Medical Fitness to Drive Guidelines

Visual standards for driving are outlined in the attached edition of 'Sláinte agus Tiomáint Medical Fitness to Drive Guidelines' (Group 1 and 2 Drivers)  booklet, updated in August 2026, which provides a national framework on standards in traffic medicine in Ireland and reflects recent developments in medicine, such as improvements in diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions.  
Medical Fitness to Drive Guidelines 

This document will replace all preceding editions of Sláinte agus Tiomáint Medical Fitness to Drive Guidelines (Group 1 and 2 drivers). Further amendments, changes or editions will be made available electronically on www.rsa.ie and www.ndls.ie.

The information in these Guidelines is intended to assist doctors and other healthcare professionals in advising their patients on fitness to drive, requirements for reporting to their National Driver Licence Service, and guidance on review of stability, progression or improvement of these conditions.  Health professionals are advised to review www.rsa.ie or www.ndls.ie regularly for updates and changes.

It should be used by health professionals when:

• Treating any patient who holds a driving licence or learner permit whose condition may impact on their ability to drive safely. The majority of adults drive, thus a health professional should routinely consider the impact of a patient’s condition on their ability to drive safely. Awareness of a patient’s occupation or other driving requirements is also helpful.
• Undertaking an examination at the request of NDLS:
• Assessing a person whose driving the NDLS believes may be unsafe (i.e. ‘for cause’ examinations).
• For licence renewal of drivers aged 75-years and older.

The guidelines are published by the National Office for Traffic Medicine (NOTM), in collaboration with Trinity College Dublin and the Road Safety Authority of Ireland (RSA).

The standards apply to the following drivers:

• Group 1 Categories AM, A1, A2, A, B, BE, or W i.e. motorcycles, cars and tractors (with or without trailer)
• Group 2 Categories C, CE, C1, C1E, D, DE, D1 or D1E i.e. truck and bus (with or without trailer)

Full details of each of these licence categories is available from the NDLS website https://www.ndls.ie/ licence-categories.html

The vehicles in Group 2 are regarded as higher-risk vehicles which require a higher standard of physical and mental fitness on the part of the driver.

Temporary Mydriasis and Driving:  Working Group on Traffic Medicine at the National Programme Office for Traffic Medicine RCPI / RSA

Driver Information Leaflets: Vision and Driving 

For further information on medical issues please visit the RSA website