Professional drivers have better vision than the Spanish average and take better care of their visual health, since this is essential in their work. However, among non-professional drivers, there are still cases of lack of awareness on the importance of vision behind the wheel. This is one of the conclusions of the study ‘The state of vision for drivers in Spain, 2022’, presented today at a press conference by the public utility association, Vision and Life, in collaboration with Correos Express.
The study (nearly 1,700 registered visual tests), born from the ‘I am not a lynx’ campaign that reviewed the vision of thousands of drivers -users and professionals- in Spain during the summer thanks to the support of the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT ), the Servei Català de Trànsit and Traffic Directorate of the Basque Government, seeks to update the data of the last one published on the matter by the association itself in 2017. ¿Hachanged the driver’s vision in these five years? Has the Covid-19 pandemic affected you?
The report shows that the state of vision has improved slightly since 2017: “We believe that so many years of carrying out information and awareness campaigns help us to increase awareness of eye care. vision and the importance it has in drivingn“, Explain Salvador Alsina, president of Vision and Life. However, there is still room for improvement: “of the total sample, we see that 16.4% of the total believe that they do not have good vision, but continue to drive”, explains Alsina.
However, the relationship between accidents and poor vision is confirmed, which was demonstrated for the first time in 2017: “those who had visual acuity less than 0.4 had up to three times more accidents. Now, in 2022, we know that those who have registered parts with their insurer in the last three years have worse vision. It is perceived in the worst results obtained in relation to visual field, acuity, contrast sensitivity and greater use of optical equipment”, explains Elisenda Ibáñez, coordinator of Vision and Life.
In addition, this study analyzes for the first time the vision status of professional drivers, including car, van, trailer and bus drivers, as well as riders, motorcyclists and taxi drivers. Although it is a preliminary analysis that will be extended in 2023, it is detected that this segment of professional drivers has better vision than non-professional drivers. Although they drive more hours, and most of them in low light conditions (2.7% between 2 and 4 hours and 11.5% between 4 and 6 hours), their accident rate is only 7.3% higher . In addition, they offer better results in terms of visual field, 3D vision, contrast sensitivity and less use of glasses (64.7% compared to 77.4% of the user). «You can see how the professional takes better care of his vision, since this is an essential tool in his day to day. Thus, it stands out that only 0.7% have a vision of less than 0.8, a figure that amounts to 5.44% in the total sample”, explains Ibáñez.
The most alarming thing continues to be the number of drivers who do not exceed the minimum requirements required by law to obtain a license and who, nevertheless, continue to drive: “currently, on our roads, there are about 1.5 million drivers (5, 44%) that do not reach 0.8 acuity, which is what is required of professional drivers. In addition, there are 558,900 drivers (2.04%) who do not reach 0.5, the minimum required by law. These people should not get behind the wheel, for their safety and that of those around them,” explains Ibáñez.
In the same way, it is observed how the state of vision of drivers over 65 years of age is substantially worse than the average of the sample, although their accident rate is also lower. “It seems that, as has been commented in previous studies, the person tends to reduce or limit their driving time, thus reducing the risk and, hence, their low accident rate”, explains Alsina.
If we focus on those with poor vision who have given a part to their insurance in the last three years, we see that they represent 1.01% of the total and add up to 275,458 drivers. “It is important to note that in 2020 the number of journeys has decreased drastically, so these data must continue to be monitored in the coming years in order to make a real comparison in terms of circulation and journeys,” explains Alsina.