Medical Fitness to Drive Assessment
- The Medical Fitness to Drive Assessments are provided by a highly experienced NZTA Registered Occupational Therapists. The assessment is not a test.
- The Occupational Therapist will visit you in your home and conduct an Off road assessment to identify any physical or cognitive difficulties you may be experiencing which could affect your ability to drive.
- An On road Assessment is then undertaken around your local area with the Occupational Therapist and a Driving Instructor in the Driving Instructors car with dual controlled brakes. This is to ensure your safety and the safety of other road users. Latest research shows this method of assessment to be the most reliable and the safest method of assessment.
As an experienced driver the aim of the assessment is to ensure that you are driving in a safe manner. The assessment covers the driving skills that you undertake on a daily basis, as an experienced driving there will be nothing on the assessment that you will not have undertaken before.
The Occupational Therapist is an expert at putting you at your ease. We are here to help you with any driving difficulties you may be having. Some difficulties can be over come with minor adaptations to the vehicle.
CONTACT: Julie Roberts NZROT tel; 0220254327
Most drivers consider themselves to be safe and responsible drivers. However ill health both physical and cognitive can impact upon our ability to drive and cloud our judgement regarding our own abilities.
It is far better to seek the opinion of a specialist trained in the field of Medical Fitness to Drive Assessments (An Occupational Therapist Driving Assessor) than wait for a road traffic accident to happen.
The role of the Therapist is different to that of a Driving Instructor, the Occupational Therapist is fully trained in how the effects of ill health and specific conditions affect driving and how these may/ or may not be remedied. Only Occupational Therapists qualified in this field are able to make recommendations regarding Medical fitness to Drive, this falls out of the scope of practice of the driving Instructor. At Reable we work together and utilise our skill set together.
A Medical Driving Assessment may be advised by the GP if you have recently suffered ill health, an accident, or your Drivers license is up for renewal.. The role of the Occupational Therapist is to support and guide the process, decisions regarding license renewal can only be made by NZTA. Many patients fear attending an assessment due to the misguided belief that the Occupational Therapist can take their driving license from them. This is not the case. The Therapist is here to support you and to assist you to keep driving for as long as it is practical and safe to do so. We value the importance of having a driving license and the independence it brings.