Are you wondering whether you can still drive safely despite a chronic illness or long-term medication? With the driver fitness check from TÜV Hessen, you can clarify your fitness to drive.
How is fitness to drive tested for electric wheelchairs?
Your situation:
Before you contact us, you will usually already have a doctor's prescription for an electric wheelchair, power scooter or something similar. This means that the prescription for the equipment has been vetted in advance and is not the subject of our assessment.
What question does the TÜV Hessen report answer?
Our electric wheelchair examination deals with the question of road safety when using the wheelchair. The purpose of our inspection is to clarify whether the operator of the wheelchair will be able to use it on the road for an extendend period of time with the necessary safety and care, and whether risks and dangers for the user or others can be excluded.
Specific content of the examination may vary, depending on which aspects of the intended usage of the equipment need to be clarified by the organisation requesting the examination, usually the health care provider. As a rule, the costs for this examination are covered by insurance (e.g. health insurance). The TÜV Hessen electric wheelchair examination clarifies whether the requirements for safe driving of an electric wheelchair or motorized ambulance are met in all individual cases.
Which documents are required for an electric wheelchair examination?
We require an official request, clearly stating the purpose of the examination and specifc questions that need to be adressed during the process. In most cases your health care provider will send you this request by mail. Please also bring all documentation in regards to your disability, current treatments or therapy and any kind of medication you may use.
If we require access to further documents, you can also submit these documents to us at a later date. With your consent, we can also request these documents from your health care provider. However, this will delay the completion of the report. We highly recommend you prepare all required documentation before the date of the examination to expedite the process.
Cost Coverage
If the cost of examination is not covered by the examined person, we require written consent from the person covering the cost and receiving the invoice.
In the event that the insured person has a legal guardian, we require proof of the legal guardianship (incl. area of responsibility) and the legal guardian's contact details.
On the day of the examination
How does an examination work?
The examination consists of a medical examination specifically evaluating issues concering behaviour in traffic, a check of your cognitive performance (reaction time, attention, concentration, orientation, resilience) using performance test procedures and a short interview with a traffic psychologist.
We adapt the examination, which we refer to as a psychological performance test, to your physical impairments as far as possible.
What happens if the psychological performance test does not produce a clear result?
If the psychological performance test does not provide a conclusive answer in regards to the performance requirements, a psychological driving behavior observation with an electric wheelchair may be necessary in individual cases. The driving behavior observation takes place on a separate date, usually near your home or living environment. You will be driving the electric wheelchair. A traffic psychologist will accompany you and observe how you move around in your environment with the help of the power wheelchair. The results will be gathered in a conclusive report, detailing the observations made.
It is important to note, that a psychological driving behavior observation is only possible if the medical assessment confirms the physical ability to operate an electric wheelchair.
Who receives the report?
We will send the report to the insured person or to the person authorized by the insured person. You decide whether to pass it on to the insurance company.
