Driving With a Medical Condition – What You Need To Do?

If you have a driving license and you develop a notifiable medical condition or disability that could affect your ability to drive safely in the UK, you must inform the DVLA-Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is an Executive Agency of the Department for Transport (DfT) and part of the Motoring Services Group in the UK. DVLA maintains registers of drivers and vehicles in Great Britain. The information helps them improve road safety, reduce vehicle related crime, support the environmental initiatives, and limit the vehicle tax evasion.

Notifiable medical conditions may include,
Epilepsy
Stroke
Physical disabilities
Visual impairments
Neurological and mental health conditions

Why tell DVLA?
If your doctor tells you to stop driving or if you don’t meet the required standards for driving because of your medical condition, you must surrender your license to DVLA. Surrendering your license means you can start driving again sooner. But if you don’t tell DVLA about the medical condition that could affect your ability to drive, you could be fined for upto £1,000. You could also be prosecuted if you have an accident.

What will DVLA do?
After you tell DVLA, you would get the decision within 6 weeks. DVLA might contact your doctor, or arrange for you to be examined, or may ask you to take a driving test or eyesight test.

DVLA will assess your medical condition and will decide whether you need to get a new driving license, or you can have a license for a shorter duration, or you need to make modifications in your car to enable you to drive safely, or you need to stop driving at all and give up your license.

In case you must stop driving, you will be given a medical reason why you must do so, and you would be told if and when you can reapply for the license.
If you have been told to adapt your vehicle you will be given an independent assessment of your adaptation needs through the Forum of Mobility Centres.

DVLA will send you renewal application document 90 days before your license is due to expire, if you own a short period driving license. Before re applying for the license check with your doctor if you are fit to drive again.

If you are not sure whether you need to tell DVLA about the medical condition that you have, fill in a questionnaire or form or call dvla at DVL contact numbers. You would get complete assistance regrading health conditions and driving and the procedure to be followed in case you need to surrender your license.