Driving after a bleed on the brain

chrisw

DVLA are the ones who decide whether you can drive or not based on advice from doctors and consultants. Once they are advised by the consultant that you are fit to drive, hopefully they will agree and reinstate your licence. The wait is annoying but I would have thought you would be unlicensed until DVLA assessed and accepted it.

LightFlare

Stick with plan A = contact the DVLA

depending on the reason for the advice to not drive, who issued it and who enforces it - the system, especially to reinstate can vary

for example -- post surgery a clinician can inform you to not drive for x days -- DVLA dont even need to be informed.
Strokes have a minimum no drive time which in some cases dont even need an all clear
Epilepsy has a different minimum no drive to time which will require certain hoops to be jumped through

The processes for each are widely different

Mrcsmrs

Car_54 said:

marcia_ said:

Mark_d said:

If you have your consultant's  statement which says you are fit to drive, then I think driving is ok. It's your consultant who needs to assess whether you are fit to drive, not the DVLA

 Wrong. Consultant can advise but the DVLA have their own doctors who carry out the assessment. 

 Nether my GP or consultant were contacted as part of their assessment of if i could drive. 

I'd suggest your experience is not typical. Did the DVLA doctor examine you?

In my case, the consultant and GP were contacted, and I was given the all-clear. 

Thank you for your comment. Do you mind me asking how long it took please? 

Mrcsmrs

chrisw said:

DVLA are the ones who decide whether you can drive or not based on advice from doctors and consultants. Once they are advised by the consultant that you are fit to drive, hopefully they will agree and reinstate your licence. The wait is annoying but I would have thought you would be unlicensed until DVLA assessed and accepted it.

Thank you. This is my thinking and what I’m worried about. I’ve had nothing said to me by anyone except the doctors on the hospital that weekend in November. My discharge notes say don’t drive and inform DVLA but I’ve had no seizures, no loss of consciousness and no vision issues that would prevent me driving safely. I’m just worried that the time it takes is going to cost me my job. 

Car_54

Mrcsmrs said:

Car_54 said:

marcia_ said:

Mark_d said:

If you have your consultant's  statement which says you are fit to drive, then I think driving is ok. It's your consultant who needs to assess whether you are fit to drive, not the DVLA

 Wrong. Consultant can advise but the DVLA have their own doctors who carry out the assessment. 

 Nether my GP or consultant were contacted as part of their assessment of if i could drive. 

I'd suggest your experience is not typical. Did the DVLA doctor examine you?

In my case, the consultant and GP were contacted, and I was given the all-clear. 

Thank you for your comment. Do you mind me asking how long it took please? 

About six months, but they told me I could continue to drive under s88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. 

Mrcsmrs

LightFlare said:

Stick with plan A = contact the DVLA

depending on the reason for the advice to not drive, who issued it and who enforces it - the system, especially to reinstate can vary

for example -- post surgery a clinician can inform you to not drive for x days -- DVLA dont even need to be informed.
Strokes have a minimum no drive time which in some cases dont even need an all clear
Epilepsy has a different minimum no drive to time which will require certain hoops to be jumped through

The processes for each are widely different

Sadly it doesn’t seem like my issue has a no drive time minimum set just a blanket don’t do it until told you can, but DVLA apparently take months to say so! 

I’ve got my follow up tomorrow so I’m going to ask my consultant to confirm they’re happy for me to drive and ask their advice before I call DVLA. It just seems crazy that I risk losing my job over a tick box if my consultant says I’m fine and doubly frustrating that I’ve had none of the issues that would cause any surrender of my license anyway. Even when it first happened I was still conscious and able to walk, call NHS 111, and respond to all those checks of moving arms and legs against pressure etc. 

It’s so frustrating!