If a person drives himself to the optometrist and fails the eye exam...?!
Question: (can't see well enough to drive), shouldn't the optometrist take away his driver's licence, notify the DMV and ensure that he makes other arrangements for transportation?
I just saw a show about people with rare medical problems. This man's vision was deteriorating for months, he was seeing double, and when he finally went to the optometrist, he couldn't even see the large E on the eye chart. What surprised me was that he continued to drive until his family was in the car and asked him why he was driving at 30 mph on the highway! How is that man allowed to drive home from the optometrist's office when the optometrist knows he can't see?!
Answers: (can't see well enough to drive), shouldn't the optometrist take away his driver's licence, notify the DMV and ensure that he makes other arrangements for transportation?
I just saw a show about people with rare medical problems. This man's vision was deteriorating for months, he was seeing double, and when he finally went to the optometrist, he couldn't even see the large E on the eye chart. What surprised me was that he continued to drive until his family was in the car and asked him why he was driving at 30 mph on the highway! How is that man allowed to drive home from the optometrist's office when the optometrist knows he can't see?!
It depends upon the local laws. In Canada, where I live, the eye doctor is legally required to notify the Ministry of Transport that the patient does not meet the requirements for driving and to tell the patient not to drive anymore and suggest he/she take a cab home. The MOT will then revoke the patient's driving license.
Of course, not having a valid license doesn't stop some people from driving illegally.
Well an eye exam measures how good your eyes are, and every once or so the DMV makes you come in for a check up ish
So it's only a while till it's illegal for him to drive
In the UK the issue the issue is essentially patient/practioner confidentiality, and this modifies the normal public duty, which would be to report a crime if one is aware of it.
We will warn the patient that they are driving illegallly, and note on their record that we have done so.
If the patient seems unresponsive to the the advice it would be possible to inform their general practitioner about the state of their vision.
Their doctor has a right to reveal medical information against the patient's wishes or permission (to the DVLC it would be here), but only if it is in the patient's best interest. I don't think that's been to court lately, to test legitimate use versus breach of private information.
But it is a problem (apart from those who simply have no licences in the first place!)
One UK sample at a motorway service station found one driver in 15 below the minimum visual standard for driving, either from disease, not using glasses or wearing glasses so out-of-date the the effect was the same.
So count 15 cars coming the other way, and one of those didn't get a good look at you. And for that car, every fifteen *two* cars are approaching each other with inadequate vision.
But if people knew we could take their licenses away, how many of them simply wouldn't come in, when they suspected they had a problem?
Yes, it's a major problem, but people desperately cling to their "right" to drive, and ignore the risks.
American drivers cause 100 premature deaths every day on the road. A twin towers casualty list every month.
And terrorism makes the headlines?
Pedestal had a great answer, esspecially the very last bit about terrorism in the headlines when there are so many other domestic issues going on...
also I think I saw that episode... the guy was a pastor of a church right? and he had some very rare eye disease that ran in his family and his sister had it too?
it was a very interesting show!
I admit that I am guilt of this.
I know my eyes have gotten worse since I got my license. At the DMV, I still missed a letter.There is no way I could pass the test now, but I have yet to get glasses (I have a perscription, just never got around to getting them). I assume I will have to do something about it next decmeber when I renew, but until them, I plan as going as I am.