In conjunction with Kent Police, a fitness to drive scheme to help keep drivers safely on the road has been launched by South East DriveAbility (SED), part of NHS Kent Community Health Foundation Trust and national charity Driving Mobility.

Working with drivers referred by Kent Police, the fitness to drive scheme will support people who have been involved in a road traffic collision or careless driving and who fit the criteria, as an alternative to being prosecuted or fined.

Dr Anu Varshney, Consultant Practitioner, Head of SED said: “This has taken five years for us to finally implement this scheme for people living in Kent. Along with improving road safety, this scheme has the potential to support drivers who may not be aware of medical conditions that may have been a contributing factor in a road traffic incident. With our intervention, medical help can support the driver, helping them to remain safely on the roads.”

After the driving assessment, South East DriveAbility submits a report to Kent Police which determines whether the driver is safe to drive, requires training or must stop indefinitely. If it is recommended the driver should stop driving, the findings are compiled with the police’s initial incident report and sent to the DVLA, which then makes a final licensing decision.

The service is also provided in Hampshire by Wessex DriveAbility and seen great results with positive feedback from those who have taken the assessment.

Margaret Davies took the course in 2020 after a collision. She said: “I had never heard of the scheme before so did lots of research. I had to complete my first assessment and was incredibly nervous and failed. I found an instructor to complete some refresher driving lessons and he quickly found a number of bad habits I had gained in my 40 plus years driving history and, of course, was able to highlight important changes in the Highway Code.

“It really gave me an opportunity to improve my driving and confidence to pass my driver plus. I was sceptical at first but only because I had never heard of the scheme. I now recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity.”

SED works with the Department for Transport, Motability and the Driving and Vehicle Licencing Agency.

Edward Trewhella, CEO, Driving Mobility said: “As a national charity supported by the Department for Transport, we are 100% focused on safely enabling individuals whether that’s as a driver, passenger or user of public transport. This new joint initiative delivers just that through a positive approach that assesses and educates rather than simply prosecutes. We believe the partnership between SED and Kent Police will build on the success of other forces already working with Driving Mobility centres and we encourage more to join the scheme.”

SED is a clinical service led by a consultant occupational therapist practitioner. SED is fully accredited by Driving Mobility and is based in Aylesford, Maidstone. Outreach services are currently offered in east Kent and East Sussex. SED is one of 20+ independent driving assessment centres across the UK that help drivers and passengers with restricted mobility to maintain or regain independence.

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