Driving is an important activity to many people. The ability to drive and the freedom that comes with this, is often taken for granted. Injury, disability or illness, can affect a person’s ability to drive, which can have significant impacts on their independence.
Enhanced Health Therapy Services offer occupational therapy driving assessments and training/rehabilitation services to support people to commence or return to driving.
An Occupational therapy driving assessment (OTDA) provides comprehensive findings and advice for drivers/potential drivers and medical specialists in order to guide decision making regarding a person’s suitability to commence or return to drive suitability, training/re-training programs and prescription of vehicle modifications for drivers.
An occupational therapy driving assessment is not the same as a Department of Transport licencing test. The purpose of the occupational therapy driving assessment is to determine if a person’s injury, disability or illness impacts on their ability to drive safely.
When might an occupational therapy driving assessment be needed?
Assessments may be conducted for:
- Fitness to drive – drivers with medical or age-related changes.
- Novice drivers – to determine driving readiness.
- Experienced drivers with acquired medical conditions or disabilities – to determine the impact on driving performance and the possible need for modified driving controls.
- Work related drivers – to determine the impact of injury or chronic pain conditions including ergonomic evaluation.
- Commercial vehicle drivers – to determine medical capacity to drive heavy vehicles or workplace plant equipment.
Who might need an occupational therapy driving assessment?
Common injuries and disabilities often requiring assessment and advice includes, but not limited to:
- Neurological conditions including multiple sclerosis, stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury and spina bifida.
- Orthopaedic injuries such as amputations, hand and shoulder injuries, back injuries.
- Physical impairments such as cerebral palsy, congenital deformities.
- Older clients with general frailty/ageing, physical/functional problems, cognitive decline, dementia
- Learner drivers with Autism/Asperger’s, anxiety, intellectual impairment.
What is the assessment process?
The occupational therapy driving assessment consists of two parts:
- “Off-road” or an office based assessment – this part of assessment involves reviewing your medical history and driving history as well as testing the individual components or skills required for driving to determine if there may be any limitations that may impact on being able to safely drive.
- “On-road” assessment – this part of the assessment consists of the practical component of driving. It is conducted with the occupational therapy driving assessor and a specialised driving instructor. The “on-road” assessment is used to determine if any concerns noted during the “off-road” assessment indeed impact on driving performance and safety.
What could the assessment outcomes be?
The outcomes of the assessment may include any of the following:
- Able to drive with no restrictions or conditions
- Able to drive with restrictions and/or conditions
- Engagement in a remedial driving program is recommended with a repeat assessment
- Recommendation to cancel licence
Report
Following assessment, a report is prepared and provided to your GP and/or medical specialist and in some cases, to the Medical Reporting Unit of Transport and Main Roads, in the instance where licence cancellation is recommended.
Your GP and/or medical specialist is ultimately responsible for the decision for you to commence or return to driving.
Pricing
The pricing of an assessment is dependent on the type of service and report being sought. Please contact our office to discuss your needs and individual circumstances in order to be provided with an accurate quote.
Why us?
The thought of having a driving assessment can be overwhelming. You may have lots of questions and in many cases, we find people are incredibly nervous. We have occupational therapy driving assessors who have been providing assessments and advice on driving for over 15 years. This type of experience can help you feel at ease. You can rest assured you are in good hands. Our goal is to get or keep people driving, however, we do need to make sure that everyone who gets behind the wheel is safe.
BOOK NOW
Call now on (07) 4724 0953 for more information or to book your assessment today.