Driving licence taken away due to medical reasons?

Question

i know somebody that has had his licence taken away for a year because he collapsed ,he has had tests done and the doctors cant find anything wrong but his GP told him he had to inform the dvla,he has now had a letter off them telling him that he cant drive for a year due to a medical illness and siezures ,surely they cant take away his licence with no medical evidence,i hope somebody can shed a light on this.

Answer 1

You have to be free from seizures for at least a year to be deemed legally fit to drive.

Answer 2

Its true that you have to be "one year clear" of medical issues/incidents.  If you've had a head injury, blackouts or fits, the same applies.  If you cannot drive for medical reasons, you may be entitled to free/reduced rate public transport under disability schemes.

Answer 3

yes, its usually 6 months if you collapse for no reason, they can take away your licence to make sure it doesnt happen regularly, guess it could be a year, but perhaps your friend may be able to get a letter from his doc saying it is not likely to happen again, though i doubt if the doctor doesnt know whats wrong with him (ie he didnt have enough sugar at that time) he will be willing to take on that legal responsibility to say your friend is fit to drive.... sorry. er, your friend perhaps should not have told the dvla like his doctor said... what did he expect if he informed the dvla of his collapse? a get well soon card? i dont think so...

Answer 4

well you have to be fit enough to drive, otherwise its dangerous, like being drunk. so I'm sure he can appeal and get a letter from the doctor (only person) that he has a clean bill of health, then send that to the dvla

Answer 5

if you can put this question in the category "aviation",there is a friend of mine who is a G.P. that will answer this impartially.

Answer 6

see a second doctor for anoather opinion then go back to the DMv.

Answer 7

My daughter had a seizure disorder from the ages of 12 thru 16. The cause was never really known, but she could not get her license during that period. Finally after a normal EEG and letters from both doctors did they approve her driving privileges. To this day they will send her a letter about the time her drivers license comes up for renewal saying they need a medical waiver from her doctor and she is now thirty two!

Answer 8

They can and, indeed, should take his licence away until they are sure it is unlikely that this will happen again.  Medical evidence or not, it happened and they don't want to risk it happening again while he's at the wheel, for everybody's sake.

Answer 9

its playing on the side of safety until further test are carried out,this is for everyones sake, not just his.

Answer 10

sorry to hear, i think its unfare!

Answer 11

Yes, they can.

I have lost my L.G.V. licence for 5 years, due to a condition called "cough syncope" (blackouts caused by coughing).

It occurred for 3 months at the end of 2005.  I had checks on my breathing, my heart and my overall fitness.  There was no known cause, apart from the coughing.  As a result, the D.V.L.A. revoked my L.G.V. entitlement until 2010.

Bizarrely, if there had been a problem with my heart and it could have been treated, I would not have lost my licence.  It is precisely because they CAN'T find a reason (and therefore, can't offer a cure) that my licence was revoked.

Your friend is in the same position with their car licence, I'm afraid.

Answer 12

Tell him to appeal, as anybody can faint if they're tired or didn't eat enough.

Answer 13

I dont want  to upset you but licences cannot be taken away without good medical reasons.

You would not want someone killed because your friend had collapsed behind the wheel.

Also collapsing IS medical evidence.

Answer 14

Oh yes they can and did, until they know what caused the collapse, they can't be sure it will not happen while driving.

Answer 15

Would you want to be around someone that had passed out for no apparant reason? would you want to be in their car if it happened again? How about standing along side the road or parking lot if it happened??  If they dont know why, they cant say it wont happen again.

Answer 16

They surely can in the interest of safety to you friend and others.  It would seem that they may be thinking that he has had a small stroke or something like that.  It may not necessarily show up on scans etc.  I think they are referred to as TR's.  He can of course appeal against that decision by letter pointing out that there appears to be no evidence of anything wrong and see what they have to see. At the end of the year doctor has to state that he has had no recurrence of the collapse.

Answer 17

It wouldn't be taken away if there were no medical reasons, so there probably are.