General Practitioner’s have a legal and ethical obligation to ensure that the safety of both yourself and other road users. This is the primary concern in making any decision on fitness to drive.
The NZ Transport Agency provides guidelines for health practitioners to consider when assessing your fitness to drive and any medical conditions you may have.
It is difficult to make such an assessment from an office and we have a standardised approach to these visits to make it easier for us to identify those who may need further assessment.
What is involved?
Please allow 45-60 minutes for the assessment.
First you will see a Primary Care Assistant (PCA) who will
- Check your vision
- Take your blood pressure
- Complete a short memory test – don’t be alarmed! This is not a pass/fail test, but rather a screening test that indicates to your doctor if further assessment may be needed (such as an on-road safety test, see below).
Then you will see your GP who will
- review your medical history and current medications
- Ask about any symptoms you have that could affect your driving
- complete a physical examination
If your vision doesn’t meet the required standard, we will ask you to see an optometrist to assess this more thoroughly.
Occasionally further assessment is needed – this could be due to physical or cognitive impairment. You will be referred for either a simple on-road safety test with AA or a more comprehensive assessment with an occupational therapist.
If you have any questions please feel free to ask your GP.