Will I be reminded to get a medical certificate?
If you are turning 75 and hold a current licence, you may receive a letter from us approximately 6 weeks before your 75th birthday to let you know you now need a medical certificate if you want to continue driving.
If you present your medical certificate to us, you will receive a reminder around 6 weeks before it is due to expire, to let you know you will need to get a new medical certificate.
This reminder is sent as a courtesy, so you should not rely on this as your only reminder to get a new medical certificate.
How age affects your driving
As you get older, how you process information, your vision, and your ability to move changes. It’s important to know how age affects your driving.
Vision
As you age it can become more difficult to:
change focus and see detail (such as traffic signs)
see objects and obstacles such as pedestrians or people on bicycles
deal with and recover from glare such as oncoming headlights or the afternoon sun
see things in your side vision (what you see out of the corner of your eyes when looking ahead)
adjust your vision when going from light to dark or vice versa.
Medical conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma and diabetes can also affect your vision.
To maintain your vision:
have your eyes checked regularly
keep the prescription for your glasses up to date and make sure your glasses are suitable for driving
modify your driving patterns (e.g. think about limiting or avoiding driving at night or twilight)
keep your windscreen clean to reduce glare.
Movement
Changes to your body can make movement slower and more difficult. You may experience a decrease in your:
muscle strength
flexibility and mobility
range of movement
coordination.
These changes, plus common health problems like arthritis, can affect the way you drive. For example, you may find it harder to operate the gears and clutch which can result in slower reaction times.
Information processing
Your ability to process information, and react to it, tends to slow down as you age.
Driving under pressure can become stressful, giving you less time to react to changes on the road.
When planning a trip, think about whether you are comfortable:
driving at peak hour
merging onto a busy freeway
changing lanes in traffic
travelling an unfamiliar route
dealing with a busy intersection or roundabout.
Car modifications
You can also modify your car to help compensate for age-related changes. For example installing special wing mirrors can improve your side vision if turning your head is a problem.