2nd face of reforms in eye test administration begins

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) in compliance with Regulation 29 of the Road Traffic Regulation, 2012 (L.I. 2180) and in reinforcing its mandate of promoting road safety, has announced the second phase of the implementation of reforms in its eye test administration which the authority said will start on the 1st of September 2022.

Speaking to Skyy Headline News’ Patrick Ennimil Arthur on the sideline of a news briefing in Takoradi on Sunday, the Director, Driver Training, Testing and Licensing (DTTL) at the DVLA, Mr Kafui Semevo said provisions in the Law provide that an applicant for driver’s licence must submit to the Licensing Authority a visual assessment result certified by a registered ophthalmologist or optometrist is not a means to deny people access to drivers licence but to ensure that road users are safe on the road.

Over the years, he said, eye testing has been conducted by DVLA data entry staff who have not obtained any professional training or are certified as qualified optometrists or ophthalmologists as specified by Law, and as a result, the process and procedure for testing have not been standardized.

He said prospective applicants and existing drivers would pay GHC 70.00 and GHC 50.00 respectively. These charges he explained are 70% lower than the standard fees charged at the eye clinics.

The President of the Ghana Optometric Association, Dr Remi Ninkpe, said the reform is very essential and has the tendency of reducing to the barest minimum the incidents of road accidents because it would afford drivers the opportunity to see well and interact well with the road environment.

He said road signs are colour coated and many people have problems distinguishing between colours which impede their driving sometimes.

As at Saturday, August 27th, 22,295 new applicants for driver’s licence have been tested and out of that number 108 new drivers failed the test.