Scientific evidence suggests that one of the many factors causing traffic accidents is drivers' medical condition. In many cases medical conditions will last for an extended period of time, in some cases for the rest of the drivers' life. It is important to note that people with medical conditions need pharmacological treatment. Sometimes the medication prescribed may have an effect on the psychomotor performance, but also the illness itself can impair fitness to drive and the consequences for driving of not taking the medication can be worse (1). Various earlier studies have analysed these aspects (2-4). Current European legislation does not permit the issuing or renewal of driving licences for those who do not possess adequate driving ability. Council Directive 91/439/CEE, on driving licences, establishes in Annex III, the minimum standards of physical and mental fitness for driving a power-driven vehicle. In practice, various types of illness and disease, including the effect of medical treatment can affect fitness to drive. Member states implement this regulation differently. For example, Spanish legislation establishes that to obtain a driving licence, or to renew it (every ten years up to 45, every 5 years between 46 and 70 and every 2 years from 70 onwards), a medical-psychological examination, carried out in specific 'Medical Driving Test Centres', is obligatory. In these Medical Driving Test Centres, medical, eyesight and psychological tests are carried out with a view to assessing fitness to drive in accordance with Spanish legislation (Royal Decree 772/1997). (Abstract only) (Author/publisher) For the covering abstract of the conference see ITRD Abstract No. E201067.
Samenvatting