Epilepsy and not informing DVLA

Marc021

Hello,
I'm looking for an advice and I'm happy if someone can direct me to the right solicitor who gives me an advice.
I have been diagnosed with an epilepsy about 3yrs ago and doctor advised me to do drive and inform DVLA. I stopped driving but did not notified DVLA. My wife is a driver.
Now I'm seizures free for over 12months... My doctor told me that I can contact DVLA to get my license back.
Now... How I can come back to driving ? If I just start and nothing ever happen (accidents etc) then I'm possibly fine... but if something happen then I might be in the trouble ?

Also one more case - car is on my name, insurance is on my name all that time and my wife is as a named driver.
Looks like I'm in difficult situation ?

PasturesNew

Download the form to let them know you have epilepsy, date it for last year. Take a photocopy of it. Destroy the original.

Download the form to let them know you have been epilepsy-free for one year, take a photocopy of that. Keep the photocopy and send the original.

If they ever query it, say "I sent it, see, I have a copy of the form I wrote in 2014 and the form from 2015"

glentoran99

Marc021 wrote: »

Hello,
I'm looking for an advice and I'm happy if someone can direct me to the right solicitor who gives me an advice.
I have been diagnosed with an epilepsy about 3yrs ago and doctor advised me to do drive and inform DVLA. I stopped driving but did not notified DVLA. My wife is a driver.
Now I'm seizures free for over 12months... My doctor told me that I can contact DVLA to get my license back.
Now... How I can come back to driving ? If I just start and nothing ever happen (accidents etc) then I'm possibly fine... but if something happen then I might be in the trouble ?

Also one more case - car is on my name, insurance is on my name all that time and my wife is as a named driver.
Looks like I'm in difficult situation ?

This is another issue that would need addressed, You have been "fronting" for 12 months, you have also not informed your insurance company of your condition

ChumLee

PasturesNew wrote: »

Download the form to let them know you have epilepsy, date it for last year. Take a photocopy of it. Destroy the original.

Download the form to let them know you have been epilepsy-free for one year, take a photocopy of that. Keep the photocopy and send the original.

If they ever query it, say "I sent it, see, I have a copy of the form I wrote in 2014 and the form from 2015"

Let's just hope it wasnt all before May 2014 then.

ChumLee

Marc021 wrote: »

Hello,
I'm looking for an advice and I'm happy if someone can direct me to the right solicitor who gives me an advice.
I have been diagnosed with an epilepsy about 3yrs ago and doctor advised me to do drive and inform DVLA. I stopped driving but did not notified DVLA. My wife is a driver.
Now I'm seizures free for over 12months... My doctor told me that I can contact DVLA to get my license back.
Now... How I can come back to driving ? If I just start and nothing ever happen (accidents etc) then I'm possibly fine... but if something happen then I might be in the trouble ?

Also one more case - car is on my name, insurance is on my name all that time and my wife is as a named driver.
Looks like I'm in difficult situation ?

You haven't been driving Glasgow bin lorries?

bazster

You're a bit of an eejit, and I would suggest that the way out of this is not to tell a pack of lies as suggested above.

Inform DVLA of your condition, tell them you haven't been driving since it was diagnosed, and that you now meet the criteria for driving legally. They will then have two separate issues to consider:

(i) whether to do anything about the offence you committed by not informing them in the first place (they will not send you to jail, a fine is the possible sanction, if they bother to do anything about it)

(ii) whether to permit you to keep your licence or issue you with a 3-year restricted licence; basically they will write to your Dr to get confirmation of your fitness to drive, and decide what do do on the basis of that.

Also inform your insurance company. They could make a song-and-dance about the fact that you should've informed them three years ago, and that all this time you've been down as the main driver when it was in fact your wife, but unless you've claimed in the interim, or your wife has a terrible driving record, or you've been getting NCD that she wouldn't have been entitled to if she were the policyholder, I can't see there's anything in it for them. But anyway it can't be helped, if you want to drive you must inform them. In many years of declared epilepsy my OH has never had a premium loaded because of it (although she has always played it by the book despite having to surrender her licence twice).

Marc021

bazster wrote: »

You're a bit of an eejit, and I would suggest that the way out of this is not to tell a pack of lies as suggested above.

Inform DVLA of your condition, tell them you haven't been driving since it was diagnosed, and that you now meet the criteria for driving legally. They will then have two separate issues to consider:

(i) whether to do anything about the offence you committed by not informing them in the first place (they will not send you to jail, a fine is the possible sanction, if they bother to do anything about it)

(ii) whether to permit you to keep your licence or issue you with a 3-year restricted licence; basically they will write to your Dr to get confirmation of your fitness to drive, and decide what do do on the basis of that.

