A guide from South East DriveAbility about driving assessments and appraisals

The information in this advice sheet relates to your driving assessment or appraisal. It is important that you read it before you arrive.

Hopefully it will answer any questions you may have. Please do not hesitate to contact us if there is something you are unsure of.

Before you arrive

Whether you have been referred to the service by your employer, the DVLA, Motability, a healthcare professional or have referred yourself, it is important that you are prepared before you arrive.

• If your vision does not meet the minimum legal requirement, you will not be permitted to do a practical on-road drive. Please make sure that you are able to read a vehicle registration plate at a distance of 20 metres (65 feet). If you have any doubts about your vision, we strongly advise you to have an eye test before booking an assessment or appraisal.
• If you need corrective lenses (either glasses or contact lenses) for reading or driving, it is essential that you bring them with you to the assessment or appraisal.
• If you have had a visual field test and have been given a copy of the result, it would be helpful for us to see this.
• Please make sure that we have details of your current medication. A copy of your repeat prescription or a list of your medication would be most helpful. If you are likely to need any medication during the assessment or appraisal, please make sure you have it with you.
• Please make sure that you bring your driving licence with you along with your national insurance number to allow us to check the status of your licence online.

Where is the centre?

We offer assessments and appraisals in Maidstone, our main centre, and at our outreach centres in north and east Kent as well as in East Sussex. Directions will be sent to you with your appointment letter.

Each of our centres is easily accessible by public transport. We are happy to collect you from a bus or train station, although we would need prior notice of your arrival time.

Assistance and special requirements

If you have any special requirements during your visit, or if you require the services of an interpreter, please let us know in advance so that we can make the necessary arrangements to assist you.

During the assessment or appraisal

You will be assisted by an ADI driving advisor and a clinical driving advisor/ occupational therapist. The assessment or appraisal can take up to two hours. It will include some or all of the activities listed, depending on the type of assessment or appraisal you require:

• Health and safety: A checklist will be completed to make sure we can offer you the highest quality of service during your time with us.
• Cognitive testing: You may be asked to carry out a series of activities to assess your memory and how you process information. It should be stressed that this is not an intelligence test.
• Physical assessment: The clinician will carry out a brief assessment of your range of movement, muscle strength, manual dexterity and co-ordination. You will not need to remove any clothing. A friend or relative can be present, if you wish.
• Vision: You will be asked to read a number plate from a distance of 20 metres (65 feet). Up to three attempts are permitted. Please remember to bring your glasses with you.
• Static testing: A short series of activities to test your steering strength, braking power and reaction times.
• Practical drive: The drive will take place in one of our dual-controlled manual or automatic vehicles. For insurance reasons it is not possible to undertake the assessment or appraisal in your own vehicle. The drive will start with a familiarisation session on quiet roads and will not proceed further until you are comfortable with the car. You will be asked to drive one of our standardised routes and the ADI driving advisor will give you clear instructions and directions in plenty of time. You will not be taken on a motorway. Please note that this is not a driving test; we are looking for a safe drive with awareness of other road users. Periodically during the drive you may be asked to park in a safe place so that the ADI driving advisor can answer any questions you may have and offer advice if required, which may help you to drive more effectively.
• Feedback session: The staff members involved in your assessment will meet you - with a friend or relative present if you wish - to discuss the assessment. A recommendation will be made at the end of the feedback session, but it should be stressed that South East DriveAbility does not have the power to revoke your driving licence; this can only be done by the DVLA.

A copy of the final assessment or appraisal report will be sent to the person that initially referred you to the service. You will also receive a copy. If you have been referred by the DVLA, you may need to formally request a copy of your report.

Assessment Drive in an automatic vehicle

If your assessment is carried out in an automatic vehicle and the DVLA Medical Advisory Branch feels that you have a medical condition that is unlikely to improve, or may deteriorate in the future, your driving licence may be coded to restrict you to only driving automatics in the future.

If you feel that you want to maintain an unrestricted driving licence, it will be necessary to carry out the practical drive in a manual car. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you are unsure about this or would like further information.

I have a full driving licence but I choose to drive an automatic car. Will this affect my driving licence entitlement after the assessment?

Potentially yes. If a medical condition makes it impossible to drive a standard production car, then it may be necessary to drive an adapted vehicle. South East DriveAbility has a range of adaptations available for use by our clients.

For clients not used to driving with adaptations, we advise a short period of familiarisation training to become competent to drive with a new method of control. For clients who have been referred by Motability, the cost of this retraining will often be met. For clients funding the adaptations themselves, we can offer retraining in our own vehicles providing we have the adaptations you require. However, a charge will be made.

For all clients, whether they are funding their own retraining or not, we offer a free review assessment when they have achieved a good standard of competence. At the successful conclusion of the review assessment, a further report will be issued confirming competence to drive. The report can be forwarded to the Medical Advisory Branch of the DVLA. A DVSA practical driving test is not normally required.

What to do if you are not happy with the outcome

If you wish to discuss any aspect of your assessment or appraisal, or the service you received from us, please ask to speak to the centre manager or the senior member of the team. If you are unhappy with the DVLA’s licensing decision, you will need to contact them directly.

Don’t be a DNA (did not attend)

We have worked hard to reduce the time people have to wait for an appointment. If you need to cancel your appointment, please phone us (details below).

Insufficient notice for cancelled appointments may result in any fee (if applied) being non-refundable.