Your health affects your driving every single trip. Before you turn the key, the question is not only “is the car ready?” but “am I?”
👁️ Vision
You must be able to notice hazards in different types of lighting, judge distances, adjust to traffic speed, and read road signs.
- If you take your vision test with corrective lenses or contacts, your licence will carry a corrective lenses restriction — and you must wear them to drive.
- If you do not pass, the DMV will ask your eye doctor to complete a Report of Vision Examination (DL 62).
👂 Hearing
You must be able to hear horns, sirens, motorcycles, or screeching tires that warn you of a hazard.
⚠️ It is illegal to wear a headset or earplugs in both ears while driving. One ear must stay free.
😴 Fatigue and Drowsiness
Tiredness affects your vision and increases your reaction time. The only real cure is rest — not coffee, not loud music, not opening the window.
🧠 Physical and Mental State
You must be alert enough to decide quickly on the right course of action in any traffic situation, including the ones you did not expect.
💊 Medications
Prescription and over-the-counter medications can make you an unsafe driver. Some make you sleepy. It is your responsibility to know the effects of the medications you take — “the doctor gave it to me” is not a defence, and a prescription does not excuse a DUI.
🏥 When a Doctor Must Report You
Physicians are required to report patients who are at least 14 years old to the DMV for medical conditions that may affect their ability to drive safely — for example, a lapse of consciousness.
This is not a punishment. It exists so that a condition that could black you out at 65 mph gets reviewed before it hurts someone.