25 May 2017
 Categories: Insurance, Blog

If a parent or someone else that you care for recently had a stroke, it's important to be aware that his or her legal right to drive and existing car insurance policy might be negatively impacted by that event. In many instances, their neurologist, primary care physician or health care provider may have contacted the state about their stroke, which will often result in an immediate suspension of driving privileges. Whether or not their license is suspended, it's still possible that their insurance policy might have been canceled. Therefore, since even a minor stroke can affect a person's dexterity, response time or vision, it's a good idea to be aware of the following tips after someone you care for had a stroke.

#1-Inform The Insurance Company Of The Stroke

It is important to note that the majority of insurance companies require that patients or their representatives inform them of a stroke or other serious health challenge soon after the event. In some cases, not doing so can be cause for the denial of a claim that is made due to the patient's unapproved or limited driving skills.

Your insurance company may ask for documentation from the physician attesting to the person's driving skills abilities and other important features. In addition, the insurance company may ask clients to complete a driving class for victims of strokes and other serious health conditions. Successful completion of that class might help him or her to be approved for auto insurance and driving once again. 

#2-Encourage The Patient To Wait At Least A Month After A Stroke To Attempt Driving

Fortunately, research has established that more than half of all stroke patients were able to return to driving safely again after a stroke. The flip side to that is, of course, that almost half of those persons were not permitted to drive. However, it is crucial to remember that no-one should assume that because someone has not mentioned to the patients that he or she cannot drive, that  driving is automatically an option.

Doctors often advise stroke patents to wait at least a month after their stroke to try to drive. In this instance,the first step in attempting to drive should start in the doctor's office, as explained below.

#3-Ask Your Friend Or Family Member To Get An On-road Driving Evaluation

An on-road driving evaluation can occur in the doctor's office in just a few minutes and includes a myriad of tests. For instance, the patient will need to identify certain road signs as well as their meanings. In addition, questions about current driving laws may be asked and their vision may be checked, along with their responses to common driving hazards.

Assuming the person passes those tests, he or she might be able to regain their driving privileges and car insurance. Since almost all of the states in the United States require insurance on every vehicle, lacking insurance can have much the same effect as a suspended license and both are serious legal issues.   

In conclusion, driving after a stroke can be a complicated experience due to the wide variety of after-effects associated with the different types of strokes. Many stroke patients require physical therapy or other recuperative efforts in order to be allowed back behind the wheel and to obtain the legally required auto insurance on their vehicle. Therefore, the above information should be very useful in the months after someone you care for experienced a stroke and wants to drive with valid car insurance again. For more information, contact a business such as Horgan Insurance Agency.