14% of CARA fit-to-drive tests resulted in final ban in 2023

Last year, 5,317 Flemish people took a fit-to-drive test at the CARA center. Almost fourteen percent of them received negative driving advice, meaning that even with car adjustments or driver license restrictions, they could no longer participate safely in traffic.

CARA, a subdivision of the traffic institute Vias, is the Test Center for Fitness to Drive and Vehicle Adaptation. Based on medical, neuropsychological, and practical driving criteria, the center investigates whether people can still safely participate in traffic after an illness, accident, or other cause. These examinations are only carried out on people whose driving abilities are in doubt.

Automatic transmission

Last year, about 45 percent of the people that CARA still deemed fit for traffic had to make one or more adjustments to the vehicle. The most common adjustment is the automatic transmission.

Other adjustments – almost always combined with the automatic transmission – are ‘gas and brake on the steering wheel’, accelerator pedal on the left, a ball with controls (left and right), and brake on the steering wheel.

Limited radius

Adjusting the vehicle is sometimes combined with restricting the driver’s license. For example, the mandatory wearing of glasses or lenses or a radius restriction limits drivers to remain within a specific radius around their home because they are familiar with that environment.

In 2021, CARA gave negative advice to 543 persons, 11,6% of the 4,660 files from the Flemish region that were handled.