Self Assessment Checklist
This short checklist is designed to help you consider whether your driving is changing. You could also ask someone who knows how you drive, such as a family member, to fill it in and compare their answers with yours.
You can also download or print the Self Assessment Checklist as a PDF.
| Eyesight | Y/N |
|---|---|
| Do you find it harder to read road signs than you used to? | |
| Do you suffer from glare from oncoming headlights? | |
| Do you have trouble seeing pedestrians or pedal cyclists? | |
| Do you find it difficult to change your visual focus when looking ahead in the distance and then close-up at the instrument displays on your dashboard, and back again? | |
| Do you have more trouble than you used to in judging how far away another vehicle or road user is, or how fast they are moving? | |
| Do you find driving in the dark more difficult than you used to? | |
| Has it been more than 2 years since your last eyesight test at an opticians? | |
| Has your optician or doctor said your eyesight is getting worse? | |
| Physical Mobility | |
| Do you find it more difficult to turn your head to see over your shoulder than you used to? | |
| Do you find it more difficult to turn the steering wheel fully than you used to? | |
| Do you find it more difficult to use the foot pedals, gears or other controls than you used to? | |
| Do you find it more difficult to control your car than you used to? | |
| Do you find it more difficult to get in and out of your car than you used to? | |
| Do you suffer from aches and pains when driving? | |
| Tiredness | |
| Do you feel more tired after, or while, driving than you used to? | |
| Have you found yourself nearly nodding off when driving? | |
| Do you feel sleepy when driving during the day? | |
| Do you have trouble concentrating when driving? | |
| Do you have trouble sleeping at night? | |
| Making Decisions | |
| Do you have trouble concentrating when driving? | |
| Do you find driving on high speed roads, such as motorways and dual carriageways, more difficult than you used to? | |
| Do you find negotiating large, busy junctions and roundabouts difficult? | |
| Do you react more slowly in difficult, complex situations? | |
| Do you drive much more slowly than the speed limit, even when there is little traffic? | |
| Do you find changing lanes more difficult than you used to? | |
| Do you find it difficult to judge when it's safe to pull out of a junction? | |
| Do you often feel anxious or stressed when driving? | |
| Medical | |
| Do you have a medical condition that you must report to the DVLA, or the DVA in Northern Ireland? | |
| Has a doctor or other health professional expressed concern about your driving? | |
| Do you suffer from a serious medical condition, such as diabetes, heart disease, dementia, epilepsy or arthritis? | |
| Are you taking any medication that might affect your driving? | |
| Do you find it difficult to follow all the advice about how to take your medication correctly? | |
| Driving History | |
| Has the number of near misses you've had increased in the last year or so? | |
| Have you had a crash in the last year or so? | |
| Have you received any penalty points on your licence in the last year or so? | |
| Have you been stopped by the Police because of your driving in the last year or so? | |
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, consider what you can do to cope with these changes and make your driving safer and easier. For example:
- a driving assessment might pinpoint some simple changes to your driving that could help – see Find a Driving Assessment for more details.
- Changing when and where you drive, for example, to avoid driving at night or on certain types of road, might also help – see Keep Driving, and the websites listed under Further Information at the bottom of this page, for more advice.
- You could also consider changing or adapting your car, especially if you have mobility problems – see the Your Car section of this website for further information.
Medical Questions
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the medical questions, discuss this with your doctor or another medical professional. If you have a condition that could affect your ability to drive safely (known as a ‘notifiable’ condition) or a disability, or a condition or disability has got worse since you got your licence, you must tell DVLA (or the DVA if you live in Northern Ireland).
This does not automatically mean that you will be told to stop driving; there may be changes you can make to help you to keep carry on driving safely. See The Law and Common Conditions for more information. Taking a driving assessment at a mobility centre will also help.
Eyesight Questions
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the questions about eyesight, discuss this with an optician and take an eyesight test. The answer might be as simple as a new prescription for your spectacles or contact lenses, or the eye test might identify signs of an eyesight condition that needs to be addressed. See Eyesight for more details.
Driving History
If you answered yes to any of the questions in the Driving History section, a driver assessment or some refresher driver training, and reading the latest version of the Highway Code, would be helpful.
Telematics
Another good way to track how you are driving is to use telematics. This records the way a vehicle is being driven, and provides feedback to the driver about their driving and advice on improvements. The feedback is usually provided online or by an app, and provides very useful, objective data on driving style and risk.
Many motor insurers offer insurance policies that include the use of telematics, usually by having a 'black box' fitted in the car. It’s worth checking when your motor insurance is next up for renewal.
