Are physicians obligated to alert the DMV when they are concerned about their patients’ driving abilities?
According to California law, physicians need to report patients with conditions associated with “lapses of consciousness” to their local health officer. The health officer must then report that condition directly to the DMV. The DMV is then left to investigate the patient’s capabilities and make a determination about the patient’s license status.California’s Code of Regulations (Chapter 17, Section 2806) provides the following definition:(a) “Disorders characterized by lapses of consciousness” means those medical conditions that involve:(1) a loss of consciousness or a marked reduction of alertness or responsiveness to external stimuli; and (2) the inability to perform one or more activities of daily living; and (3) the impairment of the sensory motor functions used to operate a motor vehicle.(b) Examples of medical conditions that do not always, but may progress to the level of functional severity described in subsection (a) of this section include Alzheimer’s disease and related diso
