We know that driving licence medicals can create anxiety, particularly when driving is an important part of your independence. We hope this post helps to explain what happens and why.
Under the Land Transport Driver Licensing Rule, medical fitness assessments are required from age 75 for Class 1 (car) and Class 6 (motorcycle) licences. Doctors use NZTA’s legally recognised guide, Medical Aspects of Fitness to Drive, to assess whether you meet the medical standards for private vehicle drivers.
The assessment requires completion of a DL9 medical certificate. PLEASE BRING YOUR CURRENT DRIVERS LICENSE TO YOUR APPOINTMENT.
What does the assessment involve?
Vision: Your vision is checked to make sure that it meets the required standards, with or without glasses or contact lenses. Our Healthcare Assistant will perform this part of the assessment, so please bring your glasses or contact lenses if you use them for driving.
Physical function and medical conditions: Your doctor considers things such as your mobility, coordination, hearing, any medications that could affect driving (for example, sedation or slowed processing), and the stability of any medical conditions that may affect driving safety.
Cognition: NZTA’s standards require doctors to consider cognitive function, including conditions such as dementia, when assessing fitness to drive. As part of this assessment, our Healthcare Assistant will ask you to complete an assessment that evaluates visual scanning, processing speed, cognitive flexibility and attention. This is NOT a pass/fail test. It is one piece of information that helps your doctor make an overall assessment.
What happens after the assessment?
Your GP will consider all of the available information. Sometimes further assessment is needed before a decision can be made. This may involve another appointment with the Healthcare Assistant and/or GP, and additional charges apply for the time involved. Driving licence medical assessments are not government funded, so they are a private service.
After a full assessment, your GP may:
1. Complete the medical certificate: You may be considered medically fit to drive, either with or without restrictions. For example, restrictions may apply to night driving or the geographical area in which you may drive.
2. Refer you for an on-road safety test: If your GP considers you medically fit, but wants your practical driving ability assessed, you may be referred for a 30-minute on-road safety test. This is arranged by you through a driver licensing agent such as AA or VTNZ and is currently free.
3. Refer you for an Occupational Therapy (OT) Fitness to Drive assessment: This is a more comprehensive assessment of your physical and cognitive function and practical driving ability. The local provider is OTRS in Mt Maunganui. The assessment is currently $997 and takes around three hours. The OT provides a report to your GP, who then considers this together with the other medical information and completes the medical certificate as appropriate.
4. Determine that you do not meet the medical standards for driving.
When does your GP have to notify the NZTA?
If you are assessed as medically unfit to drive, or fit to drive with restrictions, your GP must send a copy of the DL9 form to the NZTA.
There may also be circumstances outside of a routine driving license medical where your medical condition changes and you are advised not to drive. If your GP has reason to believe you are likely to continue driving despite being told not to, your GP has a legal obligation to notify the NZTA.
Finally…
We understand that these assessments can feel very personal and that the outcome can have a significant impact on your independence.
Our GPs are not trying to take your licence away. Outside of a driving assessment, we are your greatest health advocates. During a driving medical, however, your GP has a different role: we must act as an independent clinical assessor and apply the national medical standards objectively. Our responsibility is to consider your safety and the safety of other road users.
We know this can sometimes create a difficult conflict between what is understandably important to you, and our professional responsibilities. We will always aim to explain the process clearly, treat you with respect, and make sure the decision is based on the available medical evidence and NZTA’s standards.
We hope this helps take some of the uncertainty out of the process.
