Poor vision accounts for the cause of thousands of road accidents every year, and is one of the leading reasons why visually impaired elderly people cannot operate a vehicle. In order to ensure the safety of everyone on the road, new developments in technology have allowed visually impaired people the ability to see the road clearly. Visual cues and sounds can help alert drivers to incoming traffic, and reduce their blind spots. Keeping your eyes on the road is one of the most important factors for avoiding an accident, and people with poor vision now have more help than ever to keep them safe on the road.
Lenses Just For Driving
Experts have studied the different ways our eyes function depending on the activity we’re engaged in. At night, our eyes are heavily strained when driving, and people with poor vision often struggle to see the road in front of them. This often causes accidents, and is one reason why it’s important to know how to deal with your insurance company, especially if you have vision aids like glasses or contacts – as they can sometimes be a determinant for the fault of the crash.
Luckily, corrective vision manufacturers have developed new lenses that incorporate this new understanding of how our eyes work. This has led to the production of driving-specific glasses that can help visually impaired people better see the road at night, or anytime they’re behind the wheel. These glasses can extend the driving life of the elderly, or give younger people some added visibility when they’re on the road.
New Safety Features Are Visually-Focused
No matter how much technology is put into cars, accidents will still happen – but new technology may help people be aware of the hazards around them that they cannot see. Blind spot detection has been a huge contributor to road safety in recent years, as some studies suggest that they prevent up to 50,000 accidents per year. This technology works by sending drivers an alert when another car is in close physical proximity. Auto-braking technology can also be a lifesaver for the visually impaired, as it can detect obstacles in your vehicle’s path, and apply the breaks automatically. Visually impaired people may not have the time to react fast enough to a hazard if they cannot see it, but with auto-braking there just in case, it’s added security for drivers and pedestrians alike.
Being visually impaired is already a difficult issue to overcome, and not being able to drive as a result of it can cause isolation, and even depression in the elderly. Finding ways for people with poor vision to still be able to enjoy the freedom of transportation has made huge strides in recent years, but more seems to be on the horizon. Between corrective lenses and automatic safety technology, vision impairment will hopefully no longer be a cause for car accidents in the near future.
