One in five Walloons is unaware of the minimum medical standards required to drive a vehicle. This is according to a survey by the Walloon Road Safety Agency (AWSR).
The agency is using the results to launch a campaign on fitness to drive based on health, an essential but often overlooked aspect of road safety.
Despite all the technical gadgets, driving is not done on autopilot. That is the essence of the new AWSR campaign, which points out that driving a car requires your full attention, coordination, and perception. And if you are ill or taking certain medications, these skills can be impaired, increasing the risk of accidents for both the driver and other road users.
However, research by ASWR shows that 20% of Walloon drivers are completely unaware that medical regulations exist, and 60% have heard of them but do not know what the rules on fitness to drive entail.
But being “fit” to drive is indeed a legal requirement, and there are minimum medical standards that you must meet to obtain and use a driver’s license.
Declaration of honor
In this context, ASWR refers to a section of Belgian driving license legislation that many drivers no longer remember. When you apply for your first driver’s license at the municipality, you must sign a declaration of honor.
By signing this, you formally confirm that you do not suffer from any conditions that seriously impair your driving ability (such as certain forms of epilepsy, serious heart problems, or visual impairments) and that you are not dependent on substances that affect your driving behavior.
As soon as your health situation changes, you are legally obliged to consult your doctor to find out whether you are still allowed to drive and, if necessary, to hand in your driver’s license to the municipality to apply for an adapted one, for example,e with a medical certificate or a limited period of validity.
Take responsibility
If necessary, the doctor may also refer you for further evaluation to the DAC (or the Department of Driving Aptitude) or CARA (the Center for Driving Aptitude and Vehicle Adaptation), depending on whether you live in Wallonia or Flanders/Brussels.
The ASWR figures show that at least 95% of people tested by the DAy retain their driving licenses, with or without modifications.
However, likely, not all affected drivers will spontaneously discuss their driving ability with a healthcare professional for fear of losing their driving license. The campaign, therefore, reminds drivers of their responsibility, as illustrated by the case of an 86-year-old woman from Roeselare in West Flanders who voluntarily surrendered her driving license after dangerous driving.
She had been driving slowly, ignoring red lights, driving on the sidewalk, and even driving in the wrong direction for a short time. When officers found her, the woman was confused.
According to her lawyer, she has since had her car scrapped and handed in her driver’s license. In addition to being declared unfit to drive, she received a 15-day driving ban and a €240 fine.
