Guidelines will not take elderly off roads: RSA

The Road Safety Authority has reassured elderly motorists and drivers with a medical condition that new guidelines on medical fitness are not designed to put them off the road.

RSA chief executive Noel Brett said the guidelines would help clarify issues for doctors in advising patients about their fitness to drive and their requirements for reporting concerns to the driving licensing authority.

The RSA, in association with the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, yesterday launched the country’s first medical fitness to drive guidelines. They deal with a number of issues, such as vision problems, diabetes, epilepsy, heart disease, substance abuse, sleep disorders, and psychiatric conditions.

“The sole purpose of the new guidelines is to promote and prolong safe mobility,” said Mr Brett. “This is not about taking people off the road, but about responsible decision-making.”

Mr Brett said the guidelines also recommended that only patients known to a doctor should be certified as fit to drive in order to avoid any risk of “GP shopping”.

Under existing legislation, all motorists aged over 70 must renew their driving licence every three years, subject to receiving a medical certificate from their GP about their fitness to drive and passing an eye test.

Medical certificates are also required by driving licence applicants who suffer from specified disabilities or diseases, such as diabetes, epilepsy, or stroke.

Desmond O’Neill, the programme’s director, said that the guidelines reflected recent developments in medicine such as improvements in diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions.

“Understanding the impact of an injury or a disease or the way certain medicines might affect driving is a vital aspect of road safety,” said Prof O’Neill.

He noted a recent Canadian study that showed doctors’ warnings to patients about their unfitness to drive resulted in a 45% reduction in the annual rate of crashes per 1,000 motorists.

Prof O’Neill said the guidelines would allow most drivers with well-managed health conditions to continue to drive safely. “It is important to remember that if you report your condition, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will lose your licence,” he said.

The RSA said an appeals mechanism is available to drivers refused a licence on medical grounds.