1 November 2005 POOR SIGHTED BRITS CAUSING HAVOC ON NATION'S ROADS. Thousands of motorists with poor eyesight are endangering Britain’s road users by failing to wear their glasses or contact lenses, according to new research by safe driver champion Privilege Insurance. Over half (55 per cent) of the British driving population currently has a prescription for glasses or contact lenses which they should wear when driving. But the research findings reveal that almost one in five (18 per cent) have driven without wearing their prescription glasses or contact lenses, equating to over 3 million drivers.  Most worryingis that almost a fifth of these (17 per cent), over half a million drivers, confess to doing so once every few days. According to Privilege’s research, a significant 3 per cent of all drivers who have an eyesight prescription, representing over 500,000 motorists, have been involved in a driving incident such as drifting out of lane, exceeding the speed limit or even driving on the wrong side of the road while not wearing their glasses or contact lenses. Poor sighted drivers are not just popping to the local shops without their glasses, it seems. The results reveal that the last time motorists who have driven without their glasses or lenses ventured out without correcting their eyesight, eight in ten (79 per cent) drove at least two miles and one in ten (11 per cent) drove over 50 miles.

Privilege Price Promise
Privilege Insurance has announced that it will continue to guarantee to beat any car insurance renewal quote for drivers with four years or more no claims discount.  The decision extends the guarantee, which was first introduced when the Privilege brand re-launched in August 2004, and comes at a time when independent research has found Privilege to be cheapest for drivers in its target ‘safe driver’ market. american car insurance uk Read more...

DANGER ON ROADS
american car insurance uk This will ensure that you have some essential tools if you do breakdown e.g. Replace any defective bulbs or fuses to ensure you are visible to other drivers. Remember to top up the windscreen washer fluid reservoirs - new anti-freeze windscreen solutions are widely available. If the wipers on your car are over a year old, it may well be time to replace them. Check that they are all clean and free from cracks and damage. Read more...

MoreThan Comments
Any incentives to further encourage drivers to make the switch must be welcomed.” MORE THAN’s research among 1,500 motorists found that one in six people (16%) would consider following the likes of eco-friendly celebrities Gwyneth Paltrow and Orlando Bloom by trading in their current vehicle for an electric or hybrid car. american car insurance uk Read more...

4. Deacon Harle is the Joint Chief Executive and former clinical director at The Institute of Optometry, London. Following his work into the signs and symptomatology of retinal and vitreous detachment, he became research fellow in the Neville Chappell Research Clinic. He is an examiner and education advisor to The College of Optometrists and an education approver to the General Optical Council in the UK. He also attends as a stakeholder representative to the All Party Group on Eye Health, a UK cross party parliamentary group concerned with the promotion of eye health in the UK. He has acted in the past on a number of occasions as a medico-legal expert witness. 5. According to the DVLA, the law states that: A licence holder or applicant is suffering a prescribed disability if unable to meet the eyesight requirements, i.e. to read in good light (with the aid of glasses or contact lenses if worn) a registration mark fixed to a motor vehicle and containing letters and figures 79 millimetres high and 57 millimetres wide (i.e. pre 1.9.2001 font) at a distance of 20.5 metres, or at a distance of 20 metres where the characters are 50 millimetres wide (i.e. post 1.9.2001 font). If unable to meet this standard, the driver must not drive and the licence must be refused or revoked. Privilege Insurance -