Generally, as car drivers, we are conscious that our vehicles require regular servicing and MOT’s. We also know that if our vehicles are no longer road worthy, we would be breaking the law by driving them.

When we completed our driving tests, our eye sight would have been checked to make sure that we could read a number plate 20 metres away, if we couldn’t, we would fail the test. Some of us have driven for many years, since passing our test, but how often have we had our eyes tested?

As drivers we are held accountable if our cars are not road worthy, we could now be accountable if our eye sight is also not up to scratch.

Hampshire is one of three police forces who have announced a new system of checking drivers’ eyesight, if they are stopped. If a driver can not read a number plate 20 metres away, this could very well see their license revoked immediately.

Sergeant Rob Heard, representing the police forces taking part in the campaign, said: “All of us require good vision to drive safely on our roads – not being able to see a hazard or react to a situation quickly enough can have catastrophic consequences."

A trial is taking place in the area over the course of September, the data collected will be used to provide statistics on poor driver eyesight for government analysis.

The Chauffeur Group drivers undergo regular medical tests and their eyes are checked to make sure their vision is to the required standard. You may be an experienced driver yourself, however, you may not even be aware that your vision is impaired. Don’t wait to be caught. If you cannot read a number plate 5 car lengths away, then it is time to have your eyes tested.