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Do you think an eye exam should be mandatory to get a driver's license?

Z

Zee

Diamond Member
I dont. infact, the added bonus of streamlining license process with added mail-in's and online website makes it an added bonus. I think the inability to read a distant sign does not equate to blinded driving.



http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/09/28/no-more-eye-exams-at-dmv-for-ny-state-drivers/

NEW YORK (CBSNewyork/AP) – Drivers won’t have to worry about taking an eye exam in New York. The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles is dropping its requirement for vision tests to make it easier for drivers to renew licenses online or by mail.

Starting Wednesday, drivers will “self-certify” that they meet the vision requirement when they renew. New licenses and commercial licenses will still require eye tests at a DMV office or by a doctor.

1010 WINS’ Juliet Papa reports: Official Calls It A “Foolish” Decision

DMV Commissioner Barbara Fiala said in a statement Monday that the change is one of several stemming from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s call for streamlining by state agencies.

“People have been complaining for years that the lines at DMVs are too long and want to avoid them if possible, so this is our attempt to try to solve that situation,” said New York State DMV spokesperson Jackie McGinness.

Fiala said vision testing wasn’t required in New York from 1993-2000, but McGinness told WCBS 880 that eye exams were brought back as a DMV requirement in 2000.

Now, with changes in technology and the ease of access to the internet, the DMV felt it was time to change.

“We’d like to think of ourselves as in the forefront, but actually this is something that a number of other states have already initiated and they have found that it’s worked well for them,” said McGinness.

Some are voicing opposition to the change.

“I think it’s foolish, I think that people should have to pass an eye exam and I don’t understand this decision,” James Vacca, Chair of the Transportation Committee, told 1010 WINS. “People do realize that going through that inconvenience is making the road safer for everyone, including themselves.”

Another change is a new internet application, “MyDMV,” which allows customers to set up personal online accounts to do business with DMV.

Six other states don’t require eye tests for renewals.

For more information, visit www.dmv.ny.gov.
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yes i do. one lady i worked with had trouble seeing. the short time i worked with her she had 2 accidents.
 
a few years ago i took my father into the dmv to renew his license and they gave him an eye test and he failed the it. it was really embarrassing. it was totally obvious that he couldnt read the chart at all. i doubt many people fail it. but id still be more afraid of the people who fail the written test. if you fail that you are an idiot with no common sense who would probably cause car crash.

basically im against eye exams. its nothing but a way of discriminating against people with bad vision
 
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In FL you can keep renewing your license without a vision test or new picture for 18 years before you have to do any of it again. Maybe that explains some of the driving practices here.
 
Would it not be simple enough to upload a PDF to a DMV database of your latest eye appointment? Say there is a requirement that you have one every 4 years between the ages of 16-60, and required every year or two years from the age of 61+?

Then, when someone gets in an accident, their DMV records get checked and if they provide falsified data, insta-fine of $1000?

Or would that violate HIPA?

EDIT: And if you can't afford an eye test, one will be provided to you if you wait in line at the DMV.
 
IIRC, in virginia you can do everything online (they just reuse your old picture), but every 8 years you have to go in, get a new picture and take a vision test. I like this system...
 
allisolm said:
In FL you can keep renewing your license without a vision test or new picture for 18 years before you have to do any of it again. Maybe that explains some of the driving practices here.
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Ah man....when I rented a car in Tampa Bay....wow....just wow. People say NE drivers are bad. Dam, they must of never seen what I saw.
 
It seems to me that the majority of people who cause accidents can pass an eye test.
So i think the fail lies elsewhere.
 
Yes, although I think it wouldn't be too bad if you could submit it maybe once every few years or something (with the stipulation that if you have any major eye issues you have to update it). Then again, it takes about 30 seconds when doing your licensing/renewal, so its not like its that big of a deal. Sure, online would help a lot and skipping the DMV certainly is something that would be nice.

More important I think they should make people take driving courses regularly (yearly), if for no longer than say your first 5-10 years. Make it more stringent and have people actually have to train for emergency situations (blown tire at speed, heavy rain, ice, other). Hell making them do that once would be a huge step up.
 
I think an extended spatial awareness test would be more beneficial in the long run. Not saying that a eye test isn't warranted.
 
Initially yes and re-'certification' every few years I don't think would be asking too much.

I wear glasses/contacts every day and without them I could still drive I think, but it would be incredibly stupid. I could discern the shapes of other cars, but I would get no detail at all and probably have difficulty seeing lights during the day.

I have a pretty strong prescription I think, without any aid I hold my hand out in front of my face and my fingers start getting fuzzy.
 
System_Mechanic said:
So i think the fail lies elsewhere.
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This is probably the truest point of them all.

