OMA Letter to the Editor
The Ottawa Citizen

OMA seeks law reform on reporting unfit drivers

The Ottawa Citizen
Thursday, February 14 2008
Byline: Janice Willett
Source: The Ottawa Citizen

The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) has met with ten Ministers of Transportation, from each political party, over the past decade to push for legislative amendments that would clarify and define the circumstances surrounding the mandatory reporting of unfit drivers.

It is important to note that the data in the study is from 1996 - 2001. Since then, some of the changes called for by the OMA have been made to the reporting process and as a result there has been an increase in reporting of unfit drivers.

However, determining fitness to drive remains a complex issue, made worse by legislation that does not clearly identify drivers who are truly a threat to road safety. Until the law is amended to allow for mandatory reporting of listed conditions with room for clinical judgment on the part of physicians, there will continue to be problems with the current system.

In the mean time, Ontario doctors will continue to report patients who have serious medical conditions that would affect their ability to drive, as well as advocate for changes to improve the system so that patients always seek medical help for their conditions and doctors can do their best to keep patients and those around them safe.

Dr. Janice Willett
President
Ontario Medical Association