Family guide to a re-assessment.

If you're reading this, someone in the family is worried. Maybe a doctor mentioned cognition. Maybe a grandkid noticed something at the wheel. Maybe a near-miss was talked about at dinner. None of those mean a licence has to come off the table — but they do mean a calm, outside read is worth having.

What we offer is a 90-minute private session. It's not an MTO test. We don't share the result with anyone except the person who booked us. The point is a clear picture, written in plain language, that the family can use to make a decision together.

The phrase that works best, in our experience, is some version of: "This isn't about taking the keys. It's about getting an honest read so we know what we're working with." People who feel evaluated push back. People who feel supported usually agree.

It also helps to volunteer to come with them. The drive is private — but you can be at the house for the start and end of it, and we share the written report with you both.

• ·We arrive at the home at the agreed time, pickup or in their own vehicle.
• ·Quick coffee-table chat first — recent driving, any near-misses, any worries.
• ·60-minute drive: familiar streets, one busier road, one parking situation.
• ·Quiet debrief in the car at the end, with the driver, before we re-enter the house.
• ·Family conversation only after the driver has heard the read first.
• ·Written report by email the same day, usually within 4 hours.

A short paragraph on each of: lane positioning, mirror and shoulder checks, reaction at intersections, speed appropriate to conditions, smooth braking and acceleration, awareness of cyclists and pedestrians, decision-making under pressure, and overall comfort.

We don't issue a verdict. We describe what we saw, in detail. The decision about whether to keep driving — or to add restrictions like daylight-only, familiar-routes-only — belongs to the family and the doctor, not us.

If it's clear during the home-coffee chat that the driver doesn't want to drive that day, we don't drive that day. We charge the fee for our time and we leave a useful note. Nobody is forced into a vehicle.