14. Temporary driving impairments

A number of the sections in this guide give advice relating to temporary driving impairments. This section covers those temporary driving impairments where an individual may need to refrain from driving for a short period, such as a few days, eg if an ankle injury prevents them using their clutch.

Medical practitioners should advise patients when they should not drive for a few days or a few weeks. Practitioners can usually successfully negotiate short-term cessation of driving with patients.

Examples of short-term impairments include:

• locomotor function, eg a temporary injury to a limb that would make controlling a motor vehicle difficult
• vision - where an individual's vision may be temporarily impaired, such as the use of some topical medications
• motor coordination - where an individual has reduced motor coordination, eg multiple limb injuries
• concentration - where an individual is temporarily unable to concentrate, eg individuals in significant pain
• judgement - where an individual is not showing good judgement and this may impair their ability to drive safely, eg an individual is not taking medication as directed, and their judgement is impaired as a result.