A VicRoads occupational therapy driving assessment is designed to assess the safety of your driving skills. We sometimes ask for this in addition to a medical report so we can test your on-road skills.
About the assessment
If we need you to sit an occupational therapy driving assessment, we’ll get in touch with you and provide you with a list of occupational therapists to choose from.
Your chosen occupational therapist will then arrange the assessment on your behalf.
- an off-road assessment
- a driving test.
Therapy Driver Assessor list
To see a list of occupational therapists conducting driving assessments in Victoria, refer to the occupational therapists conducting driving assessors in Victoria [PDF 256 Kb].
About the off-road assessment
In the off-road assessment, your occupational therapist driver assessor will:
- ask you about your driving and medical history
- test your understanding of road law
- assess your visual, sensory and thinking abilities.
For more information about off road assessment, read the guide to occupational therapy driving assessment [PDF 91 Kb].
About the driving test
The driving test will be carried out in a dual controlled car with a driving instructor and your chosen occupational therapist.
The test may take up to an hour and a half, with up to an hour spent in the vehicle including assessing how well you drive. During the driving test you will be assessed on:
- physical limitations
- judgement and ability to adjust to traffic situations
- reacting appropriately to traffic
- abiding with road laws
- the use of any vehicle aids or modifications (if you need them).
For more information about the driving test, read the guide to occupational therapy driving assessment [PDF 91 Kb]
What happens after the assessment?
If you’re found to be safe to drive following the test, you may be able to keep driving with either:
- no restrictions
- conditions or restrictions to you licence
- modifications to your car.
Conditions or restrictions may include wearing glasses, driving a vehicle with automatic transmission or driving only in daylight hours or within familiar areas close to home.
If you’re found to be unsafe to drive at this time, you may be asked to:
- take driving lessons to improve your skills, or familiarise yourself with the vehicle modifications
- wait for further recovery until you can sit the test again.
For more information about what happens after the assessment, visit Stage 3: Your medical review outcome
What are the costs?
The cost of an occupational therapy driving assessment depends on these factors:
- how long the assessment takes
- driving instructor costs.
In some cases, assessments may be partly or fully paid by an insurance scheme (TAC or Work Safe) or through rehabilitation services. The list of occupational therapists sent to you includes information about how to check whether you are eligible for subsidised occupational therapy services.
Please note: occupational therapists are independent of VicRoads and fees may vary, so it’s best to discuss costs prior to the assessment.
Occupational therapy driving assessors
Here's a list of occupational therapists conducting driving assessors in Victoria [PDF 256 Kb].
Please note: if you are an occupational therapist and you'd like to make changes to your details on the list, please email medicalreview@roads.vic.gov.au.