Amid concerns that the vision impairment of drivers may be a contributing factor to road accidents in the country, the Wadala Regional Transport Office (RTO), as part of its month-long road safety campaign, ‘Sadak Suraksha Jeevan Raksha’, screened 326 auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers. Over 100 drivers were found to have vision impairments like cataracts, retinal issues and dryness of the eyes.

In a related development, if all goes well, the state transport commissioner will be introducing mandatory eye testing before issuing licences. Vivek Bhimanwar, state transport commissioner, told mid-day, “We are conducting the eye testing camp for drivers as part of the ongoing Road Safety Month at all RTOs in Maharashtra. It is a fact that driving is affected by vision impairment. Early detection is key.”