Driving

Driving is a complex task. You need good vision, movement and thinking. Stroke can affect these abilities.

Do not drive for at least 2 weeks following a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or 4 weeks after a stroke. These times are longer if you hold a commercial licence.

You must tell the driver licensing authority in your state that you have had a stroke. This is a legal responsibility.

If you don’t tell the licensing authority about your stroke, or you drive during your non-driving period or without medical clearance, you may face criminal charges after an accident. Your insurance will not cover you.

If your stroke caused no significant impairments, your doctor can provide a report to the licensing authority to support your return to driving on an unconditional licence. This means you will not have to have further assessment of your fitness to drive.

If your stroke has caused significant impairments, your rehabilitation team can talk to you about how your stroke has affected your ability to drive. If getting back to driving is important to you, let them know. Getting back to driving can be a rehabilitation goal.

In this case, before you can start driving again, you will need an assessment of your ability to drive safely.

• If you have vision impairments, you will need a vision assessment.
• You may need a practical driving assessment. This is the same as the normal on-road driver’s licence test.
• You may need an occupational therapy (OT) driving assessment. This focuses on impairments affecting driving.

You may need to complete a driver rehabilitation program. You may need modifications to your vehicle.

State licensing authorities make decisions about your driver’s licence. You may have an unrestricted licence. You may have conditions placed on your licence. Your licence may be suspended or cancelled.

If you disagree with a licensing authority decision, you can appeal. The appeal process is explained on the licensing authority website.

If your ability to drive improves, you can apply to get your licence back or have the conditions on your licence removed. Your health professionals can support this with new assessments and reports.

If you do return to driving, ask your insurance company if you need to update your policy/

If you can't drive

Not being able to drive can limit what you can do. It can make it difficult to shop, get to appointments, visit friends and family and get back to work. It can make life hard and it is common to experience grief and loss. Talk with your health professional, and family and friends about how you are feeling.

Your health professional or the team at StrokeLine can help you plan different ways to get around and get things done. They can tell you about schemes and services that can help.

Options include:

• Contacting your local council to see what community transport options are available in your area.
• Red Cross Transport Services operate in South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria. This is a service for older people and people with a disability. They may be able to drive you to non-urgent medical appointments and social outings.
• The Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme (TTSS or TSS) provides subsidised taxi travel to Australian residents who are unable to use public transport because of severe or permanent disability.
• Disability Gateway lists public transport, community transport, taxis and rideshare services for each Australian state and territory, with information on discounts and subsidies.

For more information

To find out more details about driving after stroke, see the Stroke Foundation’s Driving fact sheet.