Three, well-dressed older women walking together.

Road rules and safety

Age and driving safely

You can drive in Victoria at any eligible licensing age. However, you must be medically safe to drive.

Often physical and other changes that commonly come with age happen very slowly.

It's important to watch for the changes that might affect your ability to drive and discuss driving with your doctor when you have your health checks. These changes can be physical, or changes to your memory and thinking.

They can include changes to eyesight, memory, ability to make decisions, slower reaction time, reduced mobility caused by stiffness, pain or weakness, hearing loss, and an increase in medications.

You must tell the Medical Review team if you have a medical condition that affects your ability to drive. In some cases, you may be asked to complete a medical review.

When should I see my doctor?

We've put together a high risk driving checklist to help you determine if you should talk to your doctor about your driving:

It’s difficult to turn my head to see over my shoulder.
My joints ache after I’ve been driving for an hour or more.
It’s difficult to change my focus from the road ahead to your dashboard, or vice-versa.
It’s harder to see at twilight than it used to be.
I have trouble seeing pedestrians when I’m concentrating on the road.
I have trouble telling how far away objects are.
Glare and sunlight affect my eyes more than it used to.
I have more difficulty driving at night than I used to.

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the statements in the checklist, you should:

speak to your doctor about your driving safety
check whether you need to complete a medical review
contact your local council to find out about local driver safety programs.

Read our your health and driving fact sheet for more information.

How can I improve my driving safety?

Older adults are commonly among the most sensible drivers on the road, as they adapt their driving to their own comfort level.

Being alert to the health and related conditions that might affect your ability to drive safely is the best protection for you and others on the road.

This may include avoiding:

difficult road conditions such as bad weather, poor light or peak traffic times
distractions such as mobile phones, music players or multiple passengers
driving if you’re tired, sick or upset.

We've developed a self assessment guide to help you think objectively abour your current driving capabilities. It could also be worth considering if your car and its safety features offers you the best possible protection.

Other transport options

Consider other options, including:

travelling with family, friends and neighbours
walking or cycling
using a motorised mobility device (powered scooter, for example)
planning a journey on public transport
taxi services
community transport
any community transport offered by your local council.

Vist our getting around without a car fact sheet for more information.

Discounts on other transport

You could be eligible for a discount or subsidy for your alternative transport, including:

subsidised taxi fares via the multi-purpose taxi program
a mobility allowance
government services via My Aged Care.

Travellers Aid

Travellers Aid Australia can help you while you travel. They can provide you with emergency assistance, companions to accompany you to and from essential appointments, personal care while travelling, mobility equipment hire as well as information and advice.

They're located at Southern Cross and Flinders Street Stations in Melbourne, and Ballarat and Seymour Railway Stations in rural Victoria.