The ability to drive is broadly equated with the ability to be independent. A person is not tied down or dependent on another person for transportation when they have the ability to drive, so most people who have a visual impairment won't readily admit their disability at the risk of losing that independence. Before you drive another day with a visual impairment, take these factors into consideration. Often independence can come at the expense of safety, and not only your safety, but the safety of other drivers on the road. Those with visual impairments have a crash rate that is twice as high as those who do not. Those who are older in age have a higher likelihood of being visually impaired as well. Studies have shown that 13% of drivers over the age of 55, at their best visual condition, have a visual sharpness worse than 20/40.

Tests to determine visual competency vary from state to state. For example, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) requires that the drivers they screen have the ability to see 20/40, both eyes together, with or without corrective lenses. Even here there is a margin for error, knowing that even if a driver has corrective lenses, they may not always use them. This, however, is something that can only be prevented by the driver. If and when a driver fails a vision test, they must sign up for additional examination to determine if their vision will impair driving ability. If it is still determined that vision is too poor, then an individual must take a driving test. The test will factor in not only central vision, but peripheral, night vision, and depth perception. There are extensive restrictions for drivers with visual impairments, but despite this, many visually impaired drivers are still on the road and are often involved in vision related accidents.

A study done by Harvard's Journal of Ophthalmology concluded that, "compared to the unimpaired, visually impaired drivers demonstrated a significantly increased number of citations and an increased number of crashes." This may seem like an obvious finding, but many people refuse to acknowledge that they have a visual impairment, or they downplay the significance of it, thinking that their vision is not a great enough factor to cause an accident. Those with visual impairments tend to drive slower to compensate. Drivers who compensate for their poor vision are often at risk of accidents because of their compensation habits. For example, by driving much too slow on a road you could be given a citation and if you are driving too slowly on a highway or freeway, you are at a greater risk for an accident because of the speed of the other cars.

It is difficult to determine just how many accidents are caused because of a driver with visual impairment because often there are a number of factors that must be considered. Often visual impairment is tied to age, but aged people also have slower reaction times. Visual impairment can also be accompanied by adverse weather conditions that also could have contributed to the cause of the accident. Every driver is likely to get into at least one accident in their lifetime, but this shouldn't be an excuse to ignore your visual impairment. If you believe that your vision is impaired and has been affecting your driving accuracy, then it would be best to see your optometrist to evaluate your need for corrective lenses. Don't go another day putting yourself and other drivers at risk because of your visual impairment. Often there is an easy remedy to correct your impairment and get your independence back, as well as your accuracy.