Driving assessments

Are you concerned that your driving skills may have diminished over time?

Have you been diagnosed with a medical condition known to impact driving ability (e.g. impaired vision, dementia, diabetes, seizures, sleep disorders, stroke)?

Have you experienced a recent increase in near misses or minor crashes (fender benders)?

Have friends and/or family suggested that you may not be fit to drive?

If you answered yes to any of the above, and if your driving is compromised by any serious or chronic medical condition, disability, illness, injury or medical treatment, it is important you notify Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) Medical Review.

If you are diagnosed with a medical condition, you should speak with your doctor. Getting in touch early with the DTP Medical Review team helps ensure clear communication between you, your doctor and the review team. This supports the safe management of your driving so you can continue driving for as long and as safely as possible.

Think about getting a driving assessment the same way you look at visiting your doctor for a health checkup – as a smart way to identify and manage any physical or mental changes.

Transport Victoria provides a list of medical conditions that must be reported to DTP Medical Review following diagnosis. These conditions are based on the national Assessing Fitness to Drive (AFTD) Medical standards for Licensing.

DTP will not refuse to issue a driver licence and will not withdraw a driver licence unless there is good cause to believe that there is a real and significant danger to the safety of yourself and other road users.

The medical review process consists of 3 stages:

1.  Either you or another individual makes a report to DTP.

2.  You and your doctor fill out a medical report form. In some cases, you may be required to provide additional information, which can include:

   • Providing reports from other health professionals (e.g. ophthalmologist).

   • Completing a DTP medical review driving test.

   • Completing an occupational therapy driving assessment. 

3.  You will be provided with an outcome - most of the time people are able to continue to drive, sometimes with conditions such as wearing glasses, or only driving in daylight hours.

For more information go to the Retiring from Driving section.

What should I do if my doctor tells me that I can no longer drive?

• Seek support from your family and friends.

• Consider alternative transport options to stay mobile and connected to your community.

• If you want to continue to drive, you are legally required to inform DTP of your condition and complete a medical review assessment to determine if and under what conditions you can drive.

Notifying Department of Transport and Planning about a driver who may need an assessment

Medical and health conditions that may impact our ability to drive safely are managed by the DTP Medical Review Team.

Anyone can make a report to DTP to initiate a Medical Review, including:

• Friends and family can make an anonymous report by sending a letter or email with the driver’s name and address, explaining their concerns.

• Police, health professionals and other members of the community can also report a driver to DTP for a medical review.

• Drivers can self-report by asking their doctor to complete a medical report form that gets sent to DTP.