The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says it will begin the conduct of compulsory eye test for drivers to ascertain quality of vision to reduce Road Traffic Crashes (RTC) in 2020.
The FRSC Corps Marshal, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, said this at the corps operators’ meeting with Zonal Commanding officers (ZCO) on Tuesday in Abuja.
Oyeyemi said that poor vision was one of the major causes of road crashes globally and the corps would ensure that only drivers with excellent vision drive on Nigerian roads to avoid unnecessary carnage.
He said that the statistics of RTC in 2019 was not encouraging and admitted that the Corps needed to put in more strategies to ensure fewer accidents in 2020 and beyond.
The corps marshal said that the issue of poor vision was not limited to Nigeria, but was a global concern that needed urgent attention.
“The issue of vision for drivers is a global concern now from the preparatory conference held a fortnight ago in Washington DC.
“This issue is not only a Nigerian problem as it has become an international issue happening even in developed countries.
“When we conducted a vision test randomly on the highway last year during the end of the year operation Zero tolerance special intervention patrol, 30 per cent of the drivers failed it.
“As you get older, the sight deteriorates in terms of accuracy of objects ahead of you; and this means failure to carry out the appropriate vision test for drivers may cause more harm than good.
“So, we would be partnering with Nigeria Optometrists Association (NOA) to ensure that commercial and articulated drivers’ inability to use glasses despite their poor vision would be corrected,” he said.
