Driving with medical conditions

You must report your condition either when it's diagnosed or when you renew your driver's licence.

Medical conditions can be reported by:

• Police, courts, concerned citizens and family members - their identity will remain confidential unless they wish to make it known.
• Physicians, optometrists, occupational therapists and nurse practitioners - they're legally required to report drivers experiencing conditions that make it dangerous for them to operate a vehicle.

To report a medical condition, complete a Supplementary Medical Application form (pdf, 27 kb).

When a report is received, your driving ability will be assessed by the Medical Review Unit (MRU). The MRU will determine if you have the medical fitness and the skills necessary to operate a vehicle safely.

Driver assessment

To assess your driving ability, a medical report is often required. Reports are requested from physicians and optometrists for a variety of reasons, including:

• sudden illness
• ongoing medical conditions

Payment for medical reports is subsidized by SGI. All medical information requested by the MRU is treated as confidential as per The Health Information Protection Act.

Depending on the type of medical condition, your condition may be monitored periodically and you may be asked to complete exams such as a:

• basic driving theory
• sign test
• driver ability assessment (road test)

Every case is treated individually and any action taken depends on your specific condition.

Driving restrictions

When a review by the MRU indicates that your medical condition is affecting your driving ability, restrictions may be applied to ensure continued safety for you and the public, such as:

• driving during daylight hours only
• driving within a specific geographic area only

Driving privileges will be suspended by the MRU if you:

• do not meet Canadian Medical Association medical guidelines or Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) medical standards for driving
• fail to provide medical information
• do not pass a requested driving assessment

If you choose not to submit a medical report and would like to surrender your driver's licence, please forward the paper portion of your licence to the MRU. You may keep the picture portion for identification purposes.