Also inform your insurance company. They could make a song-and-dance about the fact that you should've informed them three years ago, and that all this time you've been down as the main driver when it was in fact your wife, but unless you've claimed in the interim, or your wife has a terrible driving record, or you've been getting NCD that she wouldn't have been entitled to if she were the policyholder, I can't see there's anything in it for them. But anyway it can't be helped, if you want to drive you must inform them. In many years of declared epilepsy my OH has never had a premium loaded because of it (although she has always played it by the book despite having to surrender her licence twice).

OK I see that this is difficult situation now... You suggest to just be "right" and talk do DVLA and "pray" that they will understand and not be too hard for me. Am I understanding correctly ?

Insurance is another grey area for me.
As I mentioned, insurance is on my name, car is on my name. I could just register car on my wife name and buy insurance on her name. However here is a complication.... Last year my wife was involved in the non-fault accident which is noticed on my policy.
I understand now that I was breaking the law and this is purely my fault. I did not know that if I cannot drive and I cannot have car insured on my name.

(and NO, I was not a lorry driver and not leaving in Scotland)

bazster

Marc021 wrote: »

OK I see that this is difficult situation now... You suggest to just be "right" and talk do DVLA and "pray" that they will understand and not be too hard for me. Am I understanding correctly ?

The alternative is to lie, and if you do that the consequences could be much worse if you get caught out. Failing to tell DVLA about a medical condition is one thing, but driving with an undeclared medical condition is far more serious. Remember, when you declare the condition they will write to your Dr, who will not lie for you, so they will find out that you've been epileptic for three years without telling them.

Marc021 wrote: »

Insurance is another grey area for me.
As I mentioned, insurance is on my name, car is on my name. I could just register car on my wife name and buy insurance on her name. However here is a complication.... Last year my wife was involved in the non-fault accident which is noticed on my policy.
I understand now that I was breaking the law and this is purely my fault. I did not know that if I cannot drive and I cannot have car insured on my name.

(and NO, I was not a lorry driver and not leaving in Scotland)

The registration of the car is irrelevant, you don't even need to have a driving licence to have a car registered to you.

Did you/your wife claim on the insurance over this accident or did you just inform them that it had occurred?

ChumLee

Marc021 wrote: »

OK I see that this is difficult situation now... You suggest to just be "right" and talk do DVLA and "pray" that they will understand and not be too hard for me. Am I understanding correctly ?

Insurance is another grey area for me.
As I mentioned, insurance is on my name, car is on my name. I could just register car on my wife name and buy insurance on her name. However here is a complication.... Last year my wife was involved in the non-fault accident which is noticed on my policy.
I understand now that I was breaking the law and this is purely my fault. I did not know that if I cannot drive and I cannot have car insured on my name.

(and NO, I was not a lorry driver and not leaving in Scotland)

You can, however as it stands your risk is being assessed on the fact you are the main driver. When in fact the main driver is your wife who probably doesn't have any no claims so the policy would be x% more than it is. Hence the fronting comment.

Time to come clean and start afresh. Phone call to the insurance and sort things with the dvla.

Marc021

ChumLee wrote: »

Time to come clean and start afresh. Phone call to the insurance and sort things with the dvla.

That is what I want.

bazster wrote: »

The alternative is to lie, and if you do that the consequences could be much worse if you get caught out. Failing to tell DVLA about a medical condition is one thing, but driving with an undeclared medical condition is far more serious. Remember, when you declare the condition they will write to your Dr, who will not lie for you, so they will find out that you've been epileptic for three years without telling them.

The registration of the car is irrelevant, you don't even need to have a driving licence to have a car registered to you.

Did you/your wife claim on the insurance over this accident or did you just inform them that it had occurred?

I don't mind for a doctor saying the true when DVLA contact him.
I did not look for different insurance for a reason that it is ridiculously expensive and I though if I will not be driving.
Yes, my wife had to claim on the insurance. Basically this was non-fault accident so my insurance company was only informed and the rest of the claim has been processed from the 3rd party insurance. It was a decision of the other driver who hit my car.

colino

Why bother contacting DVLA now? Your Doctor told you to inform DVLA and as it is a notifiable condition, which you must tell them about, you can get up to a £1000 fine and could have been prosecuted (by DVLA) if you had an accident during that period your Doctor told you not to drive.
Add on the fronting on the insurance, it appears to be a bit late to get some integrity now.