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Driving ban for dyslexics?
Added: (Thu Feb 17 2005)
Driving ban for dyslexics?
Ian Jordan, Clinical Director of Orthoscopics, has rejected the idea that anyone disadvantaged by dyslexia should be automatically banned from driving.
Some of those contacting Ian Jordan about colour vision testing were readers of the Daily Mail who wanted to know if those suffering from dyslexia are really more dangerous on our roads than drink drivers.
The story (Daily Mail, Thursday February 3) is based on an article in New Scientist Magazine reporting on the research of Professor Hermundur Sigmundsson, of the Norweigan University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. The Professor tested seventeen volunteers, six of whom were dyslexic, in simulations of a four minute drive on a country road and a ten minute drive through city streets. Their response times to intermittently flashed traffic lights were measured. Those with dyslexia were twenty to thirty percent slower. That is three times worse than the average for drivers over the legal alcohol limit.
Ian Jordan explained that larger studies are needed before jumping to conclusions, particularly since the testing and simulation will have been carried out in the sort of artificial lighting conditions that are known to exacerbate problems of visual dyslexia. "The reaction time could be purely a result of articficial lighting having its effect on brain functionality. Putting on a pair of the right glasses could get rid of the discrepency and driving in natural conditions may demonstrate no difference at all," he concluded.
Let's hope Ian Jordan is right. The idea of three million people driving round with permanently slow reactions is frightening - though it could explain the number of silly rear-end crashes that regularly halt traffic on busy major road.
Orthoscopics is a company dedicated to improving life opportunities for suffers of visual dyslexia and other perceptual related problems. Orthoscopics' diagnostic equipment is used by specialist opticians throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland. To contact Orthoscopics, Email sales@orthoscopics.com (Telephone 01223 843200) or contact Orthoscopics specialist oprticians in Cardiff, Dublin, Gloucester, London, Malvern or Swaffam
Cardiff: Chalmers and Son (Opticians) Limited, 34 Albany Road, CF24 3RQ Tel: 029 20487375
Dublin Dyslexia Clinic 222/224 Harold's Cross Road, Harold's Cross, Dublin 6W Tel: 00353 1 4964888
London: City Opticians 75-76 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1AA Tel: 020 7405 4875
Malvern: Holland Opticians, 16 Graham Road, Malvern, WR14 2HL Tel: 01684 573 942
Gloucester: Norville Opticians, 65 Eastgate Street, Gloucester GL1 1PN Tel: 01452 522033 xxxxx
Swaffam: D.A.Seaman Optometrists, 18 Plowright Place, Swaffham, Norfolk, PE37 7LQ Tel: 01760 722661