Drivers warned: poor eyesight could cost you your licence

Drivers across East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire are being warned they could be risking their licence by driving with poor eyesight, often without realising their vision might not be up to legal standards.

Police are launching Operation Dark Night, a national campaign aimed at improving safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and horse riders as the evenings get darker.

Officers will be out for the next two weeks, handing out bike lights, checking drivers' vision, and encouraging the use of reflective clothing.

Safer Roads Humber is supporting the campaign, which is called "Is Your Eyesight Roadworthy?" Ruth Gore from the partnership is urging everyone to get regular eyesight tests.

"Eyesight deteriorates very slowly over time, so you often don't notice things are actually changing. By having regular tests, your optician will pick up anything," she said.

"If they recommend that you need to have glasses or contact lenses when you're driving, you must wear them for every trip, no matter how small, just to make sure that you're actually seeing everything OK."

Drivers must be able to read a number plate from twenty metres, and roadside checks will assess this, alongside testing for good peripheral vision.

Ruth adds, "By having regular eyesight tests, opticians can pick up other health conditions, which often can be prevented. So it’s a good thing to get in the habit of having your eyesight tested regularly."

Police are reminding everyone that driving with uncorrected defective eyesight can lead to fines, penalty points, or even disqualification, and they’ll be carrying out roadside screenings to help keep roads safer for everyone.