The Upper East Regional Manager of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), AL-Rashid Mohammed has mentioned that about ninety percent of motor vehicular crashes are caused by human error.
Speaking earlier today on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show, he said research findings revealed that most drivers have problems with their sight. Based on this finding, the DVLA has relinquished the eye testing part of the process of acquiring a driver’s license to professional eye doctors.
In the Upper East Region, Premier Vision and Optical Centre is the accredited eye care centre.
“If you consider the rate of road accidents, the way people die or lose their lives or how people sustain various injuries, we have to do something differently. Studies also show that about ninety percent of road crashes are through human errors. So we have to look at how we do our things. And then based on this, some research was also conducted. It revealed that most of the drivers on the road have eye problems. So the Authority decided that if research shows that the problems are on humans then we have to do something about the humans. So Authorities said then we should relinquish the eye test to the professionals themselves to do it.”
He said the DVLA used to do it but they cannot interpret the results better than the professionals. The professionals he said can give the Authority accurate information and advice.
Formally, the DVLA does the tests and then refers people with eye problems to the doctors but now, people who are applying for licenses will first have to see the eye doctors.
An Optometrist, Dr. Albert Kumi Brown said the new arrangement from the DVLA is very important because people who drive with poor vision pose a threat to other road users.
“Almost all our communication and interaction with our surroundings is visual. So you need your eyes. You see, if you drive with poor vision, you pose a threat not only to yourself but other road users as well. So with your poor vision, if it is not corrected, you can cause a lot of havoc both economically and physically and even with poor vision you can cause the death of another person.”
According to Dr. Brown, they are looking for how well a person can see from afar during the test.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Osuman Kaapore Tahiru|Ghana
