Forsyth Medical Center 
Clinics
Driving Rehabilitation Program
| The Whitaker Rehabilitation Center Driving Rehabilitation Program strives to promote return to independence with driving and community mobility, one person at a time. We help people affected by injury, illness, or disability return to driving through evaluation and training. |
Services Provided
Occupational Therapists specially trained as Driving Rehabilitation Specialists will provide evaluations and assessments to people with physical, visual, cognitive and perceptual impairments.
These services include:
- Clinical and on-road evaluation of ability to drive safely
- Recommendations of specialized equipment to make safe driving possible
- On-road driver's training based on assessed driving needs and skills
Who Can Benefit?
The Driving Rehabilitation Program serves people with various conditions and impairments who are referred by a physician.
These conditions and impairments include:
- Stroke
- Amputations
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neurological impairments
- Cognitive impairments
- Orthopedic conditions
- Cardiac conditions
- Diabetes
- Arthritic changes in upper and lower extremities
- Loss of function due to aging
Unfortunately, some conditions automatically create unsafe driving habits and skills.
The following conditions would NOT benefit from driving services:
- Late-stage Alzheimer's dementia
- Visual acuity deficits worse than 20/100
- Seizure activity within the last six months
- Constant positional vertigo
What to expect from the first visit
At the first visit, the Driving Rehabilitation Specialist (DRS), a licensed Occupational Therapist, will evaluate driving history, physical, visual, perceptual, and cognitive abilities. If this evaluation verifies safety to perform the on-road evaluation, then this will be performed. Based on the results of this completed evaluation, a recommendation will be made about driving safety. The Occupational Therapist will determine whether training sessions are needed to improve specific skills and whether adaptive equipment is needed to improve safety.
Special Driving Equipment
Due to physical impairments, the patient may need specialized driving equipment to safely operate a vehicle. Our evaluation car is adapted for driving evaluation and training. After evaluation, the DRS may make recommendations for car adaptations to improve safety.
Referral Process
A written referral must be obtained from a physician prior to evaluation. Once the patient has been cleared by the physician and an order has been received, the patient must have a valid drivers license to perform the on-road assessment. If the license has been revoked, a provisional license can be obtained for this assessment after the initial clinical evaluation of driving skills.
Payment Options
Medicare and many insurance companies do not cover driving evaluation and training charges. Funding sources include private pay, workers compensation, and vocational rehabilitation. Payment for services will be discussed and arranged prior to provision of services.
Contact Information
For more information or to schedule an evaluation, please contact us at (336) 718-5780.
