Hi there,
It’s very important firstly to understand the rules around driving after stroke. You must not drive for at least four weeks after a stroke. If you have a commercial driving licence, different restrictions apply. If you have a commercial driving licence, you must not drive for three months after a stroke. After this time, before you start driving again, you need medical clearance from your doctor. You may also need an occupational therapy driving assessment.
Our driving factsheet has all the details on the pathway back to driving, and what happens if that’s not possible: https://strokefoundation.org.au/About-Stroke/Help-after-stroke/Stroke-resources-and-fact-sheets/Driving-fact-sheet
Please don’t hesitate to give us a call if you’d like more information or support (1800 787 653, 9am-5pm Monday-Friday).
All the best,
Stephanie (Social Work student for StrokeLine)
Hi Sue
This is a great question and a good topic. We recently updated the driving fact sheet and I was very struck by health professional advice about how complex driving a task driving is. When you think about it, you are constantly processing information from a range of sources, making decisions and taking action quickly while driving. So reducing distraction like you do is very important. This is true for everyone, but especially something to think about when you are returning to driving after stroke.
Cheers Jude
Hi Jude and Stephanie,
Thank you for your responses and yes I will have a look at the updated Fact Sheets on driving. It's good to gain up to date information, my focus on driving has continued throughout my years of driving after my stroke and I am happy to have passed these important messages of concentration on to our kids.
Thank you Sue
Very helpful.