Assessing Fitness to Drive

Table of Contents

Front matter
Foreword
Part A. Fitness to drive principles and practices
1. About this publication
- 1.1. Purpose
- 1.2. Target audience
- 1.3. Scope
- 1.4. Content
- 1.5. Development and evidence base
2. Assessing fitness to drive – general guidance
- 2.1. The driving task
- 2.2. Impact of medical conditions on driving
- 2.3. Assessing and supporting functional driver capacity
3. Roles and responsibilities
- 3.1. Roles and responsibilities of driver licensing authorities
- 3.2. Roles and responsibilities of drivers
- 3.3. Roles and responsibilities of health professionals
4. Licensing and medical fitness to drive
- 4.1. Medical standards for private and commercial vehicle drivers
- 4.2. Considerations for commercial vehicle licensing
- 4.3. Prescribed periodic medical examinations for particular licensing authorisation classes
- 4.4. Conditional licences
- 4.5. Reinstatement of licences or removal or variation of licence conditions
5. Assessment and reporting process – step by step
- 5.1. Steps in the assessment and reporting process
- 5.2. Which forms to use
References and further reading
Part B. Medical standards
Fitness to drive assessment
1. Blackouts
- 1.1. Relevance to the driving task
- 1.2. General assessment and management guidelines
- 1.3. Medical standards for licensing
2. Cardiovascular conditions
- 2.1. Relevance to the driving task
- 2.2. General assessment and management guidelines
- 2.3. Medical standards for licensing
3. Diabetes mellitus
- 3.1. Relevance to the driving task
- 3.2. General assessment and management guidelines
- 3.3. Medical standards for licensing
4. Hearing loss and deafness
- 4.1. Relevance to the driving task
- 4.2. General assessment and management guidelines
- 4.3. Medical standards for licensing
5. Musculoskeletal conditions
- 5.1. Relevance to the driving task
- 5.2. General assessment and management guidelines
- 5.3. Medical standards for licensing
6. Neurological conditions
- 6.1. Dementia
- 6.2. Seizures and epilepsy
- 6.3. Other neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions
7. Psychiatric conditions
- 7.1. Relevance to the driving task
- 7.2. General assessment and management guidelines2,6,7
- 7.3. Medical standards for licensing
8. Sleep disorders
- 8.1. Relevance to the driving task
- 8.2. General assessment and management guidelines
- 8.3. Medical standards for licensing
9. Substance misuse
- 9.1. Relevance to the driving task
- 9.2. General assessment and management guidelines
- 9.3. Medical standards for licensing
10. Vision and eye disorders
- 10.1. Relevance to the driving task
- 10.2. General assessment and management guidelines
- 10.3. Medical standards for licensing
Part C. Appendices
Appendix 1. Regulatory requirements for driver testing
Appendix 2. Forms
Appendix 3. Legislation relating to reporting
Appendix 4. Drivers’ legal BAC limits
Appendix 5. Alcohol interlock programs
Appendix 6. Disabled car parking and taxi services
Appendix 7. Seatbelt use
Appendix 8. Helmet use
Appendix 9. Driver licensing authority contacts
Appendix 10. Specialist driver assessors
Appendix 11. Search Fitness to Drive resources

In 2020, 1,106 people were killed on Australian roads, and many tens of thousands were hospitalised with serious injuries. The annual economic cost of road crashes in Australia is estimated to be $30 billion, which is accompanied by devastating social impacts.

While many factors contribute to safety on the road, driver health and fitness to drive is an important consideration. Drivers must meet certain medical standards to ensure their health status does not unduly increase their crash risk.

Assessing fitness to drive is a joint publication of Austroads and the National Transport Commission (NTC) and details medical standards for driver licensing purposes for use by health professionals and driver licensing authorities. The standards are approved by Commonwealth, state and territory transport ministers and were first published in their current form in 2003. The previous edition was published in 2016.

Since its last publication, medical, legal and social developments have required that the medical criteria within the guidelines are updated to ensure they are accurate and reflect current practices. To this end, the NTC reviewed the guidelines, taking into account feedback from stakeholders, including medical professionals and expert consultants.

This review produced revised guidelines in draft form, for public consultation in May 2021. Doctors, other health professionals, members of the public, consumer groups, commercial operators and drivers, transport peak bodies and governments submitted comments to the draft guidelines.

Austroads and the NTC acknowledge the significant contribution of health professionals to road safety. Health professionals, in partnership with drivers, the road transport industry and governments, play an essential role in keeping all road users safe. Together we are working towards further reducing, and eventually eliminating, deaths and injuries from vehicle crashes on Australian roads.

Dr Geoff Allan
Chief Executive
Austroads

Dr Gillian Miles
Chief Executive Officer and Commissioner
National Transport Commission

Assessing Fitness to Drive

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