Dementia & Cognitive Decline & Driving Safety
Overview
Under the RSA’s 2025 medical fitness to drive guidelines, any diagnosis of dementia must be reported to the NDLS and your insurance provider.
For Group 2 licences (bus/truck), driving is not permitted. For Group 1 (car/motorbike), continued driving may be possible in early stages, but only after medical and functional review.
Driver Assessments Ireland offers professional, independent evaluations to assess memory, attention, and reaction times in real-world driving conditions.
This helps individuals, families, and healthcare professionals make informed decisions about driving safety.
For further information please follow the below links.
How it Affects Driving
Cognitive decline can affect
driving in the following ways: - Difficulty with route-finding and navigation
even on familiar roads -
Reduced ability to process multiple pieces of information simultaneously - Impaired judgement at junctions and in complex traffic situations - Slowed reaction times and reduced hazard perception - Getting lost or confused
particularly in unfamiliar environments -
Visuospatial difficulties affecting parking and lane positioning
The Assessment Process
Clinical Review
A detailed analysis of your medical history, current medications, and condition-specific concerns with our specialist assessor.
On-Road Assessment
Complete a practical driving session in a dual-controlled vehicle, evaluating real-world performance under clinical supervision.
Report & Recommendations
Receive a comprehensive written clinical report with evidence-based recommendations, forwarded to your referring HCP within 5–7 days.