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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-07-01 Daily Xml
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Aged Driver Self-Assessment

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light—Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:05): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: From today, people aged 75 and older who do not already have a pre-existing medical condition recorded against their driving licence and who only hold a car driver's licence will receive a self-assessment form to complete. This form is introduced following the removal of mandatory medical testing requirements for drivers aged 70 and over from 1 September 2014 and honours the state government's election commitment. This means older drivers are now able to self-assess their fitness to drive and help ensure the safety of all road users.

The form has been developed to align with the Assessing Fitness to Drive guidelines, and during that process the Australian Medical Association and the Centre for Automotive Safety Research, along with older driver focus groups, were consulted. This new process helps older drivers to enhance their safety on the roads by making educated decisions about their own fitness to drive. The form requires the driver to answer 11 questions to demonstrate their fitness to drive.

If a driver has any other licence class—for example, a heavy vehicle or motorcycle licence—they will not be sent a self-assessment but will be required to complete an annual certificate of fitness with their doctor from the age of 70 years. Similarly, any licence holder with a pre-existing medical condition will continue to be sent a certificate of fitness, which will need to be completed by their doctor. The self-assessment forms will be sent to drivers around eight weeks before their 75th birthday and annually thereafter.

The return of a completed self-assessment form is a requirement to maintain a driver's licence. The new self-assessment form will also be incorporated into the Moving Right Along program, which outlines the obligations and opportunities for older drivers, and encourages safer and more active travel for older South Australians, with the resources being able to be used in conjunction with advice from health professionals.

The self-assessment may be lodged in person or posted to any Service SA customer service centre. It may be lodged online via the internet at the EzyReg Account service. The link to access the online version is: sa.gov.au/ezyreg/selfassessment. If anybody has any questions about the self-assessment form, I would encourage them to call Service SA on 13 10 84.

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