Licensing, insurance and the law
A physician diagnoses a patient with a condition that can cause a lapse of consciousness. From what age must the physician report it to DMV?
- From 14 years old. Correct answer
- From 16 years old.
- From 18 years old.
Why
Fourteen, which is below the age at which anyone in California can drive, and that is the point of it: the duty attaches to the patient's age rather than to whether they hold a license. A physician has to notify DMV about any patient of 14 or older whose medical condition could affect safe driving, and the example the handbook offers is a lapse of consciousness. Sixteen is the minimum age to get a driver's license when you are under 18, and under 18 is when a license carries the word provisional, so both of the other answers are real ages from the licensing rules rather than from the reporting one. A physician is not the only route: law enforcement or a family member can also refer a driver by submitting a Request for Driver Reexamination.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, DL 600 ENGLISH (REV. 6/2025). The correct answer is From 14 years old..
- Section 5. An Introduction to Driving , page 9
- Section 2. Getting an Instruction Permit and Driver's License › Applying For A Driver's License , page 3
- Section 2. Getting an Instruction Permit and Driver's License › Minor's Restrictions and Exceptions , page 4
- Section 12. Driver Safety › Reexamination , page 80
- Section 2. Getting an Instruction Permit and Driver's License › Applying For An Instruction Permit , page 3