Abstract

A 90-year-old man is diagnosed with early dementia. There are concerns about whether he is still fit to drive his car safely, but he is determined to continue driving. In this case, the clinician finds that this decision on fitness to drive is essentially evaluative and normative. Given the conflict of interests involved, how should the clinician attempt to manage this challenging ethical dilemma? This increasingly common clinical ethics scenario warrants further attention. After presenting the case, this analysis will consider the relevant issues in three dimensions: an ethical dilemma, a clinician–patient interaction, and a broader context. This analysis provides a potential framework for clinicians making decisions on fitness to drive in early dementia.