Drivers urged to check eyesight as clocks change

With the change from BST to GMT, darkness arrives an hour earlier

Drivers are being urged to check their eyesight by a leading motoring organisation.

GEM Motoring Assist, based in Forest Row, East Sussex, have said poor eyesight is a factor in up to 3,000 collisions in the UK each year.

Its experts said the risks increased by 20% when clocks go to Greenwich Mean Time from British Summer Time, bringing darkness forward by an hour.

Spokesman James Luckhurst said an eye test "should be as routine as an MOT on your car".

He told BBC Radio Sussex: "Vision loss and eyesight trouble can affect anybody; it's not just elderly drivers who are at risk.

"We're all potentially at risk and we won't know unless we get our vision checked.

"Vison loss creeps up gradually. We don't realise how much our sight might have deteriorated."

Rush hour cyclists in Brighton will be handed kit to make themselves more visible

From Monday, Sussex Police officers will be on the streets of Brighton and Hove encouraging drivers to check their vision.

They will be joined by city council officers, who will be handing out high-visibility backpack covers, lights and stickers to cyclists.

Supt Chris Veale, head of roads policing at Sussex Police, said: "Vision matters, and we encourage all road users to ensure their eye health meets the legal requirements."

Trevor Muten, cabinet member for transport and city infrastructure, said: "The darker days means more of our journeys are made in low light, with poorer visibility, so it's important we all take steps to be bright and be seen.

"With the clocks going back, why not use the extra hour to check your bike lights are working and make sure you have the hi-vis and reflective items you need for cycling?"

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