Photo: Maggas, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In Australia, a heart condition, a blackout or sleep apnoea does not automatically stop you getting your Ls or P plates. You must declare it, and the licensing authority applies the national Assessing Fitness to Drive standards. For car drivers, most heart-related events come with an advised non-driving period (for example, 4 weeks after a blackout with a cardiovascular cause), after which your doctor reassesses you. Sleep disorders are judged on whether they cause excessive daytime sleepiness, and the authority can place conditions on your licence.
This page covers licensing rules only. Your cardiologist, sleep physician or GP is the person to ask about your own condition.
Advised non-driving periods for car drivers
The national standard gives these advisory periods for private (car) drivers. Commercial drivers have longer ones.
| Event | Private driver | Commercial driver |
|---|---|---|
| Blackout (syncope) due to a cardiovascular cause | 4 weeks | 3 months |
| ICD shock with symptoms such as feeling faint | 4 weeks | Stricter rules apply |
| ICD fitted after a cardiac arrest | 6 months | Stricter rules apply |
| ICD generator (battery) change | 2 weeks | Stricter rules apply |
For private drivers these periods are advice from the standard. After the period ends, your doctor checks whether you are fit to drive again. Recurrent arrhythmias that cause blackouts usually make a person unfit to drive until they are controlled.
Blackouts and fainting
- The cause matters. A blackout from a heart rhythm problem is treated differently from a simple faint with a clear trigger, or from a seizure.
- If the cause is unknown, your doctor may advise you not to drive while it is investigated.
- If the blackout turns out to be a seizure, the epilepsy rules apply. See epilepsy and getting your Ls.
South Australia’s list of conditions to report includes blackouts, heart disease and cardiovascular conditions. NSW says some conditions, including cardiovascular conditions, need regular medical assessments to keep your licence.
Sleep apnoea and excessive daytime sleepiness
Sleep disorders are on the list of conditions to report in states such as South Australia. Under the national standard, the question is whether the condition causes excessive daytime sleepiness that could affect driving, and whether treatment controls it. The authority may place conditions on your licence, such as review dates. Austroads made no change to the licensing criteria for sleep disorders in the 2022 edition, but added more guidance for doctors on assessing them.
If you are a learner who often feels drowsy, tell your doctor. Fatigue is a road safety risk whether or not you have a diagnosis: see driver fatigue on Australian roads.
Other heart conditions in young people
Congenital heart conditions, cardiomyopathy and inherited rhythm disorders are all assessed under the same cardiovascular chapter. Declare the condition and ask your cardiologist to complete the medical form if the authority asks for one.
What to do: a checklist
- Declare the condition on your learner licence application.
- Ask your specialist whether any non-driving period applies to you now.
- Take your state’s fitness-to-drive form to your appointment if the authority asks for one.
- Tell the authority about new events, such as a blackout, an ICD shock or a new device.
- Keep to any review dates on your licence.
Related guides
- Driving with a medical condition or disability in Australia (series overview)
- Medical conditions and fitness to drive: reporting in each state
- Type 1 diabetes and your learner licence
Sources
- Austroads, “Assessing Fitness to Drive” (AP-G56-22), Cardiovascular conditions chapter and general assessment guidelines (austroads.gov.au)
- Austroads, “Assessing Fitness to Drive: Summary of changes” (austroads.gov.au)
- Government of South Australia, “Report a medical condition” (sa.gov.au)
- Transport for NSW, “Road User Handbook”, Medical conditions and disability (nsw.gov.au)