Making roads safer through clear vision

Each year, 1.3 million lives are lost to road traffic accidents around the world. A significant but often underestimated cause is poor vision. Difficulty seeing clearly, particularly in low-light or nighttime conditions, increases the risk of collisions, putting everyone on the road in danger.

The solution, in many cases, is simple and affordable: a pair of eyeglasses. Through our collective efforts at the India Vision Institute, Mission for Vision, Sightsavers India, and VisionSpring, we’ve made it our mission to address this critical issue.

We’re proud to share that we have now collectively screened the vision of more than 2 million commercial drivers and transport workers worldwide, and dispensed 419,912 eyeglasses in India alone, helping drivers get the eyecare they need to see clearly and drive safely.

This extraordinary milestone is a testament to the power of collaboration and our shared belief that clearer vision leads to safer roads.

Working together to improve road safety in India

Commercial drivers and transport workers are the backbone of India’s large and growing logistics sector. Yet a recent study by the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi found that 55% of truck drivers have impaired vision – a critical issue, that puts them and others at serious risk, underscoring the urgent need to enhance road safety through better vision. In fact, drivers with uncorrected vision are 46% more likely to be involved in a traffic accident than those with clear sight.

In 2021, four organizations – each already working to expand access to eye healthcare in India – formed a unified alliance to increase awareness about the link between road safety and clear vision and leverage our shared expertise to correct the vision of drivers across India.

We have worked together on a six-step strategy to boost the take up of eyeglasses:

1. Ensure immediate availability for drivers who are on-the-move​ by ensuring we have ready-made prescription glasses (Pop-ins™ and Ready-To-Clip) at key driver destinations.
2. Generate demand among drivers through targeted outreach, sensitization, and individual counselling that responds to their specific vision concerns considering time constraints, nature of work, constant travel and limited access to services.
3. Build strategic partnerships with drivers’ associations, government transport, health authorities, industry partners and road safety advocates.
4. Position services strategically at high-traffic locations including national corridors, ports, toll plazas, truck depots, break-bulk centers, ​and border crossings.
5. Establish referral pathways for higher level eyecare, as some drivers may have undetected cataracts, or other serious eye conditions that require specialized care.
6. Mobilise corporate partnerships by engaging fleet owners and industry stakeholders to sponsor driver vision screenings and the provision of treatment.

Together, the alliance co-hosts the annual Vision and Road Safety (VARS) conference. Now in its fourth year, VARS brings together leaders in the eyecare and road safety sector to align on the practical steps to deliver accessible eye care to drivers and transport workers across India and improve road safety standards.

Through this initiative we’ve made a commitment to reach another 1 million drivers by 2026.

Applying the lessons from India around the world

The issue of uncorrected vision is not unique to India. It disproportionately affects low-income communities across the globe, endangering millions of road users every day.

What we’ve achieved together in India shows what’s possible when organizations unite around a shared goal. Through leveraging our collective expertise and working toward bold targets, we’ve accomplished far more than any of us could have alone.

By improving vision for drivers and transport workers, we’re reducing risk on the roads, securing supply chains, and supporting the people whose livelihoods depend on safer transportation. And by working in partnership, we can take this progress further – bringing safer roads and safer fleets within reach for communities around the world.