PENNSYLVANIA — More than two million Pennsylvanians are driving despite knowing their eyesight is not good enough, a hidden safety risk that a new nationwide survey says may be contributing to avoidable crashes, close calls, and dangerous winter driving conditions.
A study by Lenspricer.com, based on a survey of 3,017 drivers across the United States, found that 36 percent of Pennsylvania drivers who need glasses or contact lenses admit they have not had a recent eye exam. That translates to an estimated 2,118,665 drivers in the Commonwealth who are knowingly getting behind the wheel with uncorrected or outdated vision.
Nationally, the problem is even larger. The survey found that nearly half of U.S. drivers, about 49 percent, acknowledge they need corrective lenses but have skipped an optometrist visit in recent years, putting more than 75 million drivers on American roads at risk due to impaired vision.
While Pennsylvania did not rank among the five worst states, the findings still place the Commonwealth squarely within what researchers described as America’s growing “blur-risk” population. Arkansas topped the list, with 64 percent of drivers admitting they avoid eye care, followed by Missouri and Rhode Island at 60 percent, California at 59 percent, and Nevada at 59 percent.
Cost emerged as the leading reason drivers avoid eye exams, with 36 percent citing expense as the primary barrier. Another 14 percent blamed inconvenience or busy schedules, while 12 percent said they believed their vision was “good enough.” Fear also played a role, with 8 percent saying they avoid exams because they worry the results could restrict their driving privileges. An additional 29 percent admitted they delayed replacing glasses because they did not want to confront worsening eyesight.
The safety implications are already showing. Nearly one-quarter of respondents said they had experienced more than one near-miss that they believed was related to poor vision. If drivers were to lose their glasses just before driving, 20 percent said they would still drive anyway, while only 38 percent said they would ask someone else to take the wheel.
Despite these behaviors, there was broad agreement that tougher rules could help. Eighty-two percent of respondents said stricter vision requirements for drivers would make roads safer, including many who acknowledged they currently drive with inadequate vision.
“We tend to think of eyesight as a personal health issue, but the data shows it’s a shared safety issue too,” said Rasmus Adeltoft of Lenspricer.com. He said millions of drivers are taking risks not out of recklessness, but because of cost pressures, time constraints, or avoidance, calling clear vision one of the most overlooked and easiest safety improvements on the road.
With winter’s shorter days and darker commutes, researchers warned that uncorrected vision poses an even greater risk, urging drivers to treat eye care as an essential part of road safety rather than an optional expense.
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