Eyesight campaign launched for company drivers

The Fleet Safety Forum, a division of the road safety charity Brake, is calling on fleets to do all they can to ensure their company drivers have regular eyesight tests.

Fleet managers can order for free the Fleet Safety Forum’s Look Sharp poster and e-guidance campaign pack, sponsored by Boots Opticians, alerting drivers and managers to the importance of regular eyesight tests.

The poster aims to help fleet managers get the message across to drivers that it’s important to have a test every two years to ensure they can see hazards on the roads.

The e-guidance document explains the extent and nature of eyesight problems, and gives guidance on what positive action can be taken to prevent them among drivers.

Having good eyesight is a basic requirement of safe driving. Experts recommend that everyone has an eyesight test every two years or more frequently, and whenever there is a cause for concern.

Yet every year in the UK alone an estimated 12.5 million people who are due a test do not have one and one in six drivers cannot see well enough to pass the basic eyesight test.

Brake’s Caroline Perry said: “Fleet managers must address the issue internally and consider their drivers’ eyesight as part of their wider fleet safety strategy. Being an experienced and skilled driver is meaningless if a driver is unable to spot hazards due to poor vision.”

The Look Sharp campaign pack is available for free to the first 50 companies who order it. Thereafter it costs £7.45 plus p&p. The pack is also provided free of charge to members of Brake’s Fleet Safety Forum, the charity’s not-for-profit service helping companies stop crashes involving their vehicles through better road risk management. Subscription costs from just £40 per year, and fleet managers can subscribe online at www.fleetsafetyforum.org.

Additional copies of the poster can be ordered for £2.50 each + p&p. Contact Brake on 01484 559909 or admin@brake.org.uk to order.