Drivers who have certain serious medical conditions face being kept off the road for periods of time until their illness is being successfully treated or under control, according to new guidelines.
However, it has been stressed that the new guidelines are primarily there to promote and prolong safe driving by those with certain medical conditions.
Guidelines from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) state that a driving licence application must be accompanied by a medical report form filled out by your doctor if you:
* Are applying for a driving licence in respect of a truck or bus, licence categories C, C1, CE, C1E, D, D1, DE or D1E (unless you have previously provided a medical report which is still valid).
* Will be 70 years of age or more on the first day of the period for which the licence for any licence category is being granted.
* Suffer from any of the disabilities or diseases specified in the diseases and disabilities list (below).
* Have ever suffered from alcoholism or epilepsy.
* Are a regular user of drugs or medication that would be likely to make your driving unsafe.
The medical report must be completed by a registered doctor and drivers must sign the declaration in his/her presence.
The new guidelines are intended to clarify and tighten up previous guidelines on fitness to drive.
Prof Desmond O’Neill, National Programme Director for Traffic Medicine, said for a driver, understanding the impact of an injury or a disease or the way certain medicines might affect driving is a vital aspect of road safety.
“Driver licensing authorities, doctors, Gardaí, legal professionals and others will use the new medical fitness to drive guidelines to make decisions regarding a person’s fitness to drive. However, it is important to state that the key objective of the new guidelines is to promote and prolong safe driving.”
Noel Brett, Chief Executive of the Road Safety Authority, speaking at the launch of the guidelines, said up to now, there has been little structured advice and support for medical professionals in the field of driver fitness.
Mr Brett said it was important to stress that while the guidelines will give greater confidence to medical professionals in dealing with medical fitness issues, drivers have nothing to fear.
“The guidelines will enable medical professionals to give advice and support to drivers who may have concerns about any condition or disease. Indeed, the whole ethos of the work in putting together the medical guidelines is to enable driver mobility to the greatest possible degree consistent with safety on our roads.”
The new guidelines cover Group 1 drivers. Medical fitness guidelines for Group 2 drivers are being developed and will be published later this year.
At licence application and renewal, drivers must complete a declaration regarding their health, including whether they have any long-term conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy or cardiovascular disease.
Based on this information, the Driving Licensing Authority may request a medical examination to confirm a driver’s fitness to hold a driver licence.
In the case of medical examinations requested by the Driving Licensing Authority, drivers have a duty to declare their health status to the examining doctor.
The specified conditions requiring a medical report are:
* Diabetes treated by insulin and or sulphonylurea tablets. There is no need to tell the doctor if it is managed by other tablets and or diet.
* Epilepsy.
* Stroke or ‘mini-strokes’ with any associated symptoms lasting longer than one month.
* Seizures or blackouts.
* Any type of brain surgery, brain abscess or severe head injury involving in-patient treatment or brain tumour or spinal injury or spinal tumour.
* An implanted cardiac pacemaker.
* An implanted cardiac defibrillator.
* Repeated attacks of sudden disabling dizziness.
* Any other chronic neurological condition such as multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease.
* A serious problem with memory or periods of confusion.
* Persistent alcohol misuse or dependency.
* Persistent drug misuse or dependency.
* Serious psychiatric illness or mental health problems.
* Parkinson’s disease.
* Sleep apnoea syndrome.
* Narcolepsy.
* Any condition affecting your peripheral vision.
* Total loss of sight in one eye.
* Any condition affecting both eyes, or the remaining eye if you only have one eye (not including colour blindness or short or long sight).
* A serious hearing deficiency.
* Any persisting problem with arm(s) or leg(s) which needs driving to be restricted to certain types of vehicle or those with adapted controls.