6.2 What Does It Take to Pass a Driving License?

Joana Xavier Neves

Currently, the SIMPLEX program allows the introduction of several administrative simplification measures to remove the need for support documentation, amongst them the fact that the medical certificate is transmitted electronically by the Ministry of Health to the Institute of Mobility and Transport, allowing registration and / or restrictions and adaptations.

The publication of Decree-Law no. 40/2016, of 29 July, amended the Regulation of Legal Qualification to Drive, in particular, with regard to the standards for driving a motor vehicle related to vision. Therefore, if there is any reason for the attending physician to doubt that applicants, for the issue or revalidation of licenses or driving licenses, have an adequate view compatible with the driving of motor vehicles, they should be examined by an ophthalmologist.

Therefore, the ophthalmological evaluation will include verification of visual acuity (VA), visual field (VC), color vision, twilight vision, chaining, contrast sensitivity, diplopia and other visual functions that may compromise driving safely.

For the purpose of this document, drivers are classified in two groups: Group 1 concerns drivers of vehicles of categories AM, A1, A2, A, B1, B and BE; and group 2 to drivers of vehicles of categories C1, C1E, C, CE, D1, D1E, D and DE, as well as drivers of vehicles of categories B and BE using a driver's license for professional purposes (ambulances, firefighters, patient transportation, school transport, children's collective transportation and small passenger cars for hire).

Categories

Group 1

Mopeds and Motorcycles

AM

Mopeds  and motorcycles up to 50cc

A1

Motorcycles up to 125cc and up to 11kw

A2

Motorcycle sup to 35Kw

A

Motorcycles.

Light vehicles and quad bikes

B1

Quad bikes.

B

Cars

BE

Cars with trailer or semi-trailer

Group 2

Cars

B e BE

B and BE using a driving license for professional purposes

Medium-sized vehicles

C1

Medium-sized vehicles (underweight lower 7500kg)

C1E

Category C1 with trailer or semi-trailer
Large vehicles

C

Large vehicles

CE

Category C with trailer or semi-trailer
Minibuses

D1

Minibuses (with up to 17 seats)

D1E

Category D1 with trailer or semi-trailer
Buses

D

Buses
DE Category D with trailer or semi-trailer

The following tables specify the criteria of the ophthalmological forum to be taken into account in order to be able to issue or revalidate the driving license for candidates or drivers:

Visual acuity
Group 1
 

Minimum binocular VA of 0.5 with or without optical correction
Group 2
 

Minimum VA, with or without optical correction of 0.8 in the "best eye" and 0.5 in the "worst eye"

Uncorrected VA greater than or equal to 0.05 (5/100) in each eye

The power of the lenses cannot exceed 6 dioptres

Correction should be well tolerated

Restrictions

The use of glasses or contact lenses during driving should be required if they are necessary to reach the minimum VA values

 

Monocular vision
Monocular vision is considered when VA in one eye is less than 0.1

The VA in the other eye should be at least 0.6, with or without optical correction

It is prohibited to drive vehicles for 6 months after loss of vision in one eye. At the end of this period, it is necessary to be examined by an ophthalmologist and pass the practical exam in order to resume driving.

Restrictions

All categories
  1. Speed not exceeding 100 km / h on motorways, 90 km / h on lanes reserved for cars and motorcycles and 80 km / h on other public roads
  2. Retractable windscreen.
  3. Driving may also be limited to:
  • day trips
  • a radius of [...] km from the drivers residence or only in the city / region

Categories AM, A1, A2, A

Obrigatório uso de óculos de proteção ou uso de capacete com viseira.

Revalidation

Weigh to consider shorter revalidation periods

 

Diplopia

The license or driving license may not be issued or revalidated to candidates or drivers suffering from diplopia, except:
Group 1
  1. On an exceptional basis and with the favourable opinion of an ophthalmologist certifying that the situation does not call into question the driver's ability to drive safely.
  2. The dispositions of the monocular situation are applied, when occlusion of one eye occurs.
  3. In  the recently declared diplopia, the principle of monocularity with a period of temporary driving ban is applied in the first 6 months, with subsequent ophthalmic reassessment and practical driving exam.

 

Visual field and peripheral vision

Group 1

 It should be normal in binocular vision and monocular vision, and may not be less than 120º in the horizontal plane, with a minimum extension of 50º to the right and left and 20º superior and inferior
Group 2

The binocular visual field shall be normal and shall not be less than 160 ° in the horizontal plane with a minimum extension of 70 ° to the right and to the left and a 30 ° upper and lower extension

 

Color vision

Group 1

They may not have achromatopsia
Group 2

They may not have protanopia or achromatopsia

 

Twilight Vision

Group 1

Candidates or drivers who present any of the following are, at least, restricted during daytime driving:

  1. Twilight vision change
  2. Presence of hemeralopia
  3. clear reduction of mesopic and or scotopic vision
Group 2

May not have poor twilight vision

 

Progressive ophthalmologic diseases

In these cases, the driving license may only be issued or revalidated for group 1, with an annual ophthalmological examination
Autore(s)

Joana Xavier Neves

Centro Clínico da Guarda Nacional Republicana. Lisbon, Portugal

(Head of Department: Joana Neves)