If you have a medical condition that may affect your ability to drive safely, who decides whether you can keep your driver's licence? In British Columbia, The Superintendent of Motor Vehicles, through RoadSafetyBC, assesses a driver's medical fitness and makes decisions about licensing..
What does medical fitness to drive mean?
Having a medical condition does not automatically mean that you cannot drive. RoadSafetyBC's approach is to consider how a medical condition affects the functions necessary for safe driving, whether the driver can compensate for any impairment and what can be done to manage the risk.
RoadSafetyBC's medical fitness principles include:
- Risk management
- A functional approach
- Individual assessment
- Use of the best available information
The goal is to give a driver the maximum licensing privilege possible while taking medical fitness and road safety into account.
For more detail, see the RoadSafetyBC Driver Medical Fitness information
Who decides if you are medically fit to drive?
Your doctor or other health professional may assess your medical condition and advise you whether it is safe to drive. However, a health professional does not simply take away your driver's licence.
RoadSafetyBC is responsible for assessing medical fitness to drive and making the licensing decision. Depending on the circumstances, RoadSafetyBC may require medical information, a Driver's Medical Examination Report or a functional assessment before making a decision.
This distinction is important. Being told by a health professional that you should not drive is not the same thing as having your driver's licence cancelled or suspended by the licensing authority. A driver should, however, follow medical advice and not continue driving when doing so would be unsafe.
When must a health professional report a driver?
Section 230 of the Motor Vehicle Act requires a legally qualified and registered psychologist, optometrist, medical practitioner or nurse practitioner to report a patient to the Superintendent when the health professional believes that the patient has a medical condition that makes it dangerous for the patient or the public for the patient to drive and the patient continues to drive after being warned of the danger.
Health professionals may also report concerns about a patient's ability to drive when the circumstances do not meet the mandatory reporting requirements of section 230.
A report does not automatically mean that the driver's licence will be cancelled. It gives RoadSafetyBC information that may lead to an assessment of the driver's medical fitness.
What happens after RoadSafetyBC receives a report?
RoadSafetyBC may request information about the driver's medical condition before deciding what, if anything, needs to be done. One tool it uses is the Driver's Medical Examination Report, which is completed by a doctor or nurse practitioner.
RoadSafetyBC may request a medical examination report or additional information from the driver's treating health professional. Where a medical condition has caused significant impairment of a function necessary for driving, RoadSafetyBC may also require a functional assessment appropriate to the impairment and the class of licence held, such as an Enhanced Road Assessment.
The assessment is therefore not simply a question of whether a person has a particular diagnosis. The important question is whether the condition affects the person's ability to drive safely. RoadSafetyBC uses the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators Medical Standards with BC-specific guidelines when assessing medical fitness.
What happens to your driver's licence?
After considering the available medical information, RoadSafetyBC may determine that the driver can continue to drive without conditions, can continue to drive subject to conditions or restrictions, requires further assessment or reassessment, or is no longer medically fit to hold the licence.
The decision depends on the individual's circumstances, including the nature of the medical condition, its effect on the functions necessary for driving, the likelihood of further impairment and the driver's ability to compensate for any limitations.
What about a stroke?
A stroke is a good example of why having a medical condition does not automatically mean losing your driver's licence.
RoadSafetyBC's medical standard for a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), commonly called a stroke, says that a driver may be eligible for a licence when a medical assessment shows no residual effects, the underlying cause has been appropriately treated, no post-stroke seizure has occurred and the functional abilities necessary for driving are not impaired.
If a stroke has caused significant residual impairment, RoadSafetyBC may request functional assessments appropriate to the type of impairment and the class of licence. Depending on the circumstances, these assessments may consider cognitive, motor or sensory functions needed for driving.
The RoadSafetyBC guideline notes that subject-matter experts recommend a minimum one-month period without driving following a stroke, with appropriate follow-up and treatment.
A driver who has had a stroke must also remain under regular medical supervision, follow the physician's advice regarding treatment and report any further strokes as required.
The complete RoadSafetyBC cerebrovascular disease standard explains the requirements in more detail.
What medical conditions can affect driving?
RoadSafetyBC's medical standards cover a wide range of conditions that may affect the ability to drive safely. They include cerebrovascular disease such as stroke and TIA, cognitive impairment and dementia, diabetes and hypoglycemia, cardiovascular disease, Parkinson's disease and other neurological conditions, musculoskeletal conditions, seizures and epilepsy, sleep disorders, vision impairment and other medical conditions.
The important point is that the same diagnosis can affect different drivers in different ways. RoadSafetyBC therefore considers the individual's functional abilities and the circumstances of the particular case rather than automatically treating everyone with the same diagnosis in the same way.
Can a medical fitness decision be reviewed?
Yes. Decisions made by RoadSafetyBC may be subject to review. The review process provides an opportunity for a driver to have the decision reconsidered based on the information and circumstances of the case.
If RoadSafetyBC asks you to provide medical information or complete an assessment, it is important to respond within the time allowed. Failing to provide requested information can itself result in the loss of driving privileges.
The bottom line
A medical diagnosis does not automatically mean that you lose your driver's licence. What matters is whether the medical condition affects your ability to drive safely and whether that risk can be managed.
Your health professional has an important role in assessing your condition, advising you about driving and, when required by law, reporting concerns to RoadSafetyBC. The Superintendent of Motor Vehicles, through RoadSafetyBC, assesses a driver's medical fitness and makes decisions about licensing.
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