Fitness to drive, part 1

Part 1: the DVLA and its medical advisers

Summary:

In the first of a series of articles on fitness for driving, DVLA senior medical adviser Wyn Parry explains how driver medical standards are set, the limitations on the evidence linking medical conditions to accident risk, and the role of the DVLA’s medical experts. He also considers the impact of the Glasgow bin-lorry crash on the medical standards.

 

Medical considerations around fitness to drive are of crucial importance to road safety, not solely for the licence holder but also for the wider road-using public. The Glasgow bin-lorry tragedy in December 2014, and the subsequent fatal accident inquiry¹, brought this topic into sharp focus, emphasising amongst other points the fundamental role that healthcare professionals from all backgrounds must have in this area…

 

Dr Wyn Parry is senior medical adviser to the DVLA. His particular interests are in education relating to fitness to drive for healthcare professionals.

Author: Parry W

Tags driving fitness for work gmc general medical council records - reports

Occupational Health at Work December/January 2017/2018 (vol. 14/4) pp16-19

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