Driving Assessment and Rehabilitation

What happens in an Occupational Therapist Driving Assessment?

Driving is a very complex task, requiring the interaction and co-ordination of many senses and skills.

When I see someone for a driving assessment I assess the following in their own home:

• Cognitive abilities  - how they process information and remember things
• Vision – acuity, eye function and visual fields
• Biomechanics - how their body is working physically
• Basic road rules knowledge

For the second part of the assessment I take them on road, with the Driving Instructor, for around an hour in their local area.

Who may need a Driver Trained Occupational Therapist?

I see folks in the following categories. Most are referred by their doctor:

• People with a medical condition or disability which makes it difficult (or impossible!) to drive a regular car. Examples are people with spinal cord injury, limb amputations, biomechanical dysfunctions, short stature. I see them for an assessment, work out their needs with them, liase with vehicle modifiers and the RMS and, mostly, get them on the road.
• People who have been told they are not safe to drive and think they are. I see these people for a full assessment and report. Sometimes they get their licence back (with or without conditions) and sometimes they don’t. But they will know, for sure, whether they can drive safely to RMS standards.
• People whose families, doctors (or others) are concerned they may no longer be able to drive safely. This is generally due to the impacts of a medical condition, such as stroke, dementia, or physical impairment.   I see them for a full assessment, including taking them on road. Again, sometimes they get their licence back (with or without conditions) and sometimes they don’t. But they will know, for sure, whether they can drive safely to RMS standards.
• People who are recovering from a medical condition/event and would like to return to driving. They have generally already served the exclusion periods highlighted in Assessing Fitness to Drive. They see me when their doctor wants to be sure they are good to go back to driving. I do a full assessment and provide my report with recommendations regarding their ability to drive, as well as any vehicle modification that may be of assistance.

What you need to know about Driving Assessments

Please note that only Occupational Therapists with post-graduate qualifications in Driver Assessment, and their RMS Driver Trained Occupational Therapist (DTOT) number, are legally allowed to assess people in the task of driving.

Driving Instructors are different – they are trained to give instruction to people in how to drive a motor vehicle. They are driving professionals - not health professionals. I work with a fantastic, rehab-qualified, Driving Instructor – David Vial (0424064737, arrivealive@bigpond.com).

What happens after an Occupational Therapist Driving Assessment?

After the assessment one of 4 things will happen:

1. I will recommend the person is capable of driving in accordance with RMS standards. They will be able to drive with a normal licence
2. I will recommend they are not fit to drive and their licence will be cancelled
3. I will recommend that they are safe to drive, however will add conditions to their licence to assist them with driving safely. It could be a distance restriction, for example.
4. I will recommend that are not safe for driving now, but may well be in the future, after having some lessons and/or some modifications to their car. This is often the outcome for people with a physical disability where I have recommended modifications to the car in order for them to drive safely, for example hand controls.

I then write my RMS report and forward it to the client, their referring medical practitioner and the RMS medical unit. All within 48 hours of the assessment.