With most of the country on cation, thousands of South Africans will be hitting the roads at some point or another. It is a time of year when vehicle accidents and deaths on the roads spiral. With poor vision and poor visibility amongst the causes of road accidents, Ruahan Naude, CEO at Dynamic Vision, says motorists should get their eyes checked.
“An optometrist will check visual acuity and depth perception which has the greatest effect on vision while driving. Visual acuity is the sharpness of a driver’s vision and helps to judge space and distance between objects. Depth perception is what people use to determine the length, width, and height of an object. Depth perception is also important to determine how fast an object is moving.
“An eye test is especially important if you have been experiencing eye fatigue, blurred vision or sore, red eyes. These symptoms could indicate problems with your vision which could, in turn, impact your safety on the road,” says Ruahan Naude, CEO at Dynamic Vision.
He stresses that sunglasses with polarized lenses is a must-have for every driver – even those with perfect vision. These lenses stop glare from headlights, the sun, and even wet road surfaces. They also filter out harmful ultraviolet radiation. In misty and foggy conditions, polarized lenses can also sharpen details and improve contrast. Reducing strain on the eyes and providing UV protection with polarized lenses makes driving more comfortable and safer.
“Conventional sunglasses cannot effectively filter out glare and in many conditions, such as in fog weather, they can reduce visibility,” says Naude.
Naude shares a few tips for safe driving:
- Do not drive when you are tired. Get a good night’s sleep before tackling a long distance.
- Make sure your windscreen is clean and scratch-free.
- Ensure that your windscreen wipers are in good working order in the event of rain.
- Clean your headlights and make sure that the bulbs are in good working order.
- Don’t look into oncoming headlights – it will take longer to recover from the glare.
- Reduce your speed in conditions of poor visibility such as in the dark and when it is foggy or raining.
- Dim Your Dashboard. Bright lights from the dashboard and instrument panel of the car can distract you from the road.
- Stop regularly at petrol stations and rest stops to stretch your legs and rest your eyes from focusing on the road.
