Girls without glasses end up in crashes ; 3.8m women drivers flout law

By Saint Andrew BAXTER

SOME 3.8 1000000 women drivers across the UK habitually risk an accident by weakness to wear prescription glasses at the wheel - many because they don't want to look like Ugly Betty, according to new research.

And women in Northern Ireland are most probably to flout the seeing law, with half of those who should wear glasses behind the wheel admitting they don't, compared to just 7% in Wales.

14 million women motorists in the UK need spectacles to meet the legal seeing requirement, but more than a one-fourth admit drive without them.

And about 2.1 million have been in a hit or close shave in the past 12 calendar month due to poor vision.

But many say they feel like American television fictional character Ugly Betty whilst wearing specs and confess that they are more concerned about their visual aspect than road safety.

The determination sparked a warning from the Eyecare Trust charity for women to put vision ahead of amour propre to avoid causation a possibly lethal danger on the road.

manager Kelly Plahay said they should ensure that their prescription is up to date so they can pass the 'number plate test' contained in the drive test - reading a enrollment plate 67 feet away.

"It's finally the driver's responsibility to ensure they can pass this test at any time," she said. "If you fail to meet these visual standards, you are breakage the law every time you get buttocks the wheel.

"With so many fashionable glasses, prescription sunglasses and different types of contact lenses on the marketplace, there's no alibi for having poor vision whilst drive.

"Failing to wear them is not only illegal, but it could cause potentiality danger to yourself and other road users."

The research on behalf of car insurance company Sheilas' Wheels found that 27% of women who should wear glasses when driving fail to always do so - equivalent to 3.8 million female motorists.

A third overall (34%) said they feel self-conscious wearing specs and 23% consider themselves unfashionable with them on.