DriveABLE becomes a doctor’s tool for assessing capabilities
There are a range of medical conditions that can affect one’s ability to drive a vehicle safely, and a computerbased system called “DriveABLE” is available to assess those skills.
Typically, a physician refers a patient to DriveABLE to determine cognitive ability, and whether an illness such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, a brain injury or stroke, among others, is impacting someone’s ability to drive safely, said Tammy Heaton, DriveABLE assessor at the registry office on 13th Avenue in Medicine Hat, who spoke to an audience at a Parkinson Alberta education event on Wednesday.
The cost of DriveABLE is $250, paid by the patient, and includes the cost of a road test if necessary, said Heaton.
Although DriveABLE is handled through a registry licence office, it is not monitored by Alberta Transport, and the results of tests are not submitted to them, said Heaton. The same examiners for regular road tests also do the road tests for DriveABLE.
DriveABLE is a computer-based test that requires a response to questions and a video by pressing one of three buttons and/or directly touching the computer monitor/screen. The video puts the person in the position of being behind the steering wheel and asks he/she to anticipate what other vehicles on the screen are going to do.
Heaton says the computer takes into account the person’s age and how quickly they respond to questions. A report is printed with a prediction of how the person would do on a road test. This is sent to the referring physician who may ask for a road test. The final score gives a final report declaring if the driver is safe, and this is sent to the doctor.
“It is a tool for the doctor,” said Heaton.
Heaton advised that many medical conditions must be noted on a driver’s licence or you could risk your insurance being invalid if you are involved in an accident.
You do not need a physician’s referral to do a DriveABLE test, said Heaton.