Thanks for all the feedback which continues to come in regarding the unfairness and variability in the medical assessment of those 75+ seeking to renew their licences.
Grey Power is still awaiting the draft revised Medical Aspects of Fitness to Drive from NZTA hoping it provides some better guidance to GPs including the cessation of mandatory cognitive testing for all patients.
In the meantime, we recommend that members consider preparing for their medical by doing the following – starting four to eight weeks before your licence renewal date.
- Read the resource from NZTA Driving as a senior: a refresher on safe driving. www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/driving-as-a-senior/
- Take an AA 1 hour Senior Driving Assessment which is tailored for your needs and includes on-road driving. This will create awareness of any issues you may have prior to having your medical. Costs are $65 for AA members and $80 for non-members from age 65. For those AA members 75 years of age or older the assessment is free and can be repeated every two years at no cost.www.aa.co.nz/drivers/learn-to-drive-the-aa-way/senior-driver-coaching-aa-member-benefit/
- Attend a Staying Safe free classroom refresher course run by Age Concern in conjunction with NZTA. This is a great refresher on driving tips and changes to the Road Code. Check with your local Age Concern or Community Centre as to when the next course is due.
- Check with your doctor/medical centre to see if you are required to sit a cognitive test as part of your medical assessment – this is NOT a requirement, but some doctors have chosen to make it mandatory. If you do need to sit a test, ask which test is used and request a copy to review prior to your assessment. If they are using the Mini-Ace test, the three NZ tests can be found on-line at: www.nzdementia.org/Mini-ACE
We recommend you take your partner or a friend with you for the assessment.
