Driving Assessments and the Process
The first and most important thing to state is that our professional and caring teams are here for you. We aim to make the assessment process as comfortable as possible for you and, wherever possible, help you remain independent.
After a friendly welcome and short ‘interview’, the assessment consists of various elements. These are as follows:
Physical assessment
If you have any concerns about your physical abilities, Herts Ability will conduct a brief physical assessment before taking you out in our car. This is primarily to help us to establish what, if any, adapted control systems might help you. We have various adapted vehicles which are designed to facilitate such things as driving using only a left leg or using only hands.
Cognitive assessment
Some medical conditions can affect the way we think when we are driving. This could be the ability to divide one’s attention, to process visual information at a reliable speed or to plan and problem solve the way through complex junctions and road situations.
We will use some tests before the on-road assessment which are designed to give some background information regarding whether these abilities have been affected.
Eyesight test
As a driver, you must be able to see the road ahead clearly and have the ability to identify warning signs and directional signposts from a good distance.
There is a legal requirement for a driver to be able to read a number plate, in normal daylight, from 20 metres. To ensure that this requirement is met, we ask all clients to do exactly that! Of course, you can do this using corrective lenses if you use them.
The drive
Once you are in one of our modern, comfortable, dual controlled cars, you’ll be given the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the way it drives. We appreciate that you have never driven our car before, so we want to give you every opportunity to get used to it. Once you are feeling comfortable with the car and all the controls, the assessment can begin.
Assessing for safety
The assessment is first and foremost a safety assessment. We want to check that the driver can maintain physical control of the car and interact safely and appropriately with all the other road users. We are not there to criticise anyone’s driving style (although our driving instructors will give any tips and suggestions if they feel it would be helpful to you). We are simply checking that safety has not been compromised by any aspects of a medical condition.
The Herts Ability Assessors are there for you every step of the way. If you are feeling anxious or need a break, they will, of course, allow this and give you some constructive feedback whilst you rest and discuss the drive so far.
Once the assessment is completed, our Assessors will give some immediate feedback and recommendations.
Results of the assessment
We always hope that we can confirm that someone is safe to continue or return to driving. Sometimes we may recommend a course of driving lessons (particularly if someone is using adapted controls for the first time).
Unfortunately, if aspects of the drive have caused the Assessors to raise safety concerns, they sometimes have to recommend that the person stops driving. This recommendation is never given lightly, and we are all aware of the impact this can have on someone’s daily life.
Therefore, this feedback will always be given in the most caring way possible and the Assessors can guide you through the process of retiring from driving.
Local Transport
If you do not drive and are not sure what local transport options are available to you because of a medical condition or for any other reason, ask Herts Ability. We hold information on local schemes, which may help. This is a free service.
Other assessments
The Driving Centre can also provide assessments and advice regarding other aspects of personal mobility. These include the following:
- Car access assessments
- Mobility scooter assessments
Please note that Herts Ability can only complete a full driving assessment if the person being assessed has a current, valid driving licence. This can be either a full licence or a provisional licence. Some aspects of the assessment can be undertaken without a driving licence, such as cognitive testing, but we are unable to take you out driving on public roads. However, we do have an off-road track at our Harlow Outreach. If you are not sure, please contact Herts Ability to discuss your situation.