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Assessing Fitness to Drive
Licensing and medical fitness to drive
Reinstatement of licences or removal or variation of licence conditions

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

4.5 Reinstatement of licences or removal or variation of licence conditions

Situations may arise in which a medical condition improves to such an extent that the patient’s licence restriction may be reconsidered by the driver licensing authority, resulting

in reinstatement of the licence or removal or variation of licence conditions, including requirements for periodic medical review.

Under such circumstances a letter or notification to this effect from the treating health professional to the licensing authority (refer to Appendix 2.2. Medical condition notification form) should include:

details of the requirements now met which were not previously met (refer to medical criteria in this document)
the response to treatment, interventions and/ or rehabilitation and the long-term prognosis
the duration of improvement
other relevant information including consideration of the driving task (e.g. the requirements of a person who drives occasionally to the shops are likely to be different from those of a person undertaking extensive interstate travel or who drives regularly as part of their employment/ voluntary work).

The driver licensing authority will consider the request and advise the driver of their determination; licence decisions may be contingent on the requirement for the driver or applicant to undertake and pass an on-road evaluation to confirm their driving abilities.

Assessing Fitness to Drive

4.5 Reinstatement of licences or removal or variation of licence conditions

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