Ireland
Part 1: Driving with a Disability
Are there any laws or regulations in your country that restrict whether people with disabilities can obtain a driving licence?
Yes,
An application by a person for a driving licence or learner permit must be accompanied by a report by a registered medical practitioner if the applicant is affected by any of the following diseases or disabilities:
• Alcoholism.
• Any physical disablement which is likely to affect ability to drive safely.
• Any illness which requires the regular use of psychotropic substances.
• Any illness or disease which requires the regular use of medications likely to affect ability to drive safely.
• Cardiovascular diseases.
• Diplopia, defective binocular vision, impaired contrast sensitivity or loss of visual field.
• Serious hearing deficiency.
• Mental disturbance due to disease or trauma of, or operation upon, the central nervous system.
• Severe mental retardation.
• Psychosis.
• Psychoneurosis or personality disorders.
• Serious diseases of the blood.
• Any disease of the genitourinary system (including renal disorder) which is likely to affect ability to drive safely.
The Road Safety Authority, the licensing authority for Ireland, together with the National Office of Traffic Medicine, have developed medical fitness to drive guidelines. The information in these Guidelines is intended to assist doctors and other healthcare professionals in advising their patients on fitness to drive, requirements for reporting to the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) and guidance on review of stability, progression or improvement of these conditions. The guidelines focus on long-term health and disability-related conditions and their associated functional effects that may impact on driving.
The latest version of the guidelines can be found here: https://www.rcpi.ie/traffic-medicine/
Are there any restrictions on the type of vehicle or adaptation to controls that can be driven by a person with a disability?
Yes,
With effect from 29 April 2012, all disabled drivers and passengers buying a new car and entering the disabled drivers tax relief scheme will be required to have Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) certification.These certs are issued by the National Standards Association of Ireland (NSAI) and essentially are a statement that all adaptations fitted or carried out on the vehicle have been fitted or carried out to the appropriate standard.
If you have answered yes to Question 4 above, do the same restrictions apply to a person with a disability visiting your country in their own or a rented vehicle? Please give details
No
Please give details of the section responsible in your Ministry for driver licensing and vehicle adaptations for people with disabilities. Please also include any websites which give details of the official national policy.
Name of Department/Ministry: Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport
Name of section responsible: Road Safety Division
email address for queries: [email protected]
website (s): https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation/department-of-transport/
Part 2: Parking Cards for people with a disability
Does your country have a national scheme of parking concessions for people with a disability?
Yes
Which categories of people with a disability are eligible for the parking card? Please tick all that apply
Wheelchair users,
People with walking difficulty,
People with vision impairment
Are there parking spaces reserved for people with a disability?
Yes
If you have answered yes, where are the reserved parking spaces? (Please tick all that apply)
On street,
In municipal car parks
What concessions does the parking card give people with a disability? (Please tick all that apply)
Free parking on-street,
Free parking in municipal car parks
Are there any regions or cities in your country that do not recognise the parking card, or which have their own, different system?
No
Are the same concessions available to individuals with a disability visiting your country?
Yes
If you have answered yes to Question 13 above, please tell us if there is a formal system of reciprocal recognition of parking cards from other countries?
Yes
If you have answered yes to Question 14 above please tell us
Which countries' parking cards are recognised (please list)
Ireland will recognise a valid parking card issued by the authority of any other State - provided that the pictorial symbol of a person sitting in a wheelchair is shown on the permit
What other proof of eligibility should a visitor with a disability carry with them? (Please give details)
n/a
Are there minimum dimensions for the size of a parking space reserved for a person with a disability?
Yes,
The dimensions of disabled parking bays are specified in the current Traffic Signs Manual, available here: https://assets.gov.ie/34719/d2683724881f4477bb2babe78c282e6f.pdf
Please give details of the section in your ministry responsible for parking concessions for people with a disability
Name of Department/Ministry: Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport
Name of section responsible: Road Safety
email address for querie: [email protected]
website(s): www.gov.ie/dttas
Please include a link to any websites which give details of the official national policy on parking concessions for people with a disability.
More information on the Irish disabled parking scheme can be found here - https://www.gov.ie/en/service/801c77-disabled-parking-scheme/
Part 3: Hiring a car if you have a disability
Does your country have any laws which require hire car companies to make adapted vehicles available for people with disabilities to rent?
No
Where are such vehicles available? Please tick all that apply
Other (please specify):
While not required by law, many of the larger rental companies provide adapted cars at both of the locations mentioned.
Please give details of the section responsible in your ministry for laws/policies on adapted hire cars.
N/A
Part 4: Further Information
Please give contact details (email, phone, weblinks) for any sections or organisations which have supplied information for your response to this survey if they are not already listed.
Name(s) of sections/organisations: Disabled Drivers Association of Ireland
email(s): [email protected]
phone(s): 00353 94 936 4054
website(s): www.ddai.ie