[Questioning the ability to drive in patients with cognitive disorders]

Abstract

The relatives of an 81-year-old man questioned whether he was fit to drive, but he refused to discuss the matter. His son sent a written notice to the Dutch Driving License Centre (CBR) and the physicians were about to do so when the man fell and spent one night lying on the floor in his house. The man was hospitalised and his son took his car keys away. The approach to assessing the ability to drive in patients with cognitive disorders and dementia is a difficult matter, especially when a patient is unaware of his or her illness. At this time, licensed drivers with cognitive disorders are not obliged to report the disorder to the CBR. The CBR considers patients with dementia unfit to drive without further investigation, whereas patients with cognitive disorders must pass a driving test. This may become problematic with the early diagnosis of dementia that is preferred today. On the other hand, caregivers may have to announce a patient to the CBR when they become unfit to drive due to dementia.