By Paul Freeman, O.D.
We have had the good fortune of the excellent representation of Dr. Robert Owens (POA) and Dr. Marshall Stafford (ophthalmology) on the Pennsylvania Department Motor Vehicle Advisory Board. Recently, after many years of capable representation, Dr. Owens has stepped down from that position. As the incoming optometric representative on the advisory board, I am posting the Vision Standards Related to the Licensing of Drivers in Pennsylvania on the POA website as they appear, with the addition of a place to specify the visual acuities and visual fields of a patient who might want to know if they are legally capable of driving or what their restrictions are. This can then be used as a handout for a patient or family member as they can appreciate that the information is a state code and not a cutoff designed by you as a health care provider.
Why is this necessary? As I’m sure you can appreciate, the population of Pennsylvania is aging, and it is not a secret that the aging process has some impact on driving safety. As I have noted in the past, there is a difference between legal and safe driving, but it is important, especially in a duty to inform state, that the legal requirement is both understood and met by the patient. After that, it is up to the individual practitioners to decide how best to handle safe issues of driving as they relate to one’s community and to the greater Commonwealth.
Please think about the responsibility to your patients, their families and the general welfare of the public of the Commonwealth as you discuss the privilege of driving.
See the Department of Transportation’s Rules and Regulations for Title 67 -- Transportation here: pennsylvania.aoa.org/Documents/PA/POA-2015-DOT-Transportation-RR.pdf.