I swear, some people are completely brain dead when it comes to driving.

For instance:

Driving a trailer down the road with some items strapped down to the best of my ability, and people consistently ride my ass as though some how that's going to make me go faster. Sorry kids, but I am driving 5 under to ensure the load doesn't bounce too much, and tear a strap and end up flying down the road behind me. Oh, and if it does happen to fall off, you'll have absolutely no time to react and you'll get a metal pipe run clean through your bumper and possibly worse.

For me, driving down a highway with limited passing opportunity, riding someone's ass in general is pretty much pointless. Drive with the flow of traffic, and if an opportunity to pass exists, then do so. Especially when the flow of traffic is at or above the posted speed limit.
 
I suppose one point to take from this though, is that the DMV will seldom be likely to revoke anyone's driving license unless an extremely serious issue is prevalent (IE - blindness). I remember a customer of a computer shop I used to work at that was mentally handicapped and prone to seizures, and she was a Domino's delivery driver.

The possibility exists that she would be driving down the road when a kid is crossing the street and she could experience a seizure and mow the kid down. That may be a 1/1000 chance, but it was certainly possible. The only reason I knew this about her was that she came in one day bitching about an officer taking her license due to that fact. Sounded logical to me, but at the same time someone else that it was safe to issue that person a license. Which one is right? I would sway towards the officer's decision, but I can see justification that not being able to drive would be very job prohibitive for someone with limited abilities.
 
100% agree that a vision test should be mandatory to get a driver's license. If you can't see I don't want you on the road.
 
mvbighead said:
Driving a trailer down the road with some items strapped down to the best of my ability, and people consistently ride my ass as though some how that's going to make me go faster. Sorry kids, but I am driving 5 under to ensure the load doesn't bounce too much, and tear a strap and end up flying down the road behind me. Oh, and if it does happen to fall off, you'll have absolutely no time to react and you'll get a metal pipe run clean through your bumper and possibly worse..
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i hear that, i pull trailers with equipment almost daily. though i tend to slow down more when people ride me, sometimes i lightly tap the brake with my left foot just enough to make the brake lights come on...i feel it keeps their attention if i do it often enough.😀 sometimes i just randomly speed up and slow down. company fuel so i don't care, but it sure seems to get the point across enough that they either pass me or fall way back.
 
More than bad eye sight can cause accidents. My Dad had parkinsons and he went to some kind of training facility, and they taught him what he needed to do to get a driver's license. However, his family at the time told him they would not ride in the car if he was driving. There is something to be said for testing reflexes.

I dont really care for the eye test machines. I think only an eye doctor should be allowed to give an eye test.

I also think if you have not paid your property tax, you should not be allowed to drive.
 
OBLAMA2009 said:
a few years ago i took my father into the dmv to renew his license and they gave him an eye test and he failed the it. it was really embarrassing. it was totally obvious that he couldnt read the chart at all. i doubt many people fail it. but id still be more afraid of the people who fail the written test. if you fail that you are an idiot with no common sense who would probably cause car crash.

basically im against eye exams. its nothing but a way of discriminating against people with bad vision
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If you fail the DMV eye exam you're eyes are pretty bad and you really do need glasses. I don't see why it shouldn't be a requirement that you be able to read signs if you're going to operate a motor vehicle.

I can pass a DMV eye test but I actually do need glasses, and I have them. I rarely wear them but I have them. I have trouble reading things far away, it's not bad but it is definitely noticeable to me.
 
I can barely see out of my right eye (like 400/20), which should hopefully be fixed soon with my cornea transplant 5 months ago and soon-to-come new contact. So when I went to renew my license the last time it went like this.

Crabby DMV lady - "Look into the thing and read the letters, please."

rcpratt - "T, F, L, M."

Crabby DMV lady - "And the rest of them?"

rcpratt - "Huh? Those are all...oh, wait..." *moves left eye to the right eye hole* "P, B, D, W."

I'm so sneaky. But really, it's not like it affects my driving in the slightest. My corrected vision in my left eye is close to 20/20, and I've pretty much adjusted to my current vision.
 
JulesMaximus said:
If you fail the DMV eye exam you're eyes are pretty bad and you really do need glasses. I don't see why it shouldn't be a requirement that you be able to read signs if you're going to operate a motor vehicle.

I can pass a DMV eye test but I actually do need glasses, and I have them. I rarely wear them but I have them. I have trouble reading things far away, it's not bad but it is definitely noticeable to me.
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Same here. I can drive without glasses but I can't read signs because they are too blurry. That slight blurriness also makes it almost impossible to see pedestrians at night unless I'm wearing glasses.

Yes eye testing should be required.
 
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