Can I drive with my medical condition? Guide
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Getting a medical assessment
Visit your doctor
If you have a health concern that is likely to make your driving less safe, you need to talk to your doctor. Your doctor will help you understand the impact of any illness, disability or medical condition on your driving. Also talk to your doctor if you have a medical condition that's getting worse.
If your doctor decides that your condition could make your driving less safe, you’ll need to have a medical assessment to see if you meet the national Assessing Fitness to Drive standards.
Prepare for your doctor’s appointment
- Make an appointment to see your doctor. Let them know that you would like your fitness to drive assessed as they may need to allow more time than a standard visit.
- Complete part 1 of the Medical Certificate for Drivers (F3712) form before your appointment to give to your doctor.
- If possible, complete part 1 of the Private and Commercial Vehicle Driver’s Health Assessment (F3195) form as this will help your doctor.
- Make sure you have your driver licence with you.
- Take your glasses or contact lenses with you, if you need to wear them when driving.
What to ask your doctor
At your appointment, ask your doctor to assess your medical fitness to drive.
You must let your doctor know if you also:
- drive or intend to drive a heavy vehicle
- are authorised, or applying, to drive a public passenger vehicle, such as a bus, taxi, rideshare or limousine.
Specialist assessment
Sometimes your doctor may decide that a medical specialist qualified in managing your medical condition will also need to assess you. Your doctor will need this specialist’s report before completing your Medicate Certificate for Driver form.
For example, you may need to do a practical driving assessment with an occupational therapist who is qualified to do this.
Ask your doctor, if you're eligible for an interim medical certificate if there's a delay before you can get a specialist appointment.
What you need to do next
If your doctor decides that you have a medical condition that affects your driving, you'll need to give us your Medical certificate for Driver form.
Read more about:
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Medical certificate for drivers
Your doctor will give you a completed Medical Certificate for Driver form after assessing your medical fitness to drive.
You must give us this medical certificate if:
- you have a permanent or long-term medical condition that affects your driving. This includes where your doctor has specified a time range that you are not medically fit to drive.
- your existing medical condition has changed or increased and it’s likely to affect your ability to drive safely
- your doctor has recommended that we impose or alter a licence condition. This includes where we downgrade the class of licence you hold due to your medical condition.
You must give us this form each time your doctor assesses your fitness to drive if you have a condition that affects your ability to drive safely.
Find out how to submit your medical certificate to us.
After you submit your certificate to us
Your doctor may make some recommendations to us about your licence on your Medical Certificate for Drivers.
Sometimes the doctor may recommend that we allow you to continue to drive if you comply with certain licence conditions. We may then issue you with a conditional driver licence. These conditions can relate to medical treatments, driving restrictions or vehicle modifications and mean you can continue to drive safely.
Read more about how medical conditions affect your licence.
Carrying your medical certificate when driving
If you are issued with a conditional driver licence, you must always carry either the ‘tear off’ medical certificate section of the form or a clear digital copy (such as a photo) of your medical certificate when you drive. You must also comply with any licence conditions.
Interim medical certificate while waiting to see specialist
If your doctor has asked you to see a specialist, you may meet the criteria for an interim medical certificate so that you can continue to drive while waiting for the appointment.
To be eligible for an interim medical certificate:
- you must meet the medical criteria to hold a conditional licence
- you must have booked an appointment
- your medical condition must not be likely to lead to you suddenly not being able to control the vehicle, or loss of focus and clear thinking, before you see the specialist.
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Medications and treatments
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Medicinal cannabis
You must not drive
It’s illegal for you to drive if you’re being treated with medical cannabis that contains THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). THC is the main psychoactive component in most cannabis.
You can’t use a valid prescription for medicinal cannabis to defend a charge if you test positive for THC in a roadside drug test.
We suggest you speak with your doctor regarding your specific prescription.
Why it’s illegal
Using THC can affect your ability to drive, including:
- being slower to react
- not staying in your lane
- not controlling the car as well
- not judging time and space well
- not keeping enough space between vehicles
- not staying alert.
