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29 March 2024

No licence for drivers with chronic diseases

Published
By Staff

People with chronic disease will not be allowed to drive in case their driving was dangerous for the road users, the UAE’s Ministry of Interior (MoI) said.

According to an Emarat Al Youm report, the decision will be implemented in the near future to reduce traffic accidents caused by drivers who are suffering from chronic diseases as these affect motorists’ ability to drive safely, said Brigadier Ghaith Hassan Al Za’abi, Director General, Traffic Coordination Department, Ministry of Interior.

He said medical facilities will be linked to the departments of traffic and licenses across the country, which will monitor motorists' health and also allow sharing of the medical reports of all drivers.

The Ministry of Interior said that on the basis of these reports it will suspend any driver's licence either permanently or temporarily depending on the recommendation of the doctor treating the patient.

Brigadier Al Za’abi said the initiative, which is the first of its kind in the region, will adopt a unified platform for the medical examination of drivers at the UAE level.

He said the mechanism will determine health fitness for driving on the road in accordance with the best international practices.

He said MoI is currently working on implementing this initiative in cooperation with the Ministry of Health (MoH), the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), the Abu Dhabi Health Authority and the Road and Transport Authority of Dubai. A joint working group has been formed to implement this initiative.

The team will recommend the chronic diseases that could be dangerous while driving, Al Za’abi said, adding that the decision about the suspension of the licence will be taken after the physician’s report, taking into account the severity of the disease.

He said the government bodies will exchange medical reports of the drivers who have such serious diseases. The decision about suspending the driving licence temporarily or permanently will be taken after the physician’s report.

Al Za’abi said the medical body will notify traffic and licence departments immediately if any serious disease is diagnosed which can prevent the motorist from driving.

He said the driver has the right to know from the physician why he is banned from driving in order to preserve the live of roads users and other motorists.

He said driver’s health reports will also be made available to the departments concerned electronically.

He pointed out that the Article 18 of the Federal Traffic Law allows licensing departments to suspend, cancel or refuses to renew any licence if the licence holder has any serious health problem.

Investigations have revealed that the UAE roads witnessed a number of traffic accidents caused by drivers suffering from different diseases in recent years, Al a’abi said, adding that an accident took place in Dubai in 2012 in which one person died and six cars were damaged. Investigations found that the man was suffering from temporary comma disease due to severe diabetes and fell unconscious, hitting the car at the front at a high speed.

Reports and medical studies found that diseases requiring withdrawal of driving license include epilepsy, Parkinson's, kidney failure and sudden acute bouts of diabetes.

There are medical conditions such as patients who have suffered stroke or those who have cardiac issues or are suffering from severe depression or weak eyesight - which require a temporary cancellation of the driving licence.