By Samuel Akumatey
Ho, Sept. 7, GNA – The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) says the new eye testing regime is designed to close gaps in the evaluation of visual capabilities of drivers, and urged the public to support it.
The Authority has extended the scope of eye examination in license application and renewals and outsourced the tests to accredited private eye clinics.
Mr Kafui Semevo, the Director of Driver Training, Testing and Licensing (DTTL) at the DVLA, at a press engagement in Ho, said the initial tests did not measure further parameters of vision, and that the new one would help drivers identify visual challenges and receive the needed help.
Some drivers continued to ply the roads with all kinds of visual limitations, he said, and that the new regime was expected to help enhance data and research on the visual aspects of road usage.
The initial tests were only focusing on narrow vision and did not identify drivers with serious problems, neither did it expose those who needed spectacles.
Mr Semevo said the DVLA was working with the Ghana Optometrists Association (GOA) to ensure the success of the exercise.
He said from June to August 2022, the Authority screened 18000 new applicants in phase one of the rollout, of which 108 failed and 10 were found to have monocular vision.
Phase two would begin in September 2022 and would cover existing drivers and all other services requiring eye tests, he said.
So far, 160 eye centres across the country have signed up for the tests, which is limited to accredited facilities only.
Mr Semevo said an electronic relay system for test results counts was among measures to monitor and ensure efficiency on the roads, in addition to the use of mystery shopping activities and control testing centers.
He said the novelty would help collect data on road users to aid analysis and design of transport systems and interventions.
It would not burden drivers and prospectives, and said, as the tests were conducted ahead of the documentation process to save time.
The Director outlined discounts and privileges for existing drivers and said a fair system for redress would be maintained at all offices.
Dr Remi Ninkpe, the President of the Optometrists Association, said the Association readily welcomed the collaboration to enhance visual tests for safe road usage.
“Optometrists see this as a way of giving back to the country, and we are sure that the unnecessary carnage due to eye defects on the roads can be minimized,” he said.
He said testing for binocular vision and color blindness would help enhance the reception and response to the dynamism of the driving environment.
Samuel Lodonu, the Volta Regional Manager of the DVLA, said the new regime was a “very good” advancement, and that the Region had more than five eye clinics signed up so far, with more going through the mill.
He said the Authority would enforce rules on vehicle modifications to address the use of blinding lights and other obstructing add ones.
The engagement had some media personnel present, some of whom appealed to the Authority to help regulate the passenger tricycle business, which was blowing out of control.
GNA