Unlike alcohol, there’s no set amount of cannabis that makes it okay to drive. This means it’s hard to make a rule about how much is safe for driving.
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Medicines that affect driving
Some medicines can reduce your ability to drive safely. They can affect your:
- alertness
- concentration
- mood
- coordination
- reaction times.
Prescribed drugs
Many types of medicines can affect driving.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist if your medications could make your driving less safe. Different drugs can interact with each other so make sure you tell your doctor or pharmacist about all the medications that you’re taking.
Some examples of medications you should ask your doctor or pharmacist about are:
- painkillers
- anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medications
- allergy and cough/cold medicines
- diabetes medications
- blood pressure medications
- sleeping pills.
Medicinal cannabis
You must not drive while taking medicinal cannabis. Read more about how medicinal cannabis affects driving and why it’s illegal.
Over-the-counter drugs
Some over-the-counter medicines can affect your driving ability, such as cold and flu tablets.
If you take medication and are considering driving, ensure you read your medicine labels carefully and follow any instructions.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist about how the drugs you are taking interact and if they will affect your driving.
Warning signs to look for
Watch for any effects while you’re taking or changing your medications.
Don’t drive if you have blurred or double vision or are feeling:
- drowsy
- aggressive
- dizzy
- nauseous
- light-headed
- shaky.
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Medical treatments and driving
If you’re having treatment for a medical condition, it can make your ability to drive less safe. Ask your doctor or other medical specialists about how your treatment can affect your ability to drive safely. You must follow your doctor’s advice about any non-driving period.
Driving after surgery
If you’ve had anaesthetic, your doctor may tell you not to drive for at least 24 hours. Your doctor will let you know if you’re safe to drive during your recovery after surgery.
Driving with a cast
If you have a cast on your leg, arm, or hand, you need to talk to your doctor about whether you can drive.
Wearing a cast could prevent you from safely using the vehicle controls, such as the gear stick or the pedals. You also need to always keep a hand on the steering wheel.
You may be able to operate a vehicle but you must be able to drive safely.
Concussion and driving
If you have had concussion, you need to ask your doctor if it’s safe for you to drive. Depending on your symptoms, your doctor may tell you not to drive temporarily.
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How medical conditions affect your licence
When you report a medical condition, we’ll consider what your doctor says on your Medical Certificate for Drivers form after your medical assessment. We'll decide whether we need to make any changes to your driver licence. We'll write to you with our decision.
What we may decide
A medical condition does not always mean you'll lose your licence. We might make no changes or we might add some licence conditions, if your doctor recommends them.
If you're medically fit to drive, we may decide you qualify for either:
- an unconditional licence
- a conditional licence.
If you're not medically fit to drive, we may suspend or cancel your licence.
Learn what to do if you don't agree with our decision.
Unconditional licence
If you meet the medical criteria for an unconditional licence, you will not have an M (medical) condition recorded on your driver licence. This means you’ll have no conditions or restrictions due to your medical condition on your driver licence.
If you’re 75 years or older, you must still carry a current medical certificate whenever you drive.
Conditional licence
Licence conditions help manage your medical condition so that you can continue to drive safely and keep your driver licence.
If you meet the medical criteria for a conditional licence, we'll record an M condition on your licence.
We’ll routinely review your medical certificate to monitor how your medical condition is affecting your ability to drive safely. This helps keep you and everyone safe. At the review period on your certificate, you must get a medical review to confirm your fitness to continue driving.
Your conditional licence may include driving restrictions and vehicle modifications that you must comply with to keep a driver licence.
Driving restrictions
Some examples of driving restrictions that could be added to your licence are:
- no driving on roads where the speed limit is more than 60km/h
- only drive during daylight hours
- only drive within a 10km radius of your home
- no driving on freeways or motorways
- no driving more than 2 hours in any 24-hour period.
- only drive during off-peak times
- must wear prescribed corrective lenses
- only driving a vehicle with specific modifications.
