Do you have glasses or contact lenses? In most areas of life, you are free to choose whether or not to use your visual aids. You MUST wear them in road traffic. In our guide, we explain what penalties you can expect if you drive without glasses and explain what happens if you cause an accident without glasses.
- If you drive without glasses, you will be fined at least 25 Euro.
- If you cause an accident, it can be very expensive for you. Your insurance company may also reduce your benefits.
- If an accident without glasses results in injury or death, you may be accused of (gross) negligence and receive a prison sentence.
- Our tip: simply keep a spare pair of glasses in your car.
How much does it cost to drive without glasses?
If you drive without visual aids despite having poor eyesight, this can be very expensive depending on the level of risk involved. You are then in breach of § Section 23 (2), § 75 FeV; § 24 StVG; 169 BKatby driving a motor vehicle without complying with the requirements. If you are caught committing this offence, you will have to pay a Warning fine of 25 euros pay. As a rule, you do not have to reckon with points in Flensburg, but it can happen that the police prohibit you from continuing your journey.
What are the penalties for having an accident without glasses?
However, if you have an accident while driving without glasses, you may face further consequences in addition to the aforementioned warning fine. You may be accused of simple or, in the worst case, gross negligence. This accusation can have a major impact on the extent of the compensation claims to be paid.
According to Section 276 Paragraph 2 of the German Civil Code (BGB), anyone who disregards the care required in traffic is negligent. Anyone who disregards this care to a particularly high degree is grossly negligent.
From a criminal law perspective in particular, the accusation of negligence can be detrimental to you. If there are injuries or even deaths as a result of the accident, you may be liable to prosecution for negligent bodily injury or negligent homicide. And this is by no means a minor offence! Anyone who commits an offence of simple negligent bodily harm under Section 229 of the German Criminal Code (StGB) can expect a prison sentence of up to three years or a fine. In the case of involuntary manslaughter under Section 222 of the German Criminal Code (StGB), you could even face five years' imprisonment or a fine. You can also receive 3 points in Flensburg and have to expect your driving licence to be revoked.
NoteThis is not an exhaustive list. Depending on the behaviour, other offences may also be fulfilled.
Why is driving without glasses a criminal offence?
Clear vision while driving deteriorates enormously, especially for spectacle wearers, if the visual aid has been forgotten. Such impaired vision increases the risk of accidents - and this is not only dangerous for you as the driver, but also for other road users.
Our tip for youTo avoid having to drive without your glasses in the first place, we recommend that you simply leave your spare glasses or spare contact lenses in your car. This way, you won't endanger yourself or others if you misplace or forget your glasses. Forgetting does not count as an excuse if you are caught driving without glasses by the police.
How do the police know who needs glasses to drive?
You might assume that the police can tell from the driving licence photo whether the driver needs glasses to drive. However, this is not correct. Rather, the decisive factor is whether the key number "01" is noted on your driving licence. This indicates that you are dependent on a visual aid when driving. You may remember that you had to take an eye test before obtaining your driving licence. You must have at least 70 per cent visual acuity certified. You are dependent on a visual aid when driving if you can only achieve this level of vision with glasses or contact lenses.
If you are dependent on a visual aid when driving, this will be noted on the back of your driving licence at the bottom in line "12.". Various code numbers can be entered in this line.
This indicates the restrictions that apply to you. For example, you may only drive in daylight or only with visual aids. Appendix 9 to Section 25 (3) of the Driving Licence Ordinance (FeV) explains the respective code numbers in more detail. The code number "01" means that you are dependent on a visual aid when driving. This code number can also be further specified:
- Key number "01.01": The driver is dependent on glasses.
- Key number "01.02": The driver is dependent on contact lenses.
- Key number "01.03": The driver is required to wear safety goggles.
However, often only the general code number "01" is noted. The driver can then decide for themselves whether they would prefer to wear glasses or contact lenses.
NoteIf the code number "01.01" is noted on your driving licence, this means that driving without glasses is not permitted even if you wear other visual aids such as contact lenses.
Does the insurance pay for an accident without glasses?
Driving without glasses can also have a detrimental effect on the benefits provided by your car insurance. In case of doubt, the insurance company will not cover the damage caused by gross negligence, or at least not in full. This is because the insurance company can make reductions in such cases in accordance with Section 26 of the German Insurance Contract Act (VVG).
The right steps for fair claims settlement
Have you been driving without glasses and got into an accident through no fault or partial fault of your own? Then it's best to report it quickly to faire-Regulierung.de. The safe procedure at a glance:
- You report the accident to us risk-free and free of charge by telephone on 0800 30 111 60 or even faster online.
- Our competent team will examine your case immediately and explain how to proceed.
- The claims settlement is initiated and you no longer have to bother with paperwork.
The licensed specialists from the faire-Regulierung network take care of the tasks involved and deal with your claims for compensation, absolutely competently and without risk to you.
