Thousands of Brits are failing their driving test due to ‘poor eyesight’

Tina Patel
Wednesday, 08 November 2023 Share this blog:

When driving especially, it is important to take certain precautions to ensure the safety of yourself, as well as other drivers – this includes making sure your eyes meet the standards of vision for driving.

Feel Good Contacts has uncovered new DVLA statistics that show just how many people fail their driving test because they can’t read the licence plate from 20 metres away.

At the start of every driving test in the UK, candidates are asked to read out a number plate from 20 metres away, often before they even get in the car.

It may seem like the easiest part, but actually, more than 2,800 people have failed to read a number plate 20m (65ft) away during their driving test. Whether you’re a learner or an experienced driver, if you’re struggling to read number plates, it’s important to see an optician as soon as possible and alert the DVLA of any changes.

Neil Worth, Chief Executive of personal breakdown recovery service, GEM Motoring Assist, said: “Poor eyesight is linked to nearly 3,000 fatal and serious injury collisions every year.”

Here are our top tips to keep your eyes in top shape for when you’re driving:

Stay hydrated
Ensure you get enough sleep
Take regular breaks
Always wear any prescription lenses or glasses you have
Have the sun visor down when it’s very bright
Wear sunglasses on very sunny days. Polarised sunglasses are specially made to reduce both direct and reflective glare.

For more information on how to care for your vision, visit the Feel Good Eyecare Hub.

How many people fail their driving test because of their eyesight?

Here is the full data from the DVLA, in relation to people who have failed their driving test due to eyesight faults. It is worth noting that certain figures have been redacted in the tables. This information was withheld under section 40(2) of the FOIA because it is considered to be personal information that could lead to the identification of an individual.

Year	Age	Female	Male	Total

2013	17-20	67	100	167
	21-30	101	135	236
	31-40	69	66	135
	41-50	32	34	66
	51-60	13	9	22
	61+			6

		282	344	632

2014	17-20	59	82	141
	21-30	76	105	181
	31-40	53	56	109
	41-50	20	31	51
	51-60	11	9	20
	61+			6

		219	283	508

2015	17-20	46	95	141
	21-30	80	124	204
	31-40	49	52	101
	41-50	24	29	53
	51-60	9	12	21
	61+			8

		208	312	528

2016	17-20	42	83	125
	21-30	95	116	211
	31-40	64	71	135
	41-50	17	30	47
	51-60	11	7	18
	61+			9

		229	307	545

2017	17-20	85	91	176
	21-30	98	126	224
	31-40	51	58	109
	41-50	27	40	67
	51-60			13
	61+			10

		261	315	599



		1199	1561	2812

Total number of notifications received by DVLA for the last 5 years (eyesight related conditions)

	Year	Number of notifications
	2013	166,148
	2014	161,117
	2015	156,367
	2016	173,975
	2017	200,289
Total		857,896

Total number of licenses that have been refused on application for a licence or revoked for eyesight related conditions over the last 5 years

	Year	Group 1 (car/motorcycle)	Group 2 (lorry/bus)
	2013	7,373	2,035
	2014	9,077	1,306
	2015	9,059	1,134
	2016	9,094	1,298
	2017	8,200	1,192
Total		42,803	6,965	49,768

Affordable prescription glasses

It’s important to have regular eye tests; it’s especially important to ensure you have corrective lenses/glasses before your driving test if required. Feel Good Contacts have a broad range of designer prescription glasses starting from just £6.

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