Thousands of people are failing their driving tests before they even get behind the wheel – due to one simple thing they can’t do. More than 3,000 nervous learner drivers failed tests due to their eyesight and being unable to read a reg plate from 20 metres away.
This equates to around £200,000 that Brits have wasted on failed driving tests where the learner didn’t even switch the engine on. A study by prescription glasses retailer Feel Good Contacts analysed the number of road users with eyesight-related conditions and how it affects practical exams in the UK.
The cost of a practical driving exam can set learners back at least £62 and up to £75 depending on the time of day. But according to the study, including DVLA Freedom of Information requests, for 3,061 Brits between 2018 and 2023 it turned out to be a complete waste of cash.
All these drivers failed the initial eyesight check of reading a registration plate from 20 metres away – meaning they had no chance of passing before even stepping foot in the car. According to gov.uk: “You must be able to read (with glasses or contact lenses, if necessary) a car number plate made after 1 September 2001 from 20 metres.”
Those who failed their test at this stage likely either forgot their specs or contact lenses or had an inadequate field of vision. This means that £229,000 was spent on driving exams within this period where the learner didn’t even get behind the wheel of the car as they’d already failed.
It appears learner drivers are still not learning their lesson when it comes to good eyesight for a practical exam. The number of test fails at the initial eyesight check gradually increasing and returning to pre-Covid levels.
Numbers peaked at 697 in 2018, sharply dropping to 280 in 2020 and gradually increasing year-on-year to 600 in 2023. As a percentage, men are 41 per cent more likely to fail their driving test at this stage than women, with men aged 21-30 the most likely group to fail their driving test at the initial eyesight check.
Men accounted for 1,842 of the fails, whereas women only accounted for 1,219 of the fails at this stage of the driving test. Younger drivers failed most at the initial eyesight check, with those aged 21-30 accounting for more than a third (36 per cent) of them.
More than 14 million drivers in the UK require eyesight correction as a condition of their license, meaning out of 42 million license holders, a third (34 per cent) contain an ’01 – Eyesight Correction’ code. More than a third (35 per cent) of 2,000 Brits quizzed, who wear glasses or contacts when driving, admit they’ve not declared it to the DVLA – potentially risking people’s safety on the roads.
For those who have declared this to the DVLA, failure to wear visual correction devices can see drivers slapped with a £1,000 fine and three points on their driving licence. Khuram Sarwar, dispensing optician at Feel Good Contacts, said: “Wearing prescription glasses or contact lenses is a must while driving for those who need vision correction to meet the ‘standards of vision for driving’.
“Having crystal-clear eyesight at multiple distances is needed to achieve an adequate field of vision during driving and to see number plates, road signs and other vehicles with optimal visual activity. It’s a simple process to get your vision corrected and it’s not worth the risk of failing your driving test or putting others in danger.”
