The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has begun the nationwide implementation of its eye-testing reform for all licensed drivers.
The exercise, which took effect from September 1, this year, requires licensed drivers applying for the renewal and upgrading of licences, conversion of foreign driver’s licences, proficiency tests, accident reporting, and traffic offending drivers referred to the authority by the court to undergo a mandatory eye test at designated centres certified by the DVLA before accessing such services.
The Director of Driver Training, Testing, and Licensing (DTTL) at the DVLA, Kafui Semevo, who made this known to the Daily Graphic last Friday, said the reform was being implemented in collaboration with the Ghana Optometric Association (GOA), in compliance with Regulation 29(5) of the Road Traffic Regulation, 2012 (L.I. 2180).
L.I. 2180 provides that an applicant for a driver’s licence must submit to the DVLA a visual assessment result certified by a registered ophthalmologist or optometrist.
Phase one
Mr. Semevo said the rollout of the nationwide eye-testing regime followed the successful implementation of the pilot phase of the initiative from June 1 to August 31, this year.
The pilot phase targeted categories A, B, and E driver’s licence applicants.
Providing an update on the pilot phase, Mr. Semevo said 23,000 new applicants were identified and taken through eye testing at 126 designated testing centres across the country.
He said 108 of those applicants failed the eye test and were given prescriptions to correct their vision defects.
“Ten of those who failed the eye test had a single vision, but they were not aware that only one of their eyes had good vision,” he said.
