Indeed, sadly few of them seem to be in the government.Some people are better organised than others... They test the water. That's why they are successful than you or I.
'Testing' your eyesight by going for a 30 minute drive is insane. If your eyesight isn't good enough you might kill someone. A non idiot would check to see if they can read a number plate at the appropriate distance.
But if the test were to see if your eyesight will hold up to a drive of that length, then again, only an idiot would do that. Because by driving 30 minutes from home you're 30 minutes from home if you discover that your eyesight isn't good enough and you're stuck there.
Not to mention recklessly having your wife and child in the car for the test. Its *******s from start to finish.