OT Driving Assessment

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Occupational Therapists can complete additional training to become a Driving Assessors for people whose medical condition or disability may impair their ability to drive.

​Austroads and the National Transport Commission publish  'Fit to Drive' information. This details the national standards for licensing for people with medical conditions / disability. Have a look at the link to get up to date information on your obligations as a driver. 
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OTs are the only health profession who can provide driving assessment as we are uniquely trained in the physical, cognitive and psychological aspects of function. To achieve the qualification, OTs complete post-graduate study.

​DOTS offers OT Driving Assessments and has three driver-trained OTs on staff.

​How does it work?
Once you are cleared by your GP to be assessed, we undertake an off-road assessment which looks at your cognitive and physical (biomechanics and reflexes) capacities as well as vision and your knowledge of the road rules.
The second part of the process is an on-road screening with a Driving Instructor in a dual control car. The occupational therapist sits in the back seat and assesses your driving in your local area.

​The Driving Instructor is a professional driving teacher and comes with their specialised car.

​With the information from both parts of the assessment, the Occupational Therapist makes a recommendation to your GP (or the referrer) about your capacity to drive. The referrer (GP or Specialist) makes the final decision.​

Funding options
You may be able to access funding to help cover the costs of your assessment. Call us on 3114 9445 to discuss possible options.

​Our driving assessment package costs $450. This includes:

• travel of the OT to and from your home for the off-road assessment
• travel of the OT to and from your home for the on-road assessment
• the off-road assessment (1.5 hours)
• the on-road assessment (1 hour plus verbal feedback)  
• ​complete report to the referrer (GP)

​(The driving instructor also has a fee for the off-road component of the assessment). 

The outcome of an assessment can be:

• ​Recommended as safe to drive
• ​Recommended as safe to drive with conditions such as time of day, location or modifications to the car.
• Recommended for mediation (rehabilitation) which means that you may need a few lessons with a driving instructor who is experienced in working with people that are limited in their driving capacity by disability or a medical condition. (After you have completed those lessons, you are assessed again.)
• Recommended as not fit to drive.
• Recommended for further assessment such as vision testing by a specialist, or further Occupational Therapy assessment. 
• Referral to Specialists as needed.