Driving – Conditional Licences
conditional licence?
- Allows individuals with medical conditions/injuries to drive safely under specified conditions.
- Balances public safety with individual independence.
- Examples: No night driving, local area only, corrective lenses.
- May involve medical treatments, vehicle modifications, and periodic medical review.
- Alternative to full licence withdrawal.
Who allocates a conditional licence?
- Driver licensing authority makes the final decision.
- Decision based on:
- Health professional’s report.
- On-road safety considerations.
- Licence is granted if additional risk is deemed acceptable.
role of the health professional
- Advises on:
- Medical criteria not met.
- Suitability of aids, modifications, or treatments.
- Monitoring/review plan (including timeframes).
- Suggested licence restrictions.
- Other relevant medical information.
- Does not make licensing decision, but supports the process with clinical input.
conditions/restrictions may be recommended
- Can include:
- Standard restrictions (e.g. corrective lenses, hand controls).
- Advisory restrictions (e.g. take meds as prescribed, limit driving hours).
- Local area/radius restrictions for patients with reduced capacity but preserved insight.
- Not suitable for drivers with:
- Poor insight.
- Significant visual, cognitive, or memory impairment.
Examples of licence conditions that may be required by the driver licensing authority
| Examples of disability/situation | Examples of licence conditions |
|---|---|
| Left leg disability | Automatic transmission |
| Left arm disability | Automatic transmission, steering aide |
| Short stature | Built-up seat and pedals |
| Loss of bilateral leg function | Hand-operated acceleration/brake controls |
| Reduced lower limb strength | Power brakes required |
| Reduced upper limb strength | Power steering required; steering aide |
| Short leg(s) | Extended pedals |
| Hearing deficiency (commercial drivers) | Hearing aid must be worn (commercial vehicles – assuming hearing standard is met) |
| Deafness, both ears (commercial vehicle driver – assuming meets specified hearing standard) | Vehicle fitted with two external rear-view mirrors and other devices as required to assist external visual surveillance and recognition of emergency vehicles (e.g. additional wide-angle internal mirror, rear-view camera) |
| Visual acuity deficiency | Prescribed corrective lenses must be worn |
| Loss of limb function | Prosthesis must be worn |
| Degenerative medical conditions | Periodic review by driver assessor |
| Night blindness | Driving in daylight hours only |
| Age or medical condition-associated impairments, for example, attention | Driving during off-peak only; drive within a specified kilometre radius of place of residence; in daylight hours only; no freeway driving (local area restriction – see below for further description) |
| Spinal cord injury (above T12) | Not to drive when the temperature is above 25°C unless the vehicle is air-conditioned |
| Substance misuse (alcohol) | Ignition interlock device |
monitoring is required for a conditional licence
- Periodic medical review required.
- Frequency based on clinical judgement and disease stability.
- Health professionals to recommend review period in report.
- If condition worsens, patient must notify licensing authority (as per driver responsibilities).
conditional licences for commercial vehicle drivers
- Conditional licences may be allowed on a case-by-case basis with risk assessment.
- Considerations include:
- Driver insight, condition stability, treatment compliance.
- Vehicle type and use (e.g. off-road, testing, depot driving).
- Specialist opinion usually required.
- GPs may provide ongoing monitoring if initial clearance is by specialist.
- Telehealth encouraged to facilitate access in rural areas.
if there is a delay before a specialist can be seen
- For commercial drivers:
- May continue driving if:
- Specialist appointment is booked at the earliest opportunity.
- GP deems condition stable and unlikely to cause acute deterioration.
- May continue driving if:
- Examples of low-risk conditions:
- Early peripheral neuropathy.
- Early rheumatoid arthritis.
- Diet-controlled diabetes.
- Examples of high-risk conditions (acute risk):
- Ischaemic heart disease.
- Sleep apnoea.
- Blackouts (excluding vasovagal).