DRIVERS' SIGHT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22628, 16 January 1937, Page 10

DRIVERS' SIGHT

MOTORING PERIL j ___ VIEWS OF OPTICIANS THE NEED FOR PROPER TESTS ; That defective vision on the part of drivers was" an extremely important, hut—in Australia and New Zealand—a much under-rated cause of traffic accidents, was with much confirmatory detail 1 ' "m two papers read before the opticians' division of the physics section.

One of the wr,ters, Mr. B. Blumberg, M.Sc , pointed out that on adequate eyesight <iei>ended very largely a driver's braking efficiency,. since the time lost in recognising danger had to be added to the "reaction time" and that required for the brakes to take full effect. How important this was could be understood when it was remembered that a speed of 30 miles an hour was equat to 44ft. a second. Ban on One-eyed Drivers Binocular vision, which made it possible to appreciate form and judge distance, was essential in a driver, and the authorities of some countries prohibited one-eyed people from driving. Without the use of both eyes, it was impossible to possess an adequate field of vision. The latter was of the utmost importance to a driver, because he had to be able to percieve danger not only in front of him but over a wide arc on either side, without having to be continually turning his head and eves. Although full vision was to be had only over an ;angle of lOdeg., the outer areas of the retina wore ablu to perceive movement very acutely, and a driver was greatly dependant on this faculty.

Mr. Blumberg discussed the various pathological conditions which caused the field of vision to be contracted to an extent that made it unsafe for the sufferer to drive. It was particularly necessary to examine the sight of elderly drivers, who might be suffering from insidious cataract, of which they were quite unaware. A Practical Plan Mr. C. W. Kett, a Melbourne optometrist, who contributed the oi;her paper, agreed with Mr. Blumberg that expert testing of drivers' eyesight was necessary, and that, the simplified methods used by some authorities vera inadequate. He also held that one-€yed persons and those suffering from pathological conditions should not be allowed » to drive, that drivers' sight sh.oulcl, re-tested at intervals, and that thosil £- who needed to wear spectacles in order ; to pass the test should be required.' by entry on their licences to wear* them always while driving. Whfie it might be impracticable, he said, to test all present; licence-holders, tests should certainly be applied to all new applicants.