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People hold onto a driving licence as long as possible, seeing it as an important part of independence and mobility.
However, making sure you remain a safe driver is critical and that is where a medical driving assessment comes in.
Occupational Therapist Monica Grimshaw has been a registered medical driving assessor for nine years and also runs Rodney Age Concern’s driver refresher course.
She assesses people of all ages who have been referred by their doctor or family, or choose to take the assessment because they are concerned about their ability to drive safely.
Although she sees a lot of older people, Monica says the assessment is for anyone who may be impaired, including those who have a cognitive issue, or have had an accident or stroke and need their driving skills checked before they go back behind a wheel.
The assessment costs $490 and involves an off road component, in a person’s home, followed by a 45 minute on-road assessment.
“I’m not a driving examiner, and it’s not a pass or fail,” Monica says. “My job is to look at whether someone can drive safely.”
Her report goes to the NZ Transport Agency, which makes the decision regarding the licence.
“There is equipment that can help people to stay driving, and also limitations can be placed on the licence such as daytime driving only or within a certain distance from home,” she says. “Sometimes I recommend they take a couple of top up lessons and then have another go at the assessment.”
Monica recommends that older drivers who are having a medical driving assessment first read a free booklet available from the Automobile Association called The Road Ahead.
Course for older drivers
Aside from medical issues, Monica says key concerns with older drivers are a decline in observation skills and reaction times. This can lead to serious issues such as not stopping at compulsory stops, pulling out without checking blind spots, failing to give way at intersections and driving too fast, or too slowly.
She recommends older people consider taking a free Staying Safe Driver Refresher course, which is offered by Rodney Age Concern several times each year.
“It’s three hours long and designed to bring drivers to a safer road standard,” Monica says.
Key things she tells people are the importance of checking their blind spots – she recommends everyone gets a pair of “cheap as chips” blind spot mirrors which attach to the wing mirrors.
She says she has had to tell many people they are not safe to drive any more, and it is never easy.
“However, it’s about their safety and that of all other road users. Everyone thinks they are a good driver and sometimes we’re the last to know that we could be endangering ourselves and others on the road.”
However, Monica says many people continue to drive safely, well into old age.
“I assessed a man last week who will turn 90 soon and he has really good skills,” she says.
