Any physician, physician assistant licensed pursuant to chapter 370 or advanced practice registered nurse licensed pursuant to chapter 378 may report to the Department of Motor Vehicles, in writing, the name, age and address of any person diagnosed by him or her to have any chronic health problem which in his or her judgment will significantly affect the person's ability to safely operate a motor vehicle, or to have recurrent periods of unconsciousness uncontrolled by medical treatment. Any optometrist may report to the department, in writing, the name, age and address of any person known by the optometrist to have a vision problem which in the optometrist's judgment will significantly affect the person's ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. Such reports shall be for the information of the commissioner in enforcing state motor vehicle laws, and shall be kept confidential and used solely for the purpose of determining the eligibility of any person to operate a motor vehicle on the highways of this state. No civil action may be brought against any person who, in good faith, provides a report pursuant to this section.

(1953, S. 1301d; P.A. 75-577, S. 24, 126; P.A. 77-614, S. 323, 610; P.A. 90-265, S. 4, 8; P.A. 10-110, S. 11.)

History: P.A. 75-577 added provision that physician's failure to report constitutes an infraction; P.A. 77-614 replaced department of health with department of health services, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 90-265 made extensive changes to section authorizing, in lieu of requiring, physician to report to motor vehicles department, in lieu of health department, information re persons diagnosed as having chronic health problems which significantly affect ability to safely operate a motor vehicle, deleting all provisions re department of health services, including penalty for failure of physician to report and authorizing optometrist to report to department information re persons known to have vision problems which significantly affect ability to safely operate a motor vehicle; P.A. 10-110 authorized licensed physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse to report chronic health problem to department, provided immunity from civil liability to person who provides report in good faith and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2010.

Cited. 225 C. 499.

Cited. 33 CA 727; 41 CA 866.