Driving Standing Committee
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News and Updates
November 2008
A copy of the Driving Committee's report for the 2008 ESA Annual General Meeting is available for download here [PDF 276KB].
October 2008
From November, the NSW RTA and VicRoads will trial our decision tree model for determining fitness to drive. The trial will run in parallel with the old system, so that the results can be compared. The RTA and VicRoads will send an explanatory letter to the patient, asking them to present the trial documents to the doctor, along with the standard Medical Report Form for completion. The trial documents include a covering letter to the doctor signed jointly by the RTA/Vicroads and the ESA-ANZAN, the trial Epilepsy Questionnaire Form to complete about the patient's epilepsy, and a feedback form, all of which are to be returned to the DLA. The standard Medical Report Form or medical letter are to be given to the patient or returned to the DLA as normal. The data from the Epilepsy Questionnaire Form will be entered into the computerised algorithm that we have developed, with the data stored in a database that can be queried. The data received and the algorithm output will be evaluated as a potential alternative to the standard Medical Report Form but at this stage will not be used to determine fitness to drive. This project is a joint effort of Austroads, the ANZAN and the ESA, and is supported by the AMA. Participation in the trial is voluntary but the ESA hopes that neurologists will do so and provide feedback about the process.
From the ESA Winter 2008 Newsletter
After the Austroads Registration and Licensing Task Force's agreement to pilot the ESA/ANZAN scheme of certifica-tion by the licensing authority using information provided by the treating doctor, progress has been slow. Meetings have been held with the NSW RTA and a meeting with VicRoads will occur in September to discuss implementa-tion of the pilot in both states. The authorities insisted on endorse-ment by the AMA, which has now been obtained.
John Dunne’s facts about driving with epilepsy, presented at the ESA Master Class, will soon be available on the driving page of the ESA website.
From the ESA Autumn 2008 Newsletter
There has been significant progress made by the Driving Subcommittee through negotiations with national and state-based driving agencies. The NSW RTA, Vicroads and Queensland Transport have agreed to pilot a standard form and computer-based decision tree developed by the ESA/ANZAN Driving Committee, to assist with determination of fitness to drive in patients with epilepsy, first seizures and syncope. This will probably be done by the trial form accompanying the usual medical form that patients receive with their license renewal application. The doctor will be asked to fill in the old form as they normally would but also to fill in the new pilot form. This form collects factual data about the patient's episodes rather than an opinion from the treating doctor and does not ask for a decision or recommendation regarding fitness to hold a driver license. The data provided will then be entered into the algorithm, a strict interpreta-tion of Austroads standards, by the driver licensing authority to determine fitness to drive or to trigger referral for medical review. The aims of the pilot project are to see whether the form is usable by doctors and to see how many medical reviews it generates.
The NSW DPP has determined that the neurologist referred to him by the Coroner has no charge to answer.
In response to efforts from a number of neurologists, including John Dunne and Nick Lawn, the WA government has passed legislation to require drivers to report medical conditions that might impair driving, including epilepsy.
From the ESA Summer 2008 Newsletter
Progress in negotiations with the National Transport Commission and the state driver licensing agencies continues, due in large part to Ernie Somerville’s vigour and the action taken by neurologists to not “tick the box”. There has been relatively broad acceptance of the DLAs needing to be the ones to certify fitness to drive, neurologists providing medical information rather than opinions or recommendations, and the need for medical advisory panels. The Driving Subcommittee is currently developing a form for neurologists and a decision tree for DLA clerks to facilitate determination of fitness to drive in straightforward cases. The ESA recommends that neurologists continue with the previously adopted action of certifying only those patients in whom there is no doubt they fulfil or do not fulfil national guidelines, and in all other cases provide only medical information without “ticking the box”.
From the ESA Spring 2007 Newsletter
Ernie Somerville, Simon Harvey and Stephen Davis met with officials from the National Transport Commission in Melbourne at the end of June. The NTC officials were receptive to the concerns of neurologists and agreed to incorporate our demands into their recommendations to State Driver Licensing Authorities and Transport Ministers. Recently, Ernie Somerville and John Dunne addressed a meeting in Fremantle of the heads of the State and territory driver licensing depart-ments, a measure of the importance of the issue and the efforts of Ernie Somerville and his committee. We were given a good hearing and our concerns do appear to be understood and perhaps considered reasonable. However, it remains to be seen whether this will translate into action.
From the ESA Winter 2007 Newsletter
As you will be aware, certification of fitness to drive remains a major area of concern for neurologist members. Letters were sent in December 2006 on behalf of the ESA and ANZAN to the National Transport Commission and the state driver licensing authorities, highlighting concerns that members have with compromise to the doctor-patient relationship, the conflict of interest posed by the treating doctor also being the certifying doctor, and potential legal liabilities posed by license approval in patients who subsequently have a MVA. The letters indicated that neurologists intended to partially or totally withdraw from the certification process, and instead provide only objective medical information for the driver licensing authorities to make a determination. The NTC indicated that they will soon respond to the ESA and ANZAN, on behalf of all the state road transport agencies. The Society is grateful for the hard work done by Ernie Somerville and his Driving Committee.