AMA submission to the National Transport Commission’s review on Assessing Fitness to Drive

The AMA supports the continued role of the Assessing Fitness to Drive Standards as the nationally agreed framework for assessing medical fitness to drive. 

In its submission to the National Transport Commission’s review, the AMA emphasised the need to maintain nationally consistent, evidence-based standards while addressing the practical challenges faced by practitioners applying them in clinical practice. 

The AMA highlighted the complexity of fitness-to-drive assessments, the impact licensing decisions can have on the therapeutic relationship with the patient, inequitable access to specialist and on-road assessment services, and the need for validated assessment tools, clearer pathways and stronger practitioner support. 

It recommended that reforms should strengthen national consistency, support evidence-based decision-making and ensure the Standards remain practical, implementable and capable of delivering both road safety outcomes and high-quality patient care.