Keeping Your Eyes On The Road... How Poor Vision Is A Big Problem When Driving

According to data collected by the National Optometric Society (NOS) the number of Californians who suffer with poor eyesight is estimated to be around 60%. Clearly many of these people drive, and as a result their eyesight may not be as good as it should. A CA car accident lawyer explains that their company is seeing more and more cases whereby accidents are being caused by drivers with bad or failing vision.

As we start to hit the ages of forty to forty-five, then one of the first things to dwindle is the eyesight. Many of us now wear glasses and contact lenses for everyday use, and this includes driving. This is probably the most dangerous activity that we would do on a daily basis and because of this, if a person's eyesight goes untested and uncorrected, then it can undoubtedly lead to motor vehicle accidents. In fact many of these accidents are caused by elder drivers who believed that their eyesight was acceptable.

So what can be done about it? Los Angeles car accident attorneys explain...

According to the CEO of the Vision Council, Ed Greene, more than 11 million Americans are driving about with uncorrected vision problems. This can clearly lead to impaired driving. Because of this, people who drive regularly and are over the age of 40 should have regular eye tests. Cataracts and glaucoma's are also big problems in elder drivers and this may not be something that you can detect yourself. By getting regular checks, an optician can spot the tell tale signs early and as a result can do something to correct the problem.

Night time driving

According to statistics carried out by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nearly three times as many road accident deaths occur between the hours of 6pm and 6am. They also suggest that the worst time for driving is around twilight, when the sun is going down and darkness is setting in. It has been suggested that driving in the dark has been known to magnify vision problems. The reason for this is that the iris tends to open up and let more light into the eye, and this is when other eye problems show up such as color and depth perception and a lack of peripheral vision.

Night driving tips

If you have to drive at night then there are things that can help you to avoid accidents and these are as follows:

• Always wear appropriate lenses as advised by your optician
• Try to wear anti reflective lenses to avoid glare from headlights and oncoming traffic
• Avoid eye fatigue and headaches by taking regular driving breaks
• If driving at night ensure headlights are switched on before dusk

It is clear that drivers who suffer with bad eyesight and who are not wearing the right lenses pose a large threat to other motorists and as a result can be on the receiving end of a lawsuit or a personal injury claim. If you have been involved in an accident through no fault of your own and believe that the accident was caused by poor vision of the other driver, then an experienced team of car accident attorneys can help.

How can a skilled team of car accident lawyers assist?

In the event of an accident, the right team of attorneys will have the financial backing in place to be able to thoroughly investigate the incident in order to get to the root cause. People such as accident investigators, crash analysts, specialist mechanics, forensic scientists and medical experts can all be asked to look into various areas. From these findings your lawyer can then build a case. If it was found that the negligent party knowingly had bad eyesight but did not wear lenses or alternatively were not wearing the right strength of lens then they could be held responsible.

Poor vision is a large-scale problem when it comes to car accidents and outlined above are some of the steps that you can take to avoid accidents. However, when the unfortunate does happen and you are involved in an incident with a driver who failed to see, then it is always advisable to contact a car accident lawyer who is able to help.