You must carry a current medical certificate whenever you drive and show your medical certificate to a police officer if you’re asked.
Vehicle modifications
Your doctor or specialist may also add a licence condition that you must drive a modified vehicle. This will support you to drive independently while maintaining safety for both you and others.
Some examples are:
- short stature – built up seat and extended pedals
- short leg/s – extended pedals
- left leg disability or left arm disability – automatic transmission
- reduced upper arm strength – power steering; steering knob with hand-operated controls
- reduced lower leg strength – power brakes
- loss of leg use – hand-operated controls
- loss of limb use or decreased limb use – prosthesis must be worn
- reduced movement in your head or torso – vehicle fitted with 2 external rear-view mirrors and other devices, such as another wide-angle internal mirror, to help you see around the vehicle including recognising emergency vehicles
- deafness in both ears – vehicle fitted with 2 external rear-view mirrors and other devices, such as another wide-angle internal mirror, to help you see around the vehicle including recognising emergency vehicles.
Read about the vehicle modifications and how to get approval.
Suspended or cancelled licence
Not fit to drive permanently
The doctor may say that you're not medically fit to drive, either long term or permanently. You'll be given a medical certificate saying that you don’t meet the criteria to hold a licence and that you should no longer drive. You'll need to surrender your licence.
If you don't voluntarily surrender your licence, your doctor may give us a copy of your medical certificate form. We may then write to you about suspending or cancelling your licence.
You must not drive if we suspend or cancel your licence. If we cancel your licence and your medical condition improves, read how to get your licence again.
Suspended for a specified time
If the doctor has written a time range that you're not fit to drive on your medical certificate, then you'll need to give us your medical certificate form. You must not drive during the time that your doctor says you're not fit to drive. You'll need to give us a current medical certificate form before you can drive again.
What if you don’t agree with the decision?
If you disagree with our decision about your driver licence, you may apply for a review of the decision or provide a new medical certificate confirming your ability to drive safely.
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We're suspending or cancelling your licence for medical reasons
We may send you a letter, for possible health reasons, to let you know we’re intending to:
- suspend your licence and plan to cancel it
- change your class of licence
- add or change the conditions on your licence.
We'll let you know:
- the date we'll change your licence
- the reason for the decision
- how you can have the decision reviewed.
If you don’t agree with this, you'll need to get your doctor to do a new fitness-to-drive medical assessment. You'll need to show your doctor the letter from us asking you to get a medical assessment.
How to give us your medical certificate form
- Visit a transport and motoring service centre
- Email to mcr@tmr.qld.gov.au
- Post:
Medical Condition Reporting Unit
Department of Transport and Main Roads
Locked Bag 2000
Red Hill
Rockhampton QLD 4701
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Driving again if your medical condition improves
How to get your licence again
Every licence holder must be medically fit to drive. If you have surrendered your licence or had your licence cancelled for medical reasons, you can apply to drive again if your medical condition has improved.
Have your medical fitness to drive assessed again
You’ll need to:
- go to the same doctor who issued your previous medical certificate that led to your licence being cancelled or surrendered, and ask for a fitness-to-drive medical assessment
- if the same doctor is no longer available then you may get another doctor to complete it. We’ll contact this doctor when we receive your new medical certificate to confirm they were aware that your licence was previously cancelled or surrendered on medical grounds.
Give us your new medical certificate for drivers
Bring your newly completed medical certificate form (F3712) into a Transport and motoring service centre. If it’s been:
- less than 5 years since you held the licence, we’ll reissue your licence
- more than 5 years since you held the licence, you’ll need to follow the process for returning drivers. This includes applying for a new licence.
Will I need to pay again?
You’ll need to pay the fees for a new licence. We would have refunded you the unused amount of your licence fee, if you’ve previously surrendered or had your driver licence cancelled for medical reasons.
Can I drive with my medical condition?, 17 Oct 2025, [https://www.qldgovau.staging-services.qld.gov.au/transport/licensing/healthy-to-drive/can-i-drive]
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