Assessing Fitness to Drive Review

Initial consultation on the review of the 2022 Edition of the Assessing Fitness to Drive Standards closed on Friday 17 July 2026.

Thanks to everyone who provided feedback. The NTC has now completed the initial issues identification phase of the review, drawing on stakeholder submissions, implementation experience and other relevant inputs to inform the next stage of work.

Further public consultation will take place in 2027, once draft revisions to the Standards have been developed in consultation with key stakeholders, including an Advisory and five Specialist Working Groups.

The primary purpose of the Standards is to help manage road safety risks associated with driver ill-health, injury or functional limitations.

The Standards assist health professionals to:

• consider fitness to drive and mobility needs as part of routine patient care
• advise patients about the impact of medical conditions and functional limitations on driving
• conduct fitness to drive assessments and provide recommendations to licensing authorities
• manage and monitor health conditions to support patients’ ongoing fitness to drive or their transition to not driving.

The Standards are also used by driver licensing authorities to support fair and consistent road safety–focused licensing decisions.

The Standards are a joint NTC and Austroads publication and are available on the Austroads website.

Austroads works closely with the driver licensing authorities to support implementation, including delivering health professional education and providing information for drivers, health professionals and employers. Further information regarding implementation is available on the Austroads website.

We are engaging with a diverse range of stakeholders, including health professionals, industry stakeholders, community groups, road safety experts and licensing authorities. This will ensure the updated Standards reflect multiple perspectives.

The review will also draw on new medical and road safety evidence, stakeholder feedback and lessons learned since the 2022 edition.

This work supports safety for all road users, while ensuring people with medical conditions or functional limitations are considered individually and treated fairly and consistently.

We put together a helpful summary infographic of the review. 

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The review will consider all content within the Standards, including medical criteria, assessment guidance and supporting information for practitioners and licensing authorities.

The review will draw on:  

• stakeholder consultation  
• contemporary clinical and road safety evidence  
• medical, health and road safety expertise  
• implementation experience from jurisdictions and users of the Standards  
• related national transport and health assessment projects, such as our 2024 update to the National Standard for Health Assessment of Rail Workers. 

Another input into the review is our current work examining options to improve health screening for heavy vehicle drivers, focusing on cardiac risk, diabetes and sleep disorders. For more information on this work, please visit the Improving health screening for heavy vehicle drivers project page.

About the review

What are the Standards and how are they used to support road safety?

The Assessing Fitness to Drive Standards provide nationally agreed medical criteria and guidance to help health professionals assess whether people with medical conditions or disabilities can drive safely.

They support fair, consistent and evidence-based assessments, taking account of each person's circumstances rather than just their medical diagnosis. 

The Standards include different criteria for private and commercial drivers, reflecting their different road safety risks.

How are the Standards applied in driver licensing?

Health professionals use the Standards to inform assessments of  medical fitness to drive and where appropriate, provide advice to driver licensing authorities.

The Standards help health professionals make informed assessments, taking account of each person's individual circumstances. State and territory driver licensing authorities make the final licensing decisions, including whether any conditions or restrictions are required. How the Standards are applied may vary between states and territories.

What does the review aim to achieve?

The review aims to ensure the Standards reflect the contemporary medical and road safety evidence and remain clear, practical and consistent for health professionals and driver licensing authorities.

Publication timeframe

The review will also consider emerging issues and feedback from stakeholders, with publication of the updated Standards planned for 2028, subject to ministerial approval.

The review will not consider changes to state and territory licensing laws or policies, such as requirements for reporting medical conditions or undergoing regular medical assessments.

What information is used to update the Standards?

The review draws on current medical and road safety research, expert clinical advice, findings from road safety investigations and feedback from stakeholders.

It also considers the experiences of health professionals, driver licensing authorities and people affected by the Standards, to ensure any proposed changes are evidence-based and practical.

How can I have my say in the review?

The first public consultation closed on 17 July 2026. Feedback received is helping to identify issues and inform the development of updated Standards.

A further public consultation is planned for 2027, when everyone will have an opportunity to provide feedback on proposed changes.

Details on how to participate will be published on the NTC website when consultation opens.