Upon writing a blog post on www.learntodriveincardiff.co.uk which I recently launched, I was taken back by something a driving instructor had said to my daughter today and that was not wearing facemask whilst driving can in fact give you a hefty fine of £1000 I believe that both student and driving instructor should both be fined if in close proximity to one another and both are see not to be wearing facemasks.
However my thoughts on drivers who wear glasses should also not wear facemaks but the passengers should regarldless their age. Instead they should wear face shields which are clear. I have not read that face shields can fog, so if anyone knows different they should messge me so that I stand corrected.
So not taking his word at face value (no pun intended), I decided to do a little digging and found that if you are caught by the police and they see that you touching or re-adjusting your mask whilst driving you will get fined, in which case you will be fined for not taking due care and attentenion to other motorists aswell as yourself. In other words you can cause an accident a) for having fogged glasses and b) for adjusting your face covering and your glasses, whilst driving and not fully concentrating on the road.
So my thoughts are and this is the Government which have not made it very clear either you are allowed to wear mask or you are not. There is nothing mentioned on their website to give hard facts.
If say keyworkers adjust their facemaks will they get fined? Also how can you stop glasses from fogging up? I do wear glasses only for reading so have not encountered a problem yet but my daughter does wear glasses and she said that she had to pull over a couple of times to clean them, (may I add this was her first lesson since lockdown restrictions have been eased and she did not treat her glasses with anti fog products before venturing out).
Obviously taxi drivers and bus conductors have to wear masks aswell as keyworkers but surely there cannot be one rule for one and other rule for another. This is called deceptive marketing whereby there are no concrete facts
If the problem is that the students of the driving school have to wear masks then so should the driving instructors.
Furthermore you can read what I found on the subject below:
https://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/news/hertfordshire-news/face-mask-warning-driving-one-4397464
This following blog actually confirms there is no Government guidance to wearing facemasks.
According the news article form ‘Herfordshire Mercury’, motorist can ensure glasses not steaming up by the following factors :
1. Ensuring your covering fits firmly enough to prevent air escaping from the top. (Have watched videos on people adding tissue under the mask to absorb moisture but none seemed to be effective). I did have one thought and perhaps add a microfibre towel underneath the mask), just a thought perhaps.
2. Use a covering with a moldable nose piece
3. Seal the covering to your face with double sided tape (Not recommended as the adhesive is not meant for skin contact and could cause an allergic reaction)
4. Use anti-fogging products specifically for glasses (Similar to the stuff you put on your car’s windshield, it does actually works to keep your glasses clear).
5. Wash your glasses in soapy water before entering your vehicle” (Watched many videos on this and its a thumbs down for me).
I have never used anti fogging products before as I have never had the need for them, but will be investing them for my daughter. I do however think gluing your facemask to your skin is not going to eliminate from your glasses from steaming up and is highly inadvisabel.
When breathing we exhale warm air that turns into steam and travels upwards this a potential health hazard if wearing glasses and a face covering at the same time.
Face shields on the other hand have more ventilation than facemasks as facemasks are more constraint. Face shields protect the wearer from direct contact to airborne droplets, that cannot penatrate the plastic shield, whereas cloth facemasks will absorb the foreign bodies, which means disposing of the face covering or washing it at high temperatures directly after use. Furthermore touching the face covering during use poses cross contamination problems if not handled in the correct manner.
If you have a material face covering you should dispose of it carefully or wash it directly after use, this includes respirators and face shields that can be wiped down with antibacterial disinfectant.
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