Driving Eyesight Requirements
Now lets think about your eyesight, before you can start to learn to drive take a moment or two to think about your eyesight. If you need to wear glasses or corrective lenses in normal life you are required legally to wear them every time you are out driving.
When applying for your driving licence from the DVLA you should let them know if you have:
If you have had sight correction surgery you should declare this when you apply for your provisional licence.
Your Eyesight & Your Practical Driving Test
Before you take your practical driving test, your examiner will ask you to read the number plate on a stationary vehicle. The distance requirement for the eyesight test using the old style number plates is 20.5 meters or 20 meters if the new style number plate is being used (eg AB 09 CDE) If you cannot speak English or have difficulty reading then you may copy down what you see.
If you cannot read the first number plate you will then be asked to read a second plate. If you cannot read this second plate you will then be allowed to walk forward until you are just over the appropriate distance away. If you still cannot read the number plate correctly, the examiner will ask you to read a third plate and will then measure the precise distance from this plate. If you cannot read the third number plate correctly, and the examiner is satisfied the you do not meet the required eyesight standard, you will fail your driving test and the practical test will not continue.
Click on the pair of glasses to see the full DVLA rules & requirements for your eyesight & driving
