Four organisations working to ensure healthy eyesight have come together to host a two-day conference in Chennai to find ways to reduce road accidents. The event is the third edition of the annual vision and road safety conference.
According to Vinod Daniel, chief executive officer of India Vision Institute (IVI), the organisations were committed to screening 1 million additional commercial driving communities by 2026.
Already, the organisations have collectively screened over 16.46 lakh commercial vehicle drivers, helpers, cleaners, mechanics, besides transport workers in the country.
“On average, 60% of the commercial drivers need glasses but half of them have not had their eyes tested. One in 100 drivers has compromised sight, and they have not been tested at all. They struggle to see objects at a distance. If we can identify more of them then it will help them with not just clear eye sight but also reduce accidents,” Mr. Daniel told The Hindu.
Kamran Khan, senior director, Trade and Investment, South Asia, Australia, who inaugurated the conference said Australia had rules that were strictly enforced. The country’s law enforcing authorities wait for a VIP to be caught for violating road traffic rules. Such persons are not only penalised, but their violation is publicised widely to caution public not to violate traffic rules, he said.
Other organisations that are part of the event are Mission for Vision, Sightsavers India and VisionSpring.
The conference has been organised in the backdrop of national road safety week that is being observed in the first week of January.
Mr. Daniel said there was a proposal to pilot their projet in Chennai and take it forward across the State as Tamil Nadu had the highest number of road accidents.
