later emerged he had failed a police eyesight test days earlier, but a legal loophole meant he was allowed to continue driving. Here in the US, a person must have a minimum corrected (with glasses or contacts) visual acuity of 20/50 to qualify for a restricted license (drive with corrective lenses). Drivers with visual acuity of 20/60 are restricted to daytime driving only. A person with two functional eyes must have a field vision of 140 degrees. In addition, you may still be able to drive a car or motorcycle if you only have one eye or sight loss in one eye (sometimes called “monocular vision”). This is provided that the MVA is satisfied that you have sufficient sight in your other eye, including a normal field of vision.
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