What you should know about your injury, and your ability to drive legally and safely.
What you should know about your injury, and your ability to drive legally and safely
This advice is only applicable to musculoskeletal injuries and does not apply if you have had a collapse/seizure
If you are a car, van or lorry driver, or a motorcyclist, you need to be aware of these possible consequences of your injury:
- It is your responsibility to ensure that you are fit to drive, and you are accountable for your actions and decisions when driving.
- If you are involved in an accident or stopped by the police, you may be asked to prove that you are in full control of your vehicle. If an injury hinders you and you cannot drive a motor vehicle with control, a ‘driving without due care and attention’ charge may be brought.
- You do not need to contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) about an injury unless it is likely to affect you for more than three months.
Use this tool to assess your ability to drive
To assess lower leg strength, endurance, range of motion and balance:
- If it takes you more than nine seconds to walk three metres, or ten feet, turn round and walk back to the start, your legs may be too weak for you to drive safely.
To assess ability to control and manoeuvre your vehicle:
- Neck rotation. Can you look over either shoulder to be able to reverse?
- Finger curl. Can you make fists with both hands strong enough to allow you to hold a steering wheel safely?
- Shoulder and elbow flexion. Pretend you are holding a steering wheel. Can you turn the imaginary wheel all the way to the right and then all the way to the left?
- Ankle flexion. Pretend you are pressing a car accelerator or brake pedal quickly and hard. Now bring your toes back towards you.
- If your movement is hesitant, causes pain or is limited, your ability to drive safely will be affected.
- If you can perform these movements easily, check your strength with the following.
To assess your strength, ask someone to provide light resistance against these movements:
- Lift each arm in turn in the air, as if you are putting your hand up at school. Then bring each slowly back to your side.
- Move each hand up and down to test your wrists.
- Move each foot up and down to test your ankles.
- Clench your hands.
Each movement can be scored using this scale:
0 = No movement.
1 = Muscle contracts but no movement.
2 = Movement but not against gravity.
3 = Movement against gravity.
4 = Movement against light resistance.
5 = Movement against strong resistance.
These tests are subjective but, if you cannot score 5 on each, you may be unable to drive safely.
If you are unsure whether you can drive safely, you can request an ‘on-road’ assessment by a DVLA expert.
(Adapted from Carter T (2006) Fitness to Drive: A Guide for Health Professionals. Royal Society of Medicine Press, London.)
If you drive a heavy goods vehicle or a public service vehicle such as a bus or train, the rules may be stricter. Inform your employer of your injury and seek advice from the DVLA.
Your injury may invalidate your motor insurance. It is illegal to drive without valid insurance. Discuss your injury with your insurance company.
When assessing your fitness to drive, consider any pain relief or other medication you are taking for the injury. Is it affecting your ability to think clearly or your reaction time? If so, you should not drive your vehicle.
Being unable to sleep at night due to your injury can affect your co-ordination. Section 91 of the Highway Code states: ‘Driving when you are tired greatly increases your risk of collision.’ If you feel tired and sleepy, you should not drive until you are rested.
A plaster cast or splint will reduce your range of movement. We would not normally advise driving in a plaster.
Vehicles, injuries and patients vary. You will need to assess your injury in your own vehicle. Your hand dominance, whether or not your vehicle has power steering, and whether it has manual or automatic transmission will all affect your assessment.
Some of this guidance may also be applicable for those who ride bicycles, tricycles, or use mobility vehicles.
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Medical standards for drivers from the DVLA
Driving with Medical ConditionsHighway Code advice on fitness to drive
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