A car expert said that DVLA decisions about medical conditions affect nearly 900,000 drivers every year - and potential changes to criteria could alter that. Darren Miller from BigWantsYourCar.com said there was a "significant impact" of the DVLA decisions regarding medical conditions.
He said: "The DVLA's decisions on medical conditions and driving are crucial for ensuring road safety. With nearly 900,000 medical licensing decisions made in a year, it's evident that a significant number of drivers are affected.
“The requirement for drivers to surrender their licence to the DVLA if their condition affects their driving for three months or more is crucial for safety. The DVLA may issue a new shorter-term licence, or recommend special adaptations to the vehicle to accommodate specific needs from the individual's medical condition.
“The DVLA's guidelines require drivers to report any changes in their health that could impact their ability to drive safely. These decisions not only safeguard individual drivers, but also contribute to overall road safety, minimising the risk of accidents caused by medical issues."
People affected by DVLA medical decisions
Darren said: "Anyone with a driving licence who experiences a 'notifiable' medical condition or disability is directly affected by DVLA decisions. This includes individuals with conditions such as diabetes, heart conditions, epilepsy and more.
“The DVLA's assessments ensure that drivers with medical conditions are fit to drive and take appropriate measures to maintain safety on the roads. It's a responsibility shared by both drivers and regulatory agencies to prioritise safety above all else."
Potential changes in DVLA policies
Darren said: "Potential changes in DVLA policies could involve adjustments to the renewal process or stricter guidelines for reporting medical conditions. While the current system mandates reporting at age 70, there may be discussions around lowering this age threshold to 65, as suggested by recent petitions.
“Such changes could lead to more frequent assessments of older drivers' fitness to drive, ensuring that they meet the necessary standards for road safety. However, any alterations must balance safety concerns with the practical needs of drivers."
Medical conditions you may need to report to the DVLA
- Absence seizures
- Acoustic neuroma
- Addison’s disease
- Agoraphobia
- AIDS
- Alcohol problems
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Amaurosis fugax
- Amputations
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
- Angina
- Angioplasty
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Anorexia nervosa
- Anxiety
- Aortic aneurysm
- Arachnoid cyst
- Arrhythmia
- Atrial defibrillator
- Arteriovenous malformation
- Arthritis
- Asperger syndrome
- Ataxia
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Autistic spectrum condition
- Balloon angioplasty (leg)
- Bipolar disorder
- Blackouts
- Blepharospasm
- Blood clots
- Blood pressure
- Brachial plexus injury
- Brain abscess, cyst or encephalitis
- Brain aneurysm
- Brain angioma
- Brain haemorrhage
- Brain injury (traumatic)
- Brain tumours
- Broken limbs
- Brugada syndrome
- Burr hole surgery
- Caesarean section
- Cancer (leukaemia is listed separately below)
- Cataracts
- Catheter ablation
- Cardiac problems
- Carotid artery stenosis
- Cataplexy
- Cavernoma
- Central venous thrombosis
- Cerebral palsy
- Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
- Chiari malformation
- Chronic aortic dissection
- Cognitive problems
- Congenital heart disease
- Convulsions
- Coronary artery bypass or disease
- Coronary angioplasty
- Cranial nerve palsy (with double vision)
- Cystic fibrosis
- Deafness
- Defibrillator (implanted)
- Déjà vu
- Dementia
- Depression
- Diabetes
- Dilated cardiomyopathy
- Diplopia (double vision)
- Dizziness
- Drug misuse
- Eating disorders
- Empyema (brain)
- Epilepsy
- Essential tremor
- Fainting
- Fits
- Fractured skull
- Friedreich’s ataxia
- Glaucoma
- Global amnesia
- Grand mal seizures
- Guillain-Barré syndrome
- Head injury
- Heart attack
- Heart arrhythmia
- Heart failure
- Heart murmurs
- Heart palpitations
- Heart valve disease or replacement valve
- High blood pressure
- HIV
- Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Huntington’s disease
- Hydrocephalus
- Hypertension
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Hypoglycaemia
- Hypoxic brain damage
- Hysterectomy
- Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)
- Intracerebral haemorrhage
- Ischaemic heart disease
- Kidney dialysis
- Kidney problems
- Korsakoff’s syndrome
- Labyrinthitis
- Learning difficulties
- Left bundle branch block
- Leukaemia
- Lewy body dementia
- Limb disability
- Long QT syndrome
- Loss of an eye
- Low blood sugar
- Lumboperitoneal shunt
- Lung cancer
- Lymphoma
- Macular degeneration
- Malignant brain tumours
- Malignant melanoma
- Manic depressive psychosis
- Marfan’s syndrome
- Medulloblastoma
- Memory problems (severe)
- Meningioma
- Mini-stroke
- Monocular vision (sight in one eye only)
- Motor neurone disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Muscular dystrophy
- Myasthenia gravis
- Myocardial infarction
- Myoclonus
- Narcolepsy
- Night blindness
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Obstructive sleep apnoea
- Ocular myasthenia gravis (with double vision)
- Ophthalmoplegia (with double vision)
- Pacemakers
- Palpitations
- Paranoia
- Paranoid schizophrenia
- Paraplegia
- Parkinson’s disease
- Peripheral arterial disease
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Personality disorder
- Petit mal seizures
- Pituitary tumour
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Psychosis
- Psychotic depression
- Pulmonary arterial hypertension
- Renal dialysis
- Retinal artery fugax
- Retinitis pigmentosa
- Retinopathy (with laser treatment)
- Schizo-affective disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Scotoma
- Seizures
- Severe communication disorders
- Severe depression
- Sight in one eye only
- Sleep apnoea
- Sleepiness (excessive)
- Spinal problems and injuries
- Stroke
- Subarachnoid haemorrhage
- Surgery (if you are post-operation)
- Syncope
- Tachycardia
- Temporal lobe epilepsy
- Tonic clonic fits
- Tourette’s syndrome
- Transient global amnesia
- Transient ischaemic attack
- Tunnel vision
- Usher syndrome
- Valve disease or replacement valve
- Ventricular defibrillator
- Vertigo
- Vision in one eye only
- Visual acuity (reduced)
- Visual field defect
- VP shunts
- Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
