Many foreigners are surprised to learn that failing a driving test in Switzerland may involve having to undergo an evaluation of the candidate’s mental state.
In Switzerland, ‘fitness to drive’ a vehicle must be evaluated by a psychologist if you repeatedly fail your driving test.
Most people manage to obtain their driving licence on the first or second attempt, but if you still don’t succeed after the third try, you will have to undergo a brain function assessment to test whether you are cognitively fit enough to operate a vehicle.
This is not meant to stigmatise people who can’t get the hang of driving a vehicle on first three attempts but, rather, to ensure that they are capable of doing this safely.
Foreigners in Switzerland can drive on a non-Swiss licence for up to 12 months, but after that will have to swap their licence for a Swiss one (with the exceptions of groups such as diplomats).
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Some countries have a reciprocal recognition programme with Switzerland that allows drivers to simply swap their licence for a Swiss one, but people whose licence was issued in a country without such an agreement will have to take the Swiss practical driving test, or both the practical and theory tests, depending on the country. Find the full list here.
Those who repeatedly fail the Swiss test may be required to take the psychological evaluation, which also applies to Swiss candidates.
Who performs these tests?
Since driver tests and licences are the responsibility of individual cantons, they have specialised units created specifically for this purpose.
In Zurich, for instance, it is up to the Traffic Medicine division of the Zurich University, while in the French-speaking part, this responsibility is shared by the the Traffic Medicine and Psychology Unit at the Geneva and Vaud university hospitals — HUG and CHUV, respectively.
Other cantons, like Bern, delegate this task to special departments within their Traffic Offices.
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What exactly does this process entail?
According to TCS motoring organisation, a driving fitness assessment generally consists of two parts:
Psychological examination using a specially designed computerised testing system
The goal of this test is to determine whether the person has a “reasonable and responsible” attitude toward road traffic.
It assesses visual perception, attention, concentration, reaction behaviour, and hand-eye coordination.
Interview with a psychologist
A professional will determine whether the test results are also reflected in the face-to-face interview with the candidate.
In total, this entire process usually lasts between two and three hours.
Depending on the canton, this evaluation costs between 900 and 1,600 francs.
If you get the green light (figuratively speaking) on your mental capacity to drive, you can try again.
If not — that is, if a contraindication is found during the test — you will not be permitted to drive in Switzerland.
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What happens if your psychological assessment is positive but you fail the driving test the fourth time?
A learner’s license is no longer valid after a fourth failure.
If you still want to try again, you will have to redo the practical part of the lessons again.
But to do that, you should have deep pockets: driving lessons in Switzerland (with some variations among cantons) cost on average between 2,000 and 3,000 francs.
READ ALSO: The ways you could lose your driving license in Switzerland
