AMMANFORD optician Specsavers is urging drivers to make sure their eyesight is fit for driving in the run up to Road Safety Week.

While almost three quarters of the nation need to wear glasses or contact lenses, a quarter of drivers who are legally required to wear them on the road admit they have broken the law by not doing so at some point.

In 2014, 103 people were killed on Wales’ roads, a decrease of seven per cent on the previous year. The number of people who have suffered serious injuries as a result of road accidents, however, increased by 12 per cent from 2013 to 2014, with 1,160 people seriously injured. The road safety charity, Brake, found that people with impaired vision are more likely to be involved in a road accident, which is estimated to cause approximately 2,900 UK casualties per year.

Currently, the only measure in place to determine whether an individual’s eyesight meets the legal standard to drive is the number plate test, which is taken 20 metres away from a vehicle and is carried out before a driving test, or occasionally by police at a roadside. This means that some drivers may never have to complete it again after a driving test, and it is estimated that up to five million UK drivers would fail the number plate test if they had to take it again.

Kevin McCarthy, director of Specsavers in Ammanford, said: "It’s a worrying statistic that around one in four drivers haven’t had their eyes tested over the past two years , as poor eyesight is a known cause of road accidents. Being perceptive and alert when driving is obviously essential, and keeping on top of your eye health helps to ensure that you are not putting yourself or others at risk when getting behind the wheel of a car.

"This Road Safety Week, (November 23-29) we want to remind members of the Ammanford community about the importance of regular sight tests and looking after your general eye health to promote safe driving. And given the number of fatalities on Wales’ roads in the last year alone, the significance of this message should not be underestimated."

Specsavers has the following advice for drivers to minimise the risks of road accidents:

• Get your eyes checked at least once every two years and if you are told to wear glasses when driving – wear them. Failure to do so not only means breaking the law but putting yourself and others in danger.

• Do not wear sunglasses or polarising lenses in low visibility or at night as this will decrease your own ability to see the road.

• Carry a spare pair of glasses or contact lenses with you at all times just in case they get damaged.

• Make sure your windscreen and windows are clean at the beginning of your journey to ensure clear visibility at all times. This also goes for headlights, indicators, hazard lights and brake lights. Displaying lights not only makes it easier for other cars to see you but also for you to see pedestrians.

• Some styles of glasses are inappropriate for night time driving. For example, you should never wear yellow tinted lenses as these will reduce your ability to see pedestrians and cyclists. If oncoming traffic dazzles and distracts you, an anti-reflection coating can help correct the